Joel

People keep popping up to get arrested in this one. These deputies had no idea what they stumbled across. We are in Flagler County where Sheriff’s deputies realized who, and what, they had just pulled over as the stop goes on. ​Deputies in Palm Coast initiated a stop on a U-Haul van, only to watch the driver, 25-year-old Jerome Hurst, frantically scramble across the cab to the passenger side, claiming his door wouldn't open. Sitting beside him was 38-year-old Jessica Bontempo. Both wanted out of that vehicle quick which did not seem right. Neither occupant had a valid license, and deputies instantly recognized Bontempo: her residence had been the subject of more than 30 neighborhood complaints over the previous three years, had recently seen trafficking-weight methamphetamine seizures, and was already undergoing formal legal nuisance abatement. ​Knowing Bontempo will refuse consent to search the vehicle, so a K-9 unit arrived and performed an exterior free-air sniff. The dog alerted immediately, establishing probable cause. Inside the cabin, deputies uncovered burned aluminum foil and cut straws lined with residue hidden in the glove box and console crevices. ​The real shock came when deputies rolled up the back cargo door. Concealed inside the dark, unventilated bed were two additional passengers, Bridget Dubena and Josiah Feimster, who claimed they had been pounding on the walls to get out. Both were ordered out and detained alongside the driver and front passenger, with additional powders and paraphernalia located in the back. Clearly 4 was not enough as the stop escalated further when a bystander, April Hamilton, walked up to the scene. Despite deputies issuing multiple direct commands to step back at least 25 feet under Florida’s first responder buffer statute, often referred to as the 25-foot "Halo Law", Hamilton continued arguing, pacing behind police cruisers, and encroaching to within roughly 12 feet. She was placed in handcuffs on the spot. ​By the end of the traffic stop, five individuals were transported to the Flagler County Inmate Facility: ​Jessica Bontempo: Charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with evidence (tampering was subsequently dropped via no information; released on $1,000 bond). Jerome Hurst: Charged with driving with a suspended license (released on $250 bond). Bridget Dubena: Charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting without violence (released on $2,000 bond). Josiah Feimster: Charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting without violence (released on $3,500 bond). April Hamilton: Charged with interfering with an on-duty first responder / impeding law enforcement (released on $150 bond). ​What normally should have been a minor traffic infraction, escalated into five arrests, multiple drug charges, and an on-the-spot enforcement of Florida’s controversial perimeter statute. This was like the stop that kept on giving with people popping out to get arrested.