COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — It’s what’s being called an apparent gang-related murder.
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On Friday, Apr. 28, Sheriff Mark Hunter of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office held a special press conference, flanked on both sides by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the State Attorney and Lake City Police.
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“My gosh, we’re becoming the wild west,” Sheriff Hunter said.
It all started on Tues., Apr. 11 around 3 p.m. when a resident reported finding a body in the Osceola National Forest.
Deputies arrived on scene and confirmed that foul play was suspected after finding the body badly burned. Through a partial tattoo, deputies were able to identify the victim as 32-year-old Shawn Waldron. Waldron’s family had reported him missing earlier, helping the identification process.
On Wed., Apr. 12, Waldon’s cell phone was found near the intersection of Northeast Buddy Avenue and Northeast Fryer Street. His bicycle was found shortly after, on Apr. 13.
Read: U.S. Marshals, assisted by Palatka Police detective, arrest murder suspect after 20-day search
The medical examiner in Jacksonville was able to positively confirm Waldron’s identity on Apr. 17 through dental records. His family was notified.
A search warrant on Apr. 18 was served by CCSO at Northeast Maxwell Glenn. Evidence discovered indicated that this location was related to this case.
An arrest warrant for the murder of Waldron was issued and Robert Lee Jackson was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on Friday in Jacksonville.
Sheriff Hunter said that Jackson is a drug dealer who lived in Lake City but is known by law enforcement to travel all over Florida to sell drugs.
“I deal with a lot of sheriffs and a lot of different agencies and we’ve seen this and we are working together to bring this under control,” Sheriff Hunter said. “A big part of this, it all ties back to the drugs.”
The sheriff added that based on his knowledge of Jackson and Waldon that this appears to be a murder case involving gangs and illegal narcotics activity.
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This is the first arrest in the case as the investigation is ongoing.