2 charged in 2023 St. Johns I-95 drive-by shooting, was connected to drug trafficking, feds say

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Two people are now facing federal charges in connection to an October drive-by shooting on Interstate 95 that federal prosecutors say was connected to drug trafficking activity.

A grand jury returned indictments for Nathaniel Thomas Hatcher III, 28, and James Toney, 20, both of Jacksonville, U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg said during a Wednesday news conference.

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Hatcher and Toney are charged with committing a drive-by shooting and discharging a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.

Shortly after the Oct. 17 shooting, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office released dash camera footage showing the moment deputies say four masked people in a red car opened fire into a white Mercedes, hurting two people.

Handberg said authorities are still searching for the other two people in the car.

Hatcher is also charged with:

• Conspiring to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana
• Conspiring to straw-purchase firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
• Making materially false statements during the purchases of firearms
• Conspiring to commit money laundering,
• Witness tampering
• Obstruction of justice

Toney is also charged with conspiring to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.

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According to a news release from Handberg’s office, the arrests of Hatcher and Toney are part of a drug trafficking investigation that has led to other defendants, including:

• Al’Donta Easterling, 26, of Jacksonville, is charged with conspiring to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Handberg said that Easterling worked with Hatcher and Toney operating a drug trafficking operation for more than a year and a half, using short-term rentals in Jacksonville as stash houses.
• Desmond Maxwell, 28, of Jacksonville, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to straw-purchase firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. A straw-purchase of a firearm is when someone buys a gun for someone who is prohibited from purchasing one. Handberg said Maxwell conducted straw-purchases for Hatcher, and Maxwell knew the firearms were being used to protect drug stash houses. He faces up to 25 years in federal prison
• Yaquasia DelCarmen, 28, of Jacksonville, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana, and conspiring to commit money laundering. DelCarmen is Hatcher’s girlfriend and she would transport marijuana on flights from California to Jacksonville, Handberg said. While in jail, Hatcher instructed DelCarmen to threaten others who were set to testify against him. In June, she signed a plea agreement and faces up to 40 years in federal prison.
• DayJon Major, 21, of Jacksonville, has been charged with illegally possessing a machine gun and possessing a stolen firearm. Major is currently in state custody.

Read court documents below:

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