Please check out this update on the burglary call in Deltona, where we detained a guy who was just out jogging, but who unfortunately fit the initial suspect description.
Joseph Griffin is going to come out and join us during implicit bias training, and tell this story from his perspective. I think we can all learn from his point of view, just like he has listened to ours. Mr. Griffin is a military veteran and a medical professional, and I told him we'd train and hire him as a deputy in a second if he ever wants a new job.
I also just want to say again how proud I am of the deputies who handled this call. Granted, nothing like Facebook Live existed when I was starting out, but I don’t know if a young Mike Chitwood would have kept a live video running for somebody I was detaining. These guys did it because in that moment, they understood what it meant to Mr. Griffin, who was going out of his way to be cooperative and respectful.
Everyone involved in this deserves recognition for a job well done. To all who responded so quickly and got the actual suspect in custody before he broke into someone else's property, YOU are the reason crime is down in Deltona. I hear some critics saying it was "just a leafblower, who cares?" When we respond to this kind of burglary with the same sense of urgency as any other call, we see the results in a safer community.
Thank you again to every deputy and to Joseph Griffin, and to all of you who can see that both perspectives deserve a look.
Sheriff Chitwood
Congratulations to the next Daytona Beach Chief of Police, Jakari Young, and congratulations to the city and its residents on landing one of the best leaders you will find anywhere.
I've watched Jakari Young progress through his career ever since his days as a relentless young detective. The future is bright at the Daytona Beach Police Department under his leadership.
Which brings me to Chief Craig Capri, whose tenacity and passion for the job has been an unbelievable asset to Daytona Beach, and truly set a high standard for Chief Young to meet. These are two men who make me proud to say I was part of the Daytona Beach Police Department, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for each of them as they move into their next chapters.
Deputy Chief Jakari Young has been named the next Chief of the Daytona Beach Police Department.
Jarius Cook was murdered in cold blood by people he knew. To all his family, and especially the young son he left behind, I am so sorry for the loss you are still grieving. Jarius' son will have his 4th birthday party tomorrow, and I just wish we could bring his father back to him.
I'm very proud and grateful for our Major Case Unit detectives and our partners with State Attorney R.J. Larizza's office, who worked long and hard to lock up the 3 killers responsible for Jarius Cook's senseless death.
3 SUSPECTS INDICTED IN ROBBERY, MURDER OF JARIUS COOK IN DELAND’S SPRING HILL
After a 7-month Volusia Sheriff’s Office investigation in close coordination with the State Attorney’s Office, a grand jury has indicted three suspects in the robbery and murder of Jarius Cook in the Spring Hill neighborhood of DeLand.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood and State Attorney R.J. Larizza announced the indictments in a news conference Friday morning alongside the family of the 21-year-old who was shot multiple times, then discovered in the driver’s seat of a burning car in the early-morning hours of March 19, 2020.
The defendants are each charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm. They are: Zachariah U. Sanders (23, DOB 4/24/1997), Fredryonna C. Grimes (18, DOB 3/27/2002) and Cameron L. Lane (17, DOB 1/22/2003).
“In all my years of policing, I just can’t understand the indifference to human life,” Sheriff Chitwood told reporters of what he called “absolutely a senseless, horrific murder of a young man who had so much of his life” ahead of him. “It just defies logic that a human being would do this to another human being over money, and not a lot of money at all.”
“We need to find a way to stop this gun violence, we need to find a way to help these communities grapple with what they deal with every day,” State Attorney Larizza said. “Once we get involved, somebody’s dead or seriously injured, and in many respects it’s just too late. So I hope that we can continue to do our job of protecting you, and also find ways to help protect our communities from future violence.”
Vickie Cook Heath, Jarius’ aunt, said the sheriff’s detective assigned to the case, Det. Shon McGuire, “told me to trust him, and I did exactly that.”
“We prayed, we cried, and we prayed some more, and we got just what we asked for from the Lord: An indictment,” Ms. Heath said. “So now all we’re waiting for is a conviction, and we know God will do that for us as well.”
Using digital forensics and other evidence gathered during the investigation, detectives determined all three defendants were involved in the robbery and murder. At this point, limited details of the investigation are being released to protect the integrity of the cases as they enter the prosecution phase.
Each of the defendants have been in custody without bond on other charges for several months.
Grimes was arrested April 20, and Lane was arrested May 8, on charges of attempted first-degree murder in a separate shooting case in DeLand, investigated by the DeLand Police Department.
Sanders was taken into custody May 20 after sheriff’s detectives charged him with tampering with evidence and providing a false report to law enforcement regarding Cook’s murder. Sanders was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence after he tried to escape from arresting deputies. He was also charged with violating his probation on prior armed robbery charges.
Thank you to our friends from DeLand Seventh-Day Adventist Church for stopping by and presenting us with this recognition of every Volusia Sheriff's Office deputy, dispatcher and employee making a difference for Volusia County! On this First Responders Appreciation Day, we're all saying thanks to the outstanding public servants we have working so hard in our county every single day.
