Article Courtesy of Channel
6 Click Orlando
By Brianna Volz
Published August 13, 2020
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OSCEOLA COUNTY – Nearly three dozen people were arrested and 16 guns were
confiscated during an operation aimed at targeting house parties in Osceola
County, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The Osceola County
Sheriff’s Office carried out the busts following numerous
reports of COVID-19 parties, mass gatherings that were
taking place despite a push for social distancing during the
coronavirus pandemic.
“Operation Party Stoppers,” which took place Friday and
Saturday in the area of the west corridor of the county, led
to 33 arrests, according to the Sheriff’s Office. With the
help of homeowners associations in the area, deputies said
they were able to stop several large parties before they
could happen.
Charges from the arrests included possession of cocaine,
armed trafficking, possession of heroin, possession of
marijuana, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon,
driving with a suspended license and multiple warrant
arrests, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s
Office. |
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Drugs, guns confiscated during Osceola County party
busts.
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Deputies said the overall goal of the saturation patrol was to address the house
parties that have recently taken place in the region.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the parties have resulted in multiple violent
incidents over the past several weeks, including shootings and one homicide.
Last month, officials with the Sheriff’s Office said they had received more than
600 noise complaints since March, with many related to what Sheriff Russ Gibson
referred to as COVID-19 parties.
Gibson said for months now, “unsavory” people, including gang members, have been
hosting massive parties at vacation rental homes with the intent of spreading
COVID-19.
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