Florida Crimes of The Week: Uber driver allegedly tried to sell hallucinogenic mushrooms to narcotics deputies

FLORIDA - A Florida Uber driver is accused of trying to sell drugs to investigators in town for a drug conference, a man in an airboat allegedly shot at a construction crew, two Orlando women are accused of stealing $22,000 worth of cosmetic products, and a Florida man allegedly pushed a bride to the ground, causing chaos at a wedding: Here is FOX 35's Week in Review. 

Florida Uber driver tries to sell drugs to investigators in town for drug conference, deputies say

A seemingly ordinary Uber ride for a group of investigators heading to a narcotics conference took an interesting turn when their driver allegedly tried to sell them LSD and mushrooms. Little did he know, this encounter would spark a months-long investigation which ultimately led to his arrest. 

John Alcott, 52, was arrested and charged with two counts of selling a hallucinogen, trafficking in LSD, possession of a hallucinogen with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of using a two-way communication device in the commission of a felony. 

"While these types of cases aren’t the primary focus of our VICE/Narcotics investigations, this one kind of came to us," said Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson. "He obviously makes it a habit to sell while driving an Uber and that’s pretty alarming considering how teenagers and young adults frequently use driving services in the area."

The investigation started back in August 2023. The Florida Narcotics Officers' Association Annual Conference was being held in Miramar Beach, and three visiting Citrus County investigators ordered an Uber to take them to dinner, according to a press release from the Walton County Sheriff's Office. 

When the investigators got into the Uber – driven by Alcott – they smelled marijuana. A conversation resulted in an admission from Alcott, who said he had Psilocybin mushrooms for sale, according to deputies. He opened up the glove compartment to reveal a large bag of mushrooms.

The detectives declined, and then sparked an undercover operation to "purchase" more drugs from Alcott the next day. 

Alcott allegedly sold investigators 134 grams of Psilocybin mushrooms, 10 Psilocybin mushroom capsules, and 12 doses of LSD for $1,000, according to a news release. The man from Crestview also told the investigators he'd be willing to mail them a supply too. 

Over the next few months, investigators remained in contact with Alcott and said they'd be back in the area in February and wanted to "buy" more mushrooms and LSD. 

Last week, Walton County Sheriff's Office VICE and Narcotics investigators used the undercover Citrus County detectives to reach out to Alcott to organize a buy for more than a quarter-pound of mushrooms and 200 doses of LSD for $5,000, the press release said. 

On Alcott's way to the meet-up, Walton County deputies conducted a traffic stop and he was placed under arrest for warrants from the first undercover purchase. 

Alcott was released from jail a day later after he posted $15,000 bond.

Man in airboat shoots at construction crews working on bridge, workers say

You’ve heard of road rage, but how about boat rage? 

Construction crews with Underwater Mechanix say a man in an airboat shot at them from the water Saturday. 

That happened while they were working on a bridge right by the Seminole/Volusia County line on State Route 46.

Investigators from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office showed up Saturday evening when this happened. They also went out on the water on Monday morning with the construction crew, searching for evidence to help with the case. So far, though, the alleged shooter is still on the loose. 

Dakota Atkinson, the Dive Supervisor of Underwater Mechanix, remembers things vividly. He says the crew saw the man pull out a bag and then pull a gun from it. 

"Everybody hit the deck really quick," said Atkinson. "Everyone was on the ground. He fired at basically where they would have been standing, and it could have been really bad."

The gunfire wasn’t the crew’s first encounter with the alleged shooter.

The workers say the boater kept flying by them at full speed, 25 or 50 feet away, despite several high-flying dive flags indicating boaters must stay at least 300 feet away. That isn’t just annoying; it’s extremely dangerous.

"You're sending a bunch of waves, and our floats are becoming incredibly unstable," explained Atkinson. "Someone in the water, not to mention the divers below the water, are also worried about their heads getting smashed in."

The crews said they repeatedly tried to get the air boater’s attention. 

"We're waving our arms. We're like, trying to, like, splash in the water," said Robert Richardson, another dive crew member.

Things got out of hand the third time he approached. Atkinson started recording to try to get the guy’s registration number. He said that’s when the guy started shooting. However, the boater didn’t stop there.

"He proceeded to circle around our work floats at full speed," said Atkinson. "Basically to just wake us out, I guess, send more fear at us."

"That was wrong. You don't do that to nobody. There’s other dudes that have families," said Richardson. "There's also people here that come out with children. That's another thing. Does not just us, just people here."

Work on the bridge is paused right now.

"That is intent to kill," said Atkinson. "Until he's locked up, I'm not going to feel safe working out there again."

Orlando duo accused of stealing over $22,000 worth of cosmetic products

A duo from Orlando was arrested in Port Orange last week after they were caught filling up trash bags with dozens of facial care and cosmetic products worth over $2,000 and leaving the store, according to police. 

Maria Alisa Codreanu, 20, and Elena Elisabeta Codreanu, 23, were both charged with grand theft after the incident that unfolded on Wednesday, according to the Port Orange Police Department. The two entered an unnamed retail and pharmacy store and left with over $2,000 worth of merchandise, police said.

When police searched their van, they found several more large trash bags filled with similar items. 

"A few hundred more items of merchandise were located totaling over $20,000.00, and were believed to have been recently stolen from other area retail stores," police said.

According to photos shared by the Port Orange Police Department, some of the stolen items were lipstick, foundation, concealer, mascara, moisturizer, eye cream, serum and face wash, among others. 

Police are still investigating and will determine the owner of the recovered property. 

The Codreanus were transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail. They have both been released after posting $2,500 bonds. 

Florida man allegedly pushes bride to ground, causes chaos at wedding

A wedding reception in Florida turned sour on Saturday night after one of the guests was arrested for allegedly pushing the bride to the ground and attacking a few other attendees. 

Rontae Stokes, 45, was arrested and charged with five counts of felony battery and one count of criminal mischief after the incident that unfolded at an event hall on 126th Avenue in Largo, according to an arrest affidavit from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. 

Stokes, a guest at the wedding, got into a verbal altercation with the bride and allegedly pushed her to the ground. Stokes' relation to the bride was not made immediately clear in the affidavit, nor was the reason for their exchange. The affidavit does say, however, that there was an indication of alcohol influence. 

He's also accused of grabbing a ceramic lawn chair and throwing it into a glass door, which resulted in a broken chair leg and about $800 in damage to the property, the affidavit said. 

Stokes was then escorted out of the building. On his way out, however, he allegedly struck multiple wedding guests with his hands and feet, including his mother, niece, brother-in-law and another guest. 

Stokes, who has a prior battery conviction from 2014, remains in custody in Pinellas County on $30,000 bond.