Video: Drone Leads Deputies To Suspect Hiding In Mangroves In The Dark

Date Added: January 21, 2021 3:27 pm

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

DRONE LEADS DEPUTIES TO SUSPECT HIDING IN MANGROVES IN THE DARK

Deputies working a proactive anti-crime operation Wednesday night in southeast Volusia County got an assist from the air when a Sheriff’s Office drone led them to a hidden suspect who tucked himself away under cover of heavy mangroves.

Around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, a sergeant investigating a suspicious vehicle parked at Seminole Rest Park (207 River Road, Oak Hill) noticed a man wearing a backpack riding a bicycle into the closed park. The rider refused to stop, and eventually the sergeant found the bicycle and backpack abandoned. In the backpack, deputies found two bags containing crystal meth.

Deputies called in the Aerial Response Team to search the park. The drone eventually captured the heat signature of 45-year-old Jeffrey Goodwin (DOB 8/21/1975), allowing the pilot to lead arresting deputies straight to him and a friend. Goodwin was taken into custody safely, without further incident. He was charged with possession of methamphetamine and also arrested on open warrants for violation of probation on previous charges of felony battery and tampering with a witness by preventing communication.