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Chiefland Man Sentenced in 2023 Child Sex Crimes

On May 5, 2023 the Levy County Sheriff’s Office arrested John Harmon Jordan Jr. (2/20/63) of Chiefland on two counts of lewd and lascivious battery and two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation. The arrest was followed by a thorough and lengthy investigation which was initiated by the victim’s disclosure.

The investigation determined multiple sexual interactions occurred between the victim and Jordan which lasted for several months. The victim was assaulted numerous times over the course of that time. A strong evidentiary foundation aided Detectives in successfully corroborated the victim’s statements. Detectives recovered digital and biological evidence as well as recorded admissions by the defendant. This evidence sealed the formal charges.

On September 24, 2025, John Harmon Jordan Jr. entered a plea of no contest and was subsequently sentenced to 15 years in the Florida Department of Corrections. This resolution ensured justice for the victim and family, while also sparing the victim the emotional trauma of a trial.

John Harmon Jordan Jr., is now classified as a sexual predator and upon his release from the Department of Corrections he will be required to register as a predator with the Sheriff’s Office.

The outcome of this case highlights the dedication the Sheriff’s Office has to holding these types of offenders accountable while protecting the well-being of survivors and victims.

Warrant Arrest Leads to Firearms Charges

On September 18, 2025 at approximately 8:00 in the evening, Levy County Deputies responded to an address in the 2200 block of SE State Road 121 in Morriston. Corporal Dean MacIntyre and Deputy Amanda Stokes went to the location in an attempt to serve a Marion County felony warrant. Michael Lee Pope (12-8-70) had an outstanding arrest warrant for Lewd and Lascivious Molestation of a child under 12.

The deputies were able to locate Pope on the premises and took him into custody on the warrant. While awaiting warrant confirmation and preparing for transport, the deputies observed a handgun in plain view near the front door of the residence. A check of Pope’s criminal history revealed two prior felony drug convictions from Polk County. Someone cue Sheriff Judd.

Further investigation revealed one additional rifle inside the premises along with a total of 192 rounds of live ammunition. Pope was arrested on the outstanding warrant and three additional counts of Possession of Firearm and Ammunition by Convicted Felon. He remains incarcerated at the Levy County Jail under a $25,000.00 bond for the Firearm charges. Pope is being held on a “No Bond” status for the Marion County Warrant.

Sexual Predator Receives JUST Sentence

Jeffrey Lashley, 9/11/59 of Cedar Key, FL was arrested on July 1, 2025 for multiple violations of the sexual predator registration requirements. In 1996 Lashley was convicted for Lewd and Lascivious Battery. This conviction designated him a Sexual Offender in the State of Florida.

In 2004, having been arrested again for sexually based crimes against children, Lashley was again convicted thus designating him a Sexual Predator. It is based on these convictions and the age of the victim(s) that he was required to register as a Sexual Offender/ Predator for life.

Lashley’s newest violations this year were discovered when Detective Cody Weaver performed a sexual predator compliance check at his home in Cedar Key. Detective Weaver identified a smart phone in Lashley’s possession. Detective Weaver knew Lashley had not registered this device.

A search of this phone discovered that Lashley had multiple social media applications installed on the phone. He was also required to disclose any social media sites he subscribed to during his registration. Lashleys phone was discovered to contain numerous images of Child Sexual Abuse Material he later admitted to downloading from the internet. Lashley phone additionally contained recently taken pictures of young juvenile females in bathing suits. It appears these photographs were taken at several public places in our community.

Detectives also seized numerous paper notebooks from Lashley. These contained writings that described explicit stories and/or his fantasies of him performing sexual acts on children, both male and female. It appeared he fantasized about children between the ages of four to 10 years old. The evidence and documentation was overwhelming which would aid our prosecuting team the evidence to secure a conviction.

Faced with the reality of the case against him, Lashley entered an open plea on 8/27/25 to Circuit Judge William Davis, seeking leniency. Judge Davis appropriately sentenced him to a prison term of 30 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.

Archer Man Sentenced to 30 Years For 2024 Murder

8/29/25

On 9/8/24, Shawn Orr (7/27/63) called 911 to report that he located his wife, Eloida Davis, deceased. Orr directed responding emergency units to a wooded area along a secondary driveway to their home where her body was located. Orr quickly became the person of interest in his wife’s death. Evidence revealed a violent abusive relationship.

The entire team of the LCSO Criminal Investigations Division pursued every lead and recovered evidence that Orr and his wife had a violent physical altercation inside their home the night before. Broken furniture along with blood evidence was recovered from the home, debunking Orr’s statement she walked away uninjured earlier the night prior. Orr claimed during his efforts to locate her, he accidentally ran over her remains while turning around.  It appeared Orr intentionally ran her remains over to conceal her injuries he inflicted the night before. Detective Ryan Sullivan placed Orr under arrest for murder.

Orr, who has remained in custody since his arrest, entered an open plea on 8/27/25 to Circuit Judge William Davis who sentenced Orr to 30 years. Orr will be transported to the Florida Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence for the murder of his wife, Eloida.

Child Abuser Receives Sentence

Tanner McDaniel

8/27/25            

In December of 2024, Detective Blake Landfair was assigned to investigate an accusation of sexual misconduct made against Tanner McDaniel (11/1/92).  McDaniel, a church youth leader, allegedly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with one of his students. The investigation uncovered convincing physical, electronic, and testimonial evidence. A warrant was obtained for McDaniel’s arrest, and McDaniel was arrested 1/11/25.

On 8/20/25, McDaniel entered an open plea to the Circuit Judge William Davis who sentenced McDaniel to 4 years in the Florida Department of Corrections. Upon his release he will serve an additional 10 years of sex offender probation, and must register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

Sexual based crimes perpetrated against children are some of the most difficult to investigate. The detectives at the LCSO are relieved the victim and family were spared the additional trauma of a trial. Now we hope and pray for the continued healing of this victim.

Inglis Man Sentenced to 35 Years for 2024 Murder

8/29/25

On 8/19/24, Brandon Tyler Capozzi (4/26/94) drove his motorcycle to victim, Carry Weeks’ property and shot him when Weeks walked down his driveway to speak to him. Capozzi immediately fled the location. LCSO Deputies and Detectives immediately responded to the shooting scene and quickly identified Capozzi as the primary suspect. Detectives left no lead unchecked in their attempt to locate Capozzi.

Capozzi was ultimately tracked down and taken into custody in the Williston McDonalds parking lot within hours of the incident. Detectives interviewed Capozzi who made a full confession for his crime. Detectives also learned valuable information on where he hid the firearm used during his crime. This gun was recovered ensuring it would never be used to commit another crime. Capozzi was charged with murder and evidence tampering and has been held in LCSO’s custody since the date of his arrest.

On 8/27/25, the Honorable 8th Judicial Circuit Judge William Davis sentenced Capozzi to 35 years in the Florida Department of Corrections for premeditated murder and evidence tampering. His prison sentenced will be followed by 10 years of probation. The LCSO’s hope is that this lengthy sentence brings a semblance of peace to the victim’s family and friends. We also want to offer a special thankyou to the Williston Police Department who played a major role in Capozzi’s capture at McDonalds and recovery of vital evidence. 

Inglis Man Arrested for Burglary

Levy County Detectives developed probable cause through investigative efforts that George Zachary “Zack” Risher was responsible for a residential burglary in the City of Inglis. An arrest warrant was obtained for Risher based on this investigation.
On August 25, 2025, deputies spotted Risher riding a bicycle in Inglis. Upon being approached, Risher refused to stop, abandoned the bicycle, and fled on foot. Following a brief foot chase, Deputy Landon Kennedy apprehended and arrested Risher.
Risher was charged with:
  • Burglary (from the outstanding warrant) – Bond: $75,000
  • Resisting Arrest – Bond: $2,500
Total Bond: $77,500

Bronson Man Arrested for Trafficking Meth

August 22, 2025

Deputy Rich Peters was on patrol in Bronson on August 17th and stopped a Jeep for excessive speed. The driver, identified as Otis R. Johnson (9/6/77) of Bronson was extremely nervous. Deputy Peters smelled to odor of burned marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and asked Johnson if he had a prescription for this substance. Johnson said he did not.

The roadside investigation determined Johnson was operating a rental vehicle assigned to a third person who was not present with him. Johnson said there could be marijuana in the vehicle that belonged to the person who actually rented it and gave permission to search and locate the marijuana.

The search found much more than marijuana. Deputy Peters located over 100 grams of methamphetamines, ammunition and a large sum of cash. Johnson was placed under arrest and this investigation also determined he is a previously convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm and/or ammunition.

Johnson has been charged with trafficking in methamphetamines, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the Levy County Detention Center and his bond has been set at $135,000.00.

Violent Felon Justin Bryant Sentenced

August 14, 2025

On May 30, 2024 Justin Bryant (6/29/88) of Morriston embarked on a drug fueled mission of murder. In a short time frame he brutally stabbed and cut four people in a normally quiet Morriston neighborhood. No clear cut motive for this crime was ever established. Thankfully no life was lost but these victims have lived with the scars he caused, both physically and mentally.

Bryant has been held in the Levy County Detention Center awaiting trial since his arrest. Recently, he entered an “open” plea of guilty to 8th Judicial Circuit Judge Davis, hoping for leniency in his sentence. Due to the brutality of this crime, little leniency was granted. Judge Davis sentenced Bryant to 40 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.

This case saw a massive response from law enforcement. At the time our 911 system began flooding with emergency calls while Bryant was still at large and potentially injuring other innocent people. All on duty available Levy County deputies responded. Williston Police Department sent all of their available officers. The manhunt was intense and Bryant was quickly located by a Williston Police Officer and a Levy County Deputy. The extraordinary cooperative work between our agencies allowed for this quick apprehension potentially saving more lives. So, a special thank you is warranted to Chief Rolls and all the officers at the Williston Police Department for their unwavering commitment to keeping the Levy County community safe.  

Deputy Hospitalized After Fentanyl Exposure

August 13, 2025

Deputies on patrol spotted a vehicle driven by Ashley Parkhouse (11/9/85) of Bronson on US Alt 27. Parkhouse is not a stranger to law enforcement and is known to have prior driving license issues. The vehicle she was driving had a broken windshield and the tag had been spray-painted, partially obscuring the numbers. The deputy discovered the tag was registered to Parkhouse and her license was currently suspended. She was stopped and arrested for driving while her license was suspended or revoked (DWLSR).

Ms. Parkhouse had a passenger with her, Gregory Provett (12/15/82) of Williston. The deputy noted both Parkhouse and Provett were extremely nervous. Their nervous behavior coupled with other observed behavior made the deputy suspect they were attempting to conceal a crime.

Deputy Alton Horne and his K-9 partner Behr arrived to assist. Behr alerted Deputy Horne he detected the odor of illegal narcotics in the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed an empty baggie in the passenger door that contained a white powder residue. Deputies also found a full fountain drink cup in the center console and the lid was askew. The residue in the baggie was tested and confirmed the substance was fentanyl. The liquid in the cup was also tested and it too tested positive for fentanyl. Based on these findings Provett was arrested for possession of narcotics and tampering with evidence.

During this arrest, a third deputy assisting in this investigation was exposed to fentanyl and began experiencing overdose symptoms at the scene. This deputy was transported to the hospital for treatment and was later released.

Deputies believe the fentanyl became airborne inside the vehicle and evidence supports Provett attempted to destroy the drug by dissolving it into the drink cup. Tiny particulates of this most powerful drug can enter a person’s system by inhalation or skin contact. The drug is fast acting and can lead to a deadly overdose with only a small amount. Research suggests as little as 2mg or the equivalent to 7 grains of table salt can cause an overdose.

We are extremely thankful our deputy was released, is expected to make a full recovery and return to duty soon. The dangers our deputies face on a daily basis are not always easily seen. In this case no gun was pointed, no threats of violence were spoken and no suspect resisted arrest. This weapon was unseen, had no smell and didn’t immediately speak a threat, yet lives were in danger. This was a “simple” traffic stop where someone was driving with a suspended license. Simple is not always simple.