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Gang Invades Polk Home - With Deputies Inside

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 5, 2009

A squad of armed men prepared to invade a Winter Haven drug house, but they instead were greeted by investigators, Polk County detectives say.

The detectives say they stumbled upon and thwarted the home invasion involving the "Mexican Mafia" on Wednesday while conducting a probationary search.

"They were in the right place at the right time," Polk County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Carrie Eleazer said of the detectives.

The drug unit detectives initially searched the home at 2011 Gerber Dairy Road for weapons and narcotics. They found methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia, deputies say.

As a result, detectives arrested three people who live at the home: Connie Jarvis, 39; Jessica Carden, 26; and Casey Nance, 24. They say they also arrested another person who happened to be at the home, sitting on a couch with a gun on his lap, 27-year-old David Valles of Winter Haven.

While the investigation was ongoing, one of the detectives saw a vehicle pull into the home's driveway.

The detective approached and saw Manuel Garza, 24, of Wauchula, and Catherine Hale, 22, of Lake Alfred. He determined Garza didn't have a valid driver's license. Hale was found in possession of phentaremine, a controlled substance, deputies say.

Hale and Garza were arrested and taken inside the home.

As detectives worked on affidavits for the six arrestees, one of the detectives saw a red Dodge Durango come to the home.

The detective learned that the driver, 26-year-old Gonzalo Orozlo of Haines City, had a suspended driver's license.

Orozlo refused a command to exit the vehicle, so the detective took a key from the ignition and called other detectives for help, according to the release. The four people inside the Dodge were searched, and each had a handgun. Detectives also found cocaine, methamphetamines and $4,230.

Dodge passenger Gerardo Moralez, 23, of Haines City, said he and the others had come to the home to commit an armed robbery, detectives say.

"He further advised that someone who lives at the residence owed drug money to several 'Mexican Mafia' members with whom he is affiliated; that he and the other subjects collect money for the Mexican Mafia in the area; that he has been doing this for three months; that Gonzalo Orozlo is a 'hit man' for the Mexican Mafia; and that Orozlo has bragged about kidnapping and killing people who fail to pay off their drug debts to the Mexican Mafia," the release states. "Moralez had no specific information regarding the people Orozlo had supposedly killed."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials placed a hold on Orozlo and Dodge passengers Agueda Maldonado and Miguel Flores-Hernandez. The special agent from ICE also agreed to seek federal indictments on all four Dodge passengers for federal firearms offenses, deputies say.

Investigators later determined two of the guns found at the scene were reported stolen from Hillsborough County and Winter Haven. One of the guns was in Valles' possession, and the other was in Maldonado's, deputies say.

An investigation is ongoing.

The following people were charged in the incident:

Connie Jarvis, charged with methamphetamine possession, marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a dwelling for drug sales with a minor present

Jessica Carden, charged with possession of drug paraphernalia

Casey Nance, charged with violating probation, methamphetamine possession and possession of drug paraphernalia

David Valles, charged with methamphetamine possession with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a concealed firearm, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, grand theft of a firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia

Manuel Garza, charged with driving with a canceled, suspended or revoked license and possession of phentaremine

Catherine Hale, charged with possession of phentaremine

Gerardo Moralez, charged with carrying a concealed firearm and criminal conspiracy-armed robbery

Gonzalo Orozlo, charged with methamphetamine possession, cocaine possession, carrying a concealed firearm, maintaining a vehicle for drug use, possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal conspiracy-armed robbery and driving with a canceled, suspended or revoked license

Miguel Flores-Hernandez, 28, of Texas, charged with carrying a concealed firearm, methamphetamine possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal conspiracy-armed robbery

Agueda Maldonado, 38, of Haines City, charged with methamphetamine possession, cocaine possession, carrying a concealed firearm, maintaining a vehicle for drug use, grand theft of a firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an officer without violence and criminal conspiracy-armed robbery

Warrants were issued for the arrests of two more people who live in the home:

Ignacio Cuevas, 30, charged with methamphetamine possession and possession of drug paraphernalia

Pete Jarvis, 31, charged with methamphetamine possession, marijuana possession and maintaining a dwelling for drug sales

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at jpoltilove@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7691.

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