By Emmy Bailey
Herald Intern
Fireball & Fury
Altamonte Springs police arrested Xavier Charles McGehee on November 5 after a chaotic confrontation that began with a reported fight and ended in full restraints. Officers responding to the scene found McGehee clutching a “shooter” bottle of Fireball whiskey and showing clear signs of intoxication: slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and a confrontational attitude. When Officer John Loso asked for identification, McGehee refused multiple commands, insisting he hadn’t done anything wrong. Despite repeated warnings, he continued to resist as officers attempted to detain him, tensing his arms and pulling away. Officers took McGehee to the ground to handcuff him, but his defiance didn’t stop there. While being escorted to a patrol car, McGehee dropped to his knees and kicked an officer in the leg. Police placed him in hobble restraints, but once inside the vehicle, he began banging his head against the metal cage and shouting incoherently. Officers removed him to apply a WRAP restraint, during which McGehee spat at Officer Rodriguez, hitting him on the arm. McGehee was fitted with a protective helmet and transported safely to the Seminole County Jail.
Dilated Pupils and Drug Bags
Officers responded to a call regarding a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a Courtyard by Marriott Hotel on the evening of Nov. 9. Upon arrival, officers located a dark-colored Kia Soul, still running and partially parked on the curb, and made contact with the driver, Helmi Motasim Agha. According to the arrest report, Agha immediately displayed signs of impairment, presenting with dilated pupils, an inability to stand still, and speaking in a rushed, excited, and
easily distracted manner. Officers requested he perform Standardized Field Sobriety Exercises (SFSEs). During the tests, Agha repeatedly had difficulty maintaining the starting position for the Walk and Turn, shifting his weight and growing agitated to the point of asking to remove his shoes. While Agha’s breath test registered 0.000, based on his extreme body language and difficulty performing the exercises, officers determined he was under the influence of a
controlled substance and placed him under arrest for DUI. The situation escalated during a search incident to the arrest. Officers discovered several narcotics and drug paraphernalia on Agha’s person, including a small plastic bag of a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. Furthermore, a second plastic bag, found inside his wallet, tested positive for the potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl. Officers also recovered burnt aluminum foil and a rolled-up $20 bill, both of which tested positive for cocaine residue. Agha was subsequently charged with Driving Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Fentanyl, and Possession of Drug Equipment.
Warrant to a Drug Bust
An officer in Sanford observed Dominikque Stephen Ward walking across the street and recognized him as having an active warrant for Petit Theft on Nov. 8. When the officer stopped Ward and advised him to place his hands behind his back to be taken into custody, Ward immediately became physically and verbally combative. Ward allegedly tensed his arms, refused to be cuffed, and told the officer he would only stop resisting if he were treated like a “human.”
The officer eventually managed to gain control and began escorting Ward to the patrol car, but Ward continued to struggle, turning back toward the officer and repeatedly reaching his hands into his pocket as if attempting to conceal something. During the struggle, the officer observed Ward throw a small metal object away, which bounced against the ground. The object was recovered by a second officer and was readily apparent to be a crack pipe with copper residue on the end. A search of Ward’s backpack also revealed a small baggie of brittle material commonly used for drug consumption. Ward was ultimately booked on his active warrant and new charges of Resisting an Officer without Violence and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Passenger turns Punch-enger
In the early morning hours of Nov. 10, a Casselberry officer responded to a call in Casselberry by a victim reporting a domestic disturbance. Noel picked up his friend, identified as Latiyah A. Hill, from the Seminole County Jail, and she asked him to take her to the gas station. While driving, Noel reported that Hill began to argue with him, trying to get him to take her back to his place,
and started calling him names, then started rubbing her hand in his face. Hill then began to strike him in the face with a brown bag. Noel chose to pull the car over and ask Hill to get out of the car, where she continued to argue with him. He eventually drove off to get away from her. After reviewing the statements and observing the visible injuries, officers determined that Hill was the primary aggressor in the incident. Hill was subsequently placed under arrest for Battery
and transported to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility for processing.
