ShotSpotter alert leads to arrest, drug charges for Fort Myers man

Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:
Randolph Williams. Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office

A man was arrested in Fort Myers and faces drug charges after officers followed a ShotSpotter alert to his home Wednesday night.

Fort Myers police went to a home on Apache Street around 6:30 p.m. after receiving a ShotSpotter alert. They were met at the door by Randolph Williams, 41, who was bleeding from his head, surrounded by a large amount of blood on the floor.

He would not respond to the officers’ orders to leave the house, instead trying to clean the blood off the floor. Seeing the blood, officers searched the home for possible victims but found no one else.

Williams was detained at the scene. During the search, a large amount of dirt was seen coming out of a rear room with an exterior insulated with reflective Mylar. Officers found reflective paper applied to the walls of the room with several fluorescent ballasts hung overhead, and multiple plants that appeared to be young cannabis plants. A shell casing was also found, consistent with the initial ShotSpotter alert.

When detectives arrived and searched the address, several firearms were collected along with other items relevant as evidence:

  • 18 juvenile marijuana plants
  • Two larger adolescent plants
  • 18 larger adolescent plants were removed from the residence and placed into evidence.

Williams faces charges of resisting an officer without violence, tampering with physical evidence, owning or leasing a structure for the purpose of manufacturing a controlled substance, manufacture of a controlled substance and possession of drug equipment.

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