From purses to pills…2 arrested in separate cases
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Two men – one a Flomaton Elementary School teacher – found themselves on the wrong side of the law this week after being arrested by local law enforcement agencies.
The teacher, identified as 52-year-old Clemente R. Brooks Sr., was arrested last Wednesday after he allegedly stole a woman’s purse at Wind Creek Casino and Hotel parking lot Tuesday night.
Brooks, a fifth grade teacher, was charged with third-degree robbery and first-degree theft of property.
Doyle “Butch” Lee, assistant chief with the Poarch Tribal Police Department, said that Brooks was in the casino’s parking lot at about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, when he approached two people — an elderly woman, and that woman’s younger daughter.
Lee said Brooks came up behind the two women and grabbed the older woman’s purse, and attempted to grab the daughter’s purse as well. Lee said the daughter was able to fend Brooks off, and Brooks then ran away with the mother’s purse.
Lee said the two women came back into the casino to report the theft to casino security, and Brooks was later identified using video surveillance.
Lee said the purse, which held about $400, was recovered.
On Friday, Marcus Lee Johnson, 38, was allegedly caught with nearly 20 prescription pills, is facing distribution and possession charges by the Brewton Police Department.
Sgt. Andrew Casey said Johnson is facing a total of four counts of possession and two counts of distribution, both of a controlled substance.
“Mr. Johnson was observed on two separate occasions selling pills – both hydrocodone or ‘lortab’ and Clonazepam or ‘Klonopin,’” Casey said. “When the search began for Mr. Johnson, an officer happened to see him in the Swift Supply parking lot, and he was taken into custody.”
That’s when officers found another “stash.”
“When (Johnson) was arrested, officers found 16 Klonopins and three hydrocodone pills on him,” Casey said. “And that’s when he caught the other two possession charges.”
Johnson was booked into in the Escambia County Detention Center and is being held on a $75,000 bond.