Counting 'em Down: For better or for worse, this is the Headline Surfer countdown of the 2021's Top 100 biggest news stories of Central Florida along the tourism-driven stretch of Interstate 4 (Orlando Attractions and east to I-95 & the World's Most Famous Beach in Daytona). Each recap segment is posted with its own headline, culminating with the unveiling of No. 1 on New Year's Day or shortly thereafter. Then Headline Surfer will post a Top 10 forecast story of the good, the bad & the ugly on the horizon in "2022: The Year That Lies Ahead."
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- For the second time in a year, Daytona Beach cops raided a beachside motel after investigators obtained a narcotics search warrant, taking two people into custody.
Anthony M. Mascaro, 36 and Jennifer E. Tessier, 37, were both charged with felony drug trafficking following that early-morning raid on Sept. 22 at the Camellia Motel, 1055 North Atlantic Ave.
Like in the raid last December at the Camellia, members of DBPD’s Problem-Oriented Policing Unit stepped up in response to more complaints about drug sales taking place on the property, according to DBPD Capt. Scott Lee.
“We took seven people into custody the last time, including the property manager,” Lee said. “Now we’ve got two more drug dealers living in one of the motel rooms peddling this poison. If the motel owner refuses to do what’s right, then we’re going to keep doing these raids until this is solved for good.”
“We took seven people into custody the last time, including the property manager,” Lee said. “Now we’ve got two more drug dealers living in one of the motel rooms peddling this poison. If the motel owner refuses to do what’s right, then we’re going to keep doing these raids until this is solved for good.”
The POP Unit found 64.8 grams of meth and 4.4 grams of fentanyl in the motel room, which Mascaro had been renting out for around a month. Also found in the motel room’s refrigerator was over 60 grams of testosterone propionate, an anabolic steroid used mainly for boosting testosterone levels.
Cops also discovered a loaded Taurus .357 revolver and various items used for packaging and selling drugs, including several digital scales.
Mascaro overall was charged with four felonies, including trafficking in methamphetamine and fentanyl, keeping a public nuisance structure for drug activity, and possession of a Schedule III substance. He also was charged with drug paraphernalia possession, which is a misdemeanor.
Tessier was charged with felony trafficking in methamphetamine and fentanyl and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.And Tessler was charged w ith misdemeanor drug paraphernalia possession.
Tessier's legal troubles were not limited to the drug charges: She's also also facing a probation violation stemming from an unrelated drug case handled by Port Orange cops in June 2020. Prior to that, she was out on bond for an unrelated vehicle burglary case handled by DeLand cops in May 2020.
This is the tenth such raid conducted by the POP Unit since last December of 2020, including one earlier this week at an apartment on North Street where one arrest was made.
FAST FACTS: Sixteen people in total were charged following separate raids in August at a home on South Peninsula Drive and a home on Braddock Avenue, a home on Live Oak Avenue last April, a home on Goodall Avenue last March and a home on Ribault Avenue last January. Another 15 people in total were charged in the two raids at the Best Southern Sun Plaza Motel and the December 2020 raid at the Camellia. Anyone who would like to report similar issues can contact DBPD POP Unit Sgt. Kevin Connelly at ConnellyKevin@DBPD.us or (386) 671-5162.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high profile cases, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. • Award-Winning Journalism: Florida Press Club recognizes Headline Surfer for nine stories in 2020 statewide competition. • Award-Winning Journalism of Henry Frederick.