Skip to main content

Florida Detective, Meth Suspect Killed in Shootout

Submitted by Phillip Smith on (Issue #722)
Consequences of Prohibition

A Clay County, Florida, sheriff's narcotics detective and a man he was investigating as a methamphetamine suspect were shot and killed in an exchange of fire last Thursday evening. Narcotics Detective David White and suspect Ted Arthur Tilley, 36, become the 10th and 11th persons to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.

Narcotics Detective David White (Clay County SO)
Police told the Associated Press White was part of a nine-man investigating a reported meth lab at a residence in Middleburg. When White and Detective Matthew Hanlin approached the front door and attempted to speak with someone inside, the person slammed the door shut.

According to Clay County sheriff's office spokeswoman Mary Justino, when police then tried to force their way in, they were met with gunfire. White was mortally wounded -- he died shortly thereafter at a local hospital -- and Hanlin was shot in the left arm. He underwent surgery and is in stable condition.

As Tilley fled the home, he was shot and killed by another member of the sheriff's office, police said. Five other men at the scene were detained, but police later said only one had been arrested.

The owner of the home told News 4 Jax TV that it was in foreclosure, he hadn't lived in it for three years, and the men were squatting there without his permission. He said the home was one of dozens of abandoned homes in the immediate neighborhood.

Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.

Comments

CJ (not verified)

..........about the meth lab in the squat? ... oh there wasn't one? i mean, we know how cops operate... lol with about as much grace and intelligence as the bottom feeders of a pre pre-K class so OF COURSE if, you know, the home had a meth lab in it, that would be in the article.. you know, to justify all of this. BUT it wasn't so I guess they were wrong about that, eh? You know, obviously I wasn't involved in this operation in any capacity as a cop or squatter but as an occassionally homeless person who certainly values a good squat, I gotta wonder what this was all about. Cops, clueless, doughnut chugging fools that they are - and their high divorce and suicide rates on their mind, their failed marriage.. their fear of being potentially attracted to the same sex as they privately question why they are getting so close to their same sex partner... closer than they are to their wives.. (who just don't get it, darn it!) they see a pack of dirty, CLEARLY drug abusing homeless people OR, you know, some fortunate person who isn't homeless and can afford the home they live in near their squat and is miserable enough on the inside to have to call the cops when the squatters disappear into that abandoned house... (otherwise, NOT bothering anybody, and though countless amounts of months in the horrid cold, with no food and shower can turn even a 20 + year sober AA veteran into looking like a drug addict) NEEDLESS TO SAY, those mangy homeless druggies!! they don't deserve any kind of sanctuary from the unforgiving cold... they may not be bothering anybody in that home and the owner of the home doesn't even know they're there... but they must have a meth lab in there! CALL THE COPS! Dude this just reeks of the usual sad state of society. OK I can see where even if none of these people were producing or using drugs one may call attention to the fact that someone had a gun. Well if that surprises you, considering these are homeless squatters... I myself had an illegal switchblade when i was homeless... i was in the heated section of a train station... months into a stint of homelessness, im not complaining about the homeless part - personally  i'm well beyond the rookie (and sometimes veteran) mindset of the, what i call 'Janes Addiction Syndrome' in the Jane Say's way of things wherein the Rookie user and occassional veteran is always saying 'I'm gonna kick tomorrow.' No, I realized how things were and that us users are modern societie's bastardized group - worse than racism, sexism etc. So I accept that to live the priveledged life of a user there are consequences such as homelessness and STD's etc. And as most long term users, accept I will outwardly verbally recognize it, we're all cool with it. What's not cool is when cops show up and illegally search you.. Yes I had an semi auto switch and anybody whose been homeless would be well served to have a friggen weapon on them to protect themselves. So meth lab aside, im not shocked that squatters had weapons. Dude this whole thing is stupid and those people could all maybe be highly contributing members of society with this dumb drug war being done with. They could be YOUR best friends and maybe you'd never know what they'd been through. And as for the Detectives? Aside from their bouts with obesity (funny how food addiction is ok but mirrors drug addiction) divorces, bouts of suicidal depression when they recognize just how much everybody else hates them and IS out to get them, oh and their repressed feelings for their partners, otherwise, this guy would probably still be alive BUT he'd be less hated and less tormented because his job wouldn't involve bothering people who commit crimes that both the buyer and seller are knowingly and willingly committing (leaving the dt to have to do shady things to stop the crime) but he'd be out there stopping rapists and killers and then everybody would hail him as the hero he probably was intended to be.

 

STOP THE DRUG WAR.

Sat, 02/18/2012 - 8:54am Permalink
axie (not verified)

Ted was no bloody angel and he had already spent time in prison for a mobile meth lab. His longtime on/off GF was also a friend of mine. What has NOT been said in any of the news pieces on this story is that Ted had his baby girl in that house at the time. She was just over a year old at the time and unharmed - except for exposure to the meth lab that the mother claims to have not known about...bull. I know her, she had to know or at least suspect. She lost custody and admits it is for the best. Most of the assault charges he had were from those two fighting. Long history there dating back to 03. 
What I had heard was the Detectives tried to enter the home; Ted slammed the door, grabbed a stolen gun and just opened fire. If you knew him or knew about him - you'd know that sounds just like him. When he was bad, he was really bad. When he was clean he was a nice enough guy. He knew what he was doing when he opened fire. Thank god nothing happened to the baby.  Terrible that the officer was killed. CCSO isn't one of the big problems in FL. They are one of the better LEOs. (unlike, say - Miami) 

Sat, 02/16/2013 - 11:48am Permalink
mop (not verified)

In reply to by axie (not verified)

To who said all this bullshit teds baby girl wasnt in the house. ted was my brother,i know it was wrong but so was alot of other stuff that went on that day but iam sorry for mr.white but i hate when people that think they knew ted talk so much shit.....trying to be your own kind of newscaster,once again with the wrong info.....If you knew Ted and his ex,you know who I am,and for the record,no charges for the two other than their out of town mistaakes were ever made...I was at the scene that day,(after the fact)the only child on scene was the 16 yr old.To the statement Ted was "Bad"he was a good man,loved his family and friends,You cannot judge a man by one wrong moment in life!We cannot Justify what he done,but he also has Family and Friends that Loved and Mourned him!Get your facts straight before posting about something you know nothing of......love the anonymous name.....mine is Aka,Mop
Mon, 05/06/2013 - 1:27pm Permalink
mop (not verified)

In reply to by axie (not verified)

To who said all this bullshit teds baby girl wasnt in the house. ted was my brother,i know it was wrong but so was alot of other stuff that went on that day but iam sorry for mr.white but i hate when people that think they knew ted talk so much shit.....trying to be your own kind of newscaster,once again with the wrong info.....If you knew Ted and his ex,you know who I am,and for the record,no charges for the two other than their out of town mistaakes were ever made...I was at the scene that day,(after the fact)the only child on scene was the 16 yr old.To the statement Ted was "Bad"he was a good man,loved his family and friends,You cannot judge a man by one wrong moment in life!We cannot Justify what he done,but he also has Family and Friends that Loved and Mourned him!Get your facts straight before posting about something you know nothing of......love the anonymous name.....mine is Aka,Mop
Mon, 05/06/2013 - 1:37pm Permalink
lynn knappenberger (not verified)

In reply to by axie (not verified)

THE baby was not in the house so who ever you are intill you know your facts dont let your fingers do the typeing.....got me and just so you know i still have custody of the baby and she is fine...loved and growing like a little girl should,as far as ted goes we both made or mistakes and we forgave each other people need to stop takeing and typeing stuff they dont know about

Fri, 05/24/2013 - 12:39pm Permalink
axie (not verified)

Ted was no bloody angel and he had already spent time in prison for a mobile meth lab. His longtime on/off GF was also a friend of mine. What has NOT been said in any of the news pieces on this story is that Ted had his baby girl in that house at the time. She was just over a year old at the time and unharmed - except for exposure to the meth lab that the mother claims to have not known about...bull. I know her, she had to know or at least suspect. She lost custody and admits it is for the best. Most of the assault charges he had were from those two fighting. Long history there dating back to 03. 
What I had heard was the Detectives tried to enter the home; Ted slammed the door, grabbed a stolen gun and just opened fire. If you knew him or knew about him - you'd know that sounds just like him. When he was bad, he was really bad. When he was clean he was a nice enough guy. He knew what he was doing when he opened fire. Thank god nothing happened to the baby.  Terrible that the officer was killed. CCSO isn't one of the big problems in FL. They are one of the better LEOs. (unlike, say - Miami) 

Sat, 02/16/2013 - 11:49am Permalink
KAREN DAWE (not verified)

 

 

Hi. what is described as a methadone user. What is the definition of drug use and the narcotics act. It is outlawed and outdated and in publication. In bans. I do see why anybody thinks a low level drug user that uses medicaid on some kind of social security plan should be killed outright.  

Tue, 03/05/2013 - 8:00am Permalink

Add new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.