BROOKSVILLE – A year-long investigation into a methamphetamine operation finally came to an end today, after Vice and Narcotics Detectives with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a residence on B W Stevens Road.
According to officials, the investigation revealed that methamphetamine was being sold out of a mobile home located just behind the Frontier Adult Mobile Home Park.
Officials say it’s too early to provide a full report on what drugs were seized but two people were arrested at the scene.
We spoke to Sheriff Al Nienhuis who said there were serious concerns over possible explosive materials that could be located on the property. “It’s my understanding that they are methodically going through it but if they find anything and I’ve heard that they found a few things that were unusual, they can actually detonate them at the scene,” said Nienhuis.
Commissioners John Allocco and Steve Champion joined Nienhuis today to observe the raid first hand.
Commissioner Allocco tells RNRF “Having the opportunity to observe firsthand the amount of planning, the number of people necessary to safely perform the mission, and the level of risk each one of these officers puts themselves in to keep our residents safe from the activities of criminals is humbling.”
Commissioner Champion thanked the Sheriff’s Office and says “The entire department is doing a fantastic job.”
Nienhuis says a lot of manpower goes into not only serving the search warrant but processing the case and preparing it for the State Attorney. Last year the Sheriff’s Office executed 49 narcotics related search warrants, according to Nienhuis.
“We know drugs zap the initiative out of the community and we’re going to do everything we can - if drugs are being sold in your neighborhood, those good people can rest assured that we’re going to be there eventually making a house call,” says Nienhuis.
Members of S.W.A.T., the State Attorney’s Office, Bomb Squad, and State Fire Marshal assisted in today’s operation.
23-year-old Marissa McConnell and 44-year-old Randall Wayne McConnell were both taken into custody but their charges have not been released by officials.
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Daddy isn’t protecting them anymore? The son and granddaughter of former candidate for sheriff, Eddie McConnell. He ran multiple times. It only took 25 years for this idiot to get caught.
Hey wtf does Eddie McConnell have to do with choices his 44 yr old son makes you ignorant trash. He is a great man and father and grandfather choices made by his kids are exactly that their choices. Go slander someone else you moron
When Eddie McConnell worked at HCSD he used to tell Randy when drug busts were going to go down. Now we know that was a long time ago and that’s what my comment was about, not protecting his son from being arrested for dealing drugs. Eddie is a good man but he enabled his son and his sons dope addiction by his own actions from when Randy was a younger man. These things besides the enabling came right out of Randy’s mouth from when I used to hang out with him and his old lady. That’s why I said it took so many years to finally catch this idiot. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree with enabling kids and drugs in this family it seems.
Well I dont know who you are but I can assure you Eddie McConnell has never ever provided info that would enable anyone including his kids to evade justice for their wrong doing. He has lived by and upheld the law for his entire career and to the present. Furthermore has he nor would he ever do anything to further anyone’s illegal drug use. Addiction is a horrific disease and it doesn’t see race, religious preference, and certainly not whether your father is a cop or not. Its passed among generations without predjudice. I’m not making excuses for anyone’s actions or trying to excuse illegal behavior. However this particular drug is a evil like no other and takes decent people down a road that most only could imagine in nightmares. So judge if you’d like just pray this life destroyer doesn’t ever latch on to anyone you love. And for the record Randy hasn’t evaded any trouble here because of Eddie’s help for the last 25 years I can assure you. I know this because he hasnt lived here for the past 16 years and had only been back for a year and a half. Just deal in facts before you go waving your “im better than you”sword all over public media. Eddie McConnell earned and deserves to be sheriff of this county and most that knew him or had any interaction with him would agree. Politics are just not for everyone and the way this county has been spiraling he was probably done a favor by not being elected.
Who are you trying to fool? Some of us who know Eddie know what he’s done in the past. He helped me out of an arrest that I deserved back in the day. I, knowing Eddie since he was a young man am glad he never became our Sheriff. He’s corrupt to the max and yes, he did warn his son of drug busts that were going to go down. Red has dealt drugs since before Rissa was born and his father knew it. He also got himself in a bit of trouble in Kentucky when he lived there. I can’t stand liars and it appears that runs in the family too. Eddie is right where he needs to be, pushing his private investigation business, since it’s known that nobody around here wants him as a cop any more. He’s old and washed up.
How do you know that Eddie would call Randy to tell about a drug bust going to happen?? It sounds like since you are so full of inside infomation from back then you must not have cared too much of hanging out with a dope addicting idiot. Must be that what ever he was doing you were doing it with him so i guess you’re an idiot also. I wonder what kind of trouble you got out of being around that dope addictting idiot?
This does not make any sense. Eddie did not work in this county for many years…it looks like his son did not live here for years. Looks like someone other than Eddie is responsible for this guy not getting caught for years rather than his father.
Looks like he’s been ‘burned’ (pun intended). Glad they’re out of business.
Good job HCSO man it’s getting bad out there.. we all need to work together to help shut these places down.. HCSO can’t do it all alone.. if you see something suspicious please make the call.. stay safe people…
Looks like they got them out of bed !
Their on METH just me!!! They DONT sleep!! R u new ???
Ole Tom just absolutely had to have his mug in the picture…………….every fifteen minutes someone is breaking into show business.
Yep just like you having to ad your senseless comments to every post Bethy
Bethy…your comments annoy me.
Good job HCSO more to come
Yeah right there tells me that none of these people really understand that kids turn into young men then adult men and what they do after 18 is on them why would anyone be so stupid to judge someone who served this county and that is a great father and grandfather and husband that they feel the need to slander that man’s name I think you people who are saying stuff you should be looking at your own families. Instead of worry about some gentleman’s father get a life . You are truly a idiot and I said that.
I think ya’ll meant to say “libel” with respect to the senior Mr McConnell. I’m thinking he didn’t have anything to do with his progeny’s dope kitchen. But don’t let facts or vocabular limitations get in your way.
Rory, your name is familiar to me. I knew well educated person years ago who wore ” cellophane socks “.
Thanks for being the ” grammar police “. Some of these folks make me crazy.
Eddie McConnell is a good Christian man that loves his children and grandchildren. It is not okay for people to slander his name because of poor decisions made by his ADULT children and grandchildren. Lucille, you ought to be ashamed of yourself and you need to do some self inventory before you talk about other people. How lucky you must be to not have a family member that didn’t quite meet your expectations of them. Considering the kind of person you are, based on the comment you made, I find that very doubtful.
Eddie is an honest man. Known him for ages. Evidently there are people out there who will say anything about a good person for their own agenda.
Thank you HCSO! Keep that Humvee and that SWAT team rolling and let’s clean this county up, Gods protection over all of you!
mr. and mrs. pockmarks
Great job sheriff! You da man!! Great mug of u Tom, suggest a ladder in the future!!
Waste of time and tax payers money no cash and a small amount of meth need to hit the big guys not the addicts hit the real drug dealers
Exactly!
Great to see such dangerous drugs off the street!
But what happens when you get accused of having a marijuana grow house and turns out to be tomatoes and peppers?
You kids get taken away by incompetent DCF investigators that lie and say they smell marijuana and hernando county sheriff’s deputies lie as well but they won’t go as far as getting a search warrant because…they know wasn’t no marijuana😂
Moved here to hernando county to get away from the big city problems and police corruption I’m sad to say cops here are worse and can’t get no justice.
So I will proceed with federal civil rights violations against DCF & Hernando county sheriff’s deputies.
Good job. Keep busting them! Now if we could just get tougher sentencing!!
It is amazing how quick a few of you are to slander those who protect and serve which only serves to exemplify your need for a better education.
If you really feel that you need public attention ask Tom to cover a meeting between you and Ronnie or Al so you can repeat your comments face to face . What color hospital gown do you want your photo in? So put up or shut up !!! Yea…. that’s what I thought !!! 🙂
Maybe it seems to those that are complaining about the McConnell guy, is he has gotten away with more than the average Joe, because of who his father is. I know that the drug addicted/thieving adult children of law enforcement that live near to me, seem to get away with more than most.
Hospital gown? So Eddie is violent when someone brings the truth out? Now we know where Red got his violence from. That and being the child of a drunk. Eddie might not drink as much now but dang it man, did he when he was younger. A drunken womanizer is what he was. Remind us. How many times has Eddie been married? As for Alvin. I’m sure he’d love to hear the truth of this former deputy. But then again maybe not. That thin blue line.
Auto fill put Ronnie in place of Eddie in my comment
Spelling counts - Randall - HCSO no hits, Randell = 4 arrests. Hernando Clerk has both ways. Curious, most recent Traffic ticket for Randell MC. Lily, KY Birthdate is 1/1/1900….no way. 2015 about a year and a half ago.
That would make him 115 yoa….no way BPD. General search Bing/Google Randell MC. Lily, KY, there he is DUI 2013. To ‘waste of time’: they make/cook it to sell and use (repeat) = Drug Dealer.
That could be what burned him.
Guess Hyslop couldn’t fix the ticket for him this time. Outstanding.
As far as the swat team doing a good job, they did a good job for the information that they were given, afterall that is what they are trained to do in any given situation that occured but when the information given wasnt accurate, who does that fall on Randy or the SWAT team? It will be interesting to see how one minded people answer this because I believe the person giving out false information is the one that should be put on display. As far as any concerns of Eddie keeping Randy out of trouble, that has never happened. Of course like any parent that would stands behind their children given the situation at that moment any of you would have done the same. Eddie stands for the justice system 100% and it doesnt matter who you are friend, family or foe he believes if you commit a crime, you do the time. What he doesnt stand for is ignorance or arrogant people who believes they are above the law, no matter who you are he will be there to protect and to serve whether your guilty or not. If he believes someone or something is being mishandled he would be right there at your side. I don’t know about any of the misguided people of this county but what I do know is that I would trust this man with any given situation and that what he tells you is to be facts and not assumptions of others and I’m pretty positive that we have all done something in our past we are not proud of or hope that no one ever finds something out about us thats because we all make mistakes. Not one of us are innocent, I dont care who you are we are all guilty of something whether one would admit to it or not thats a different story. What happened to “innocent until proven guilty”??
How much dope they get after a year that is always out first just not here and boy Tom you started a fight with a news article but what difference does it make😦😦😦❄❄❄s
I am the daughter that was arrested when all this happened Marissa McConnell and I will be the first to say that there was not one single drug found during this raid…
Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have evidence that proves there were no drug transactions conducted between the Sheriff’s Office and either suspect from that residence. Also all if this information is not true:
Pursuant to the search warrant, detectives located methamphetamine, marijuana, several firearms, and various items of drug paraphernalia.
The following individuals were arrested on scene and charged as follows:
Randall McConnell W/M DOB/o7-26-1972
– Sale of Methamphetamine
– Possession of Methamphetamine
– Possession of Marijuana
– Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
– Possession of a Firearm by a Felon
– Possession of a Structure for the Sale of Methamphetamine
– Bond amount: $63,000
Marissa McConnell W/F DOB/02-01-1993 (Randall’s McConnell’s daughter)
– Possession of Methamphetamine
– Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
– Bond amount : $3,000
The investigation remains active.
All of you guys can go yourselves. 😌 There were no drugs found when my family’s home was raided. For a “year investigation” HC sure did a good job at lying about what actually happened here.
This article is.
Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have evidence that proves there were no drug transactions conducted between the Sheriff’s Office and either suspect from that residence. Also all of this information is not true:
Pursuant to the search warrant, detectives located methamphetamine, marijuana, several firearms, and various items of drug paraphernalia.
The following individuals were arrested on scene and charged as follows:
Randall McConnell W/M DOB/o7-26-1972
- Sale of Methamphetamine
- Possession of Methamphetamine
- Possession of Marijuana
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
- Possession of a Firearm by a Felon
- Possession of a Structure for the Sale of Methamphetamine
- Bond amount: $63,000
Marissa McConnell W/F DOB/02-01-1993 (Randall’s McConnell’s daughter)
- Possession of Methamphetamine
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
- Bond amount : $3,000
The investigation remains active.