ST. PETERSBURG, FL -
St. Petersburg police arrested more than a dozen people Thursday in an effort to clean up one of the city's most well-known parks.
In January, the city's Vice and Narcotics Unit started investigating a number of complaints about people selling and using drugs around Williams Park downtown.
"We're going to stay on it," said Mayor Bill Foster. "This is going to be a diligent effort to keep drug dealers out of Williams Park, out of Mirror Lake, and out of every park we have."
Residents and businesses have noticed the problems. Dan Richard has lived in St. Petersburg about 35 years and says it's sad to see what's happened in one of the city's most beautiful places.
"These lost souls for whatever reason have lost hope. So they're looking for an escape," Richard said. "I just don't feel safe going through the park at night and I won't go through the park at night."
Mayor Foster said he wants to meet with the chief judge, state attorney and sheriff and talk about keeping those arrested from going through a revolving door' and getting back on the street.
"If people think they can get away with this at Williams Park - it makes it very difficult," Foster said. "We have to work with those in the correction system to make sure that we keep them locked up."
He said banning Spice and K2 via city ordinance could also help.
"To me it's all about: Does it make you go crazy? If it does, it should be illegal," Foster said. "So we're going to make it illegal in St. Pete."
Those 16 charged Thursday are as follows:
1. Amber Jachimski, W/F, 09/12/1982, Charges; Sale & Possession Crack Cocaine
(2 counts), Sale & Possession Methadone, Sale & Possession Marijuana.
2. Ronald Eichelberger, W/M 05/10/1981, Charges; Principle Sale Morphine,
Principle Sale Dilaudid
3. James Scott, B/M, 12/29/1956, Charges: Sale and Possession Morphine
4. Ashley Harragan, W/F, 03/06/199, Charges; Sale and Possession Hydromorphone
5. Michael Schreck, W/M, 05/19/1978, Charges; Sale and Possession Suboxone
6. Michael Pimental, W/M. 11/14/1984, Charges; Sale and Possession Heroin
7. Jennifer Corbin, W/F, 10/18/1984, Charges; Sale and Possession Dilaudid
8. Alejandro Santiago, H/M, 06/06/1967, Charges; Sale and Possession Crack Cocaine
9. Lamar Jones, B/M, 05/17/1970, Charges; Sale and Possession Crack Cocaine
10. Kayon Jackasal, B/M, 12/31/1988, Charges; Sale and Possession Crack Cocaine (4 counts), Sale and Possession Hydromorphone (2 counts), Sale and Possession Oxycodone, Sale and Possession Morphine
11. Charles Johnson, B/M, 09/12/1938, Charges; Sale and Possession Morphine (2 counts)
12. Charles Mann, W/M, 01/13/1951, Charges; Sale and Possession Cocaine
13. Stanley Green, B/M, 09/11/1979, Charges; Sale and Possession Crack Cocaine
14. Tony Register, B/M, 05/16/94, Charges; Sale and Possession Crack Cocaine
15. Omar Robinson, B/M, 04/08/1970, Charges; Sale and Possession of Marijuana
16. Leonard Brisco, W/M, 06/16/1979, Charges; Sale and Possession Marijuana
Police said the last four on the list were arrested when they sold drugs to undercover detectives in Williams Park just prior to round-up.
