Atmore man one of 3 charged in Brewton drive-by shooting
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The following felony arrests were reported by officers of the Atmore Police Department (APD) — and one reported by Brewton Police Department (BPD) officers — during the period January 28-30:
Ahmad Raquan Dailey
The Atmore man was one of three people arrested January 28-29 in connection with a drive-by shooting during which “multiple shots” were fired from a .40-caliber handgun into a Brewton apartment where five adults and three juveniles reside.
According to BPD reports, Dailey and two other individuals (one is still being sought) accompanied a Brewton woman to the Sowell Road apartment complex, and one of the four fired the shots into the apartment. No injuries were reported.
Dailey was arrested January 29 and charged with one count each of attempted murder and shooting into an occupied building. He remained in the Escambia County Detention Center (ECDC) Monday morning, February 3.
Phillip Weaver
The 42-year-old Atmore man was arrested January 29 after APD investigators followed a paper trail created when a vehicle that was stolen in Baldwin County was sold to an Atmore scrap yard.
Police reports indicate that city police were contacted January 9 by an investigator with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office who told them a vehicle that was stolen from a residence there had been towed to a scrap yard here.
An APD investigator went to the scrap yard, found the stolen vehicle and was provided with a copy of the receipt of the transaction, which included a photocopy of the suspect’s identification.
An arrest warrant was obtained charging Weaver with first-degree receiving stolen property, and he was taken into custody on January 29. He remained in the ECDC Monday morning, February 3.
Keith Brown
Melvin Knight
The two Atmore men were arrested January 28 after the smell of burnt marijuana led to the discovery of a small amount of an illegal substance during a traffic stop on Brown Street.
According to police reports, a vehicle displaying improper lighting was pulled over around 6:30 p.m. As the officer talked with Brown, 51, and Knight, 65, he “noted there was a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and conducted a probable cause search.”
While checking the men’s identifications, it was discovered that Knight was the subject of an active APD misdemeanor warrant. Brown, believing he also had an active warrant for his arrest, provided false identification to the officers, who later discovered he was not the subject of any outstanding warrants.
The probable-cause search turned up a small amount of crack cocaine, as well as items used to ingest narcotics, and both men were placed under arrest. Each was charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Brown was also charged with giving a false name to a law enforcement officer.
They were booked into the ECDC, from which Brown was released January 30 and Knight was released February 1.
Keith Drew
Drew, 57, turned himself in to sheriff’s officers on January 30 after a two-month APD investigation into the possible misappropriation of money from a local enterprise he managed.
According to APD reports, investigators were contacted on November 26 by a representative of the business, who told them of “financial improprieties they suspected their property manager of committing.”
The victim and an investigator reviewed financial records for a period of several months, then the investigator interviewed Drew and requested financial records from him. After the documentation had been reviewed, the investigator consulted with the Escambia County District Attorney’s Office and reviewed the case with a DA’s office representative.
An arrest warrant was obtained charging Drew with first-degree theft of property, and he surrendered to county sheriff’s personnel. He has since been released from the facility.