Newberry residents claim Sheriff's Office harrassment

Corey Woodyard didn’t think walking in the street was a crime, but it netted him a $109 ticket.

He was walking on 252nd Street, near Fourth Avenue in Newberry. It’s one of the highest drug areas in the county, according to Lt. Steve Maynard, public information officer for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.

Police enforcement, which is handled by the sheriff’s office since Newberry doesn’t have its own police department, pays greater attention and devotes more resources to areas like 252nd Street, Maynard said.

“We know where the bad areas are, and we target those areas,” he said. “We aggressively and vigorously enforce the laws in the areas of the highest crime.”

While the police step up enforcement to address the needs of a high-risk area, some residents are worried that good citizens are being treated like troublemakers.

Woodyard voiced his complaint about getting a ticket for walking in the street at the Newberry City Commission meeting Monday. He was one of six Newberry residents who spoke out against “police harassment” in the area.

Some of the other complaints were that police drove too fast through neighborhoods tearing up yards, bothering innocent people and handing out unnecessary tickets.

“I’m glad to see these people coming out because there have been undertones of some harassment,” said Newberry resident Mae Islar. “We need to bring those things out because it is happening.”

Commissioners listened and agreed to set up a meeting for the public and the sheriff’s department to talk about these issues.

In an interview Tuesday, Maynard said he hadn’t heard from Newberry about setting up a meeting yet, but it is something the department has done in the past with positive results.

Despite the relatively large number of complaints at the Newberry commission meeting, Maynard said the department has not received a large number of formal complaints from residents in the 252nd Street area.

He said he encourages residents with legitimate complaints to contact the Office of Professional Standards at 352-384-3050.