Five Arrested in POP Unit Raid at Ridgewood Avenue Motel.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communications News

Five people are facing numerous charges after the Daytona Beach Police Department investigated a weapons complaint at a Ridgewood Avenue motel, where a handgun and five different kinds of illegal drugs were found. 

According to a release, members of DBPD’s Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) Unit served two search warrants soon after arriving at the Best Southern Sun Plaza Motel Friday morning, allowing them to enter two separate rooms at the motel in search of illegal narcotics. 

It’s the second time in the past three months that DBPD’s POP Unit has served drug-related search warrants for rooms inside the Sun Plaza Motel. 

Three people were arrested in a previous raid last December. 

“We’re still having issues with criminal activity at this motel,” says DBPD Captain Scott Lee, head of the POP Unit. “We will continue to take enforcement action when necessary. We expect the motel owner to take immediate action to keep the criminal element off of his property.” 

Patrol officers were sent to the Sun Plaza around 6:30 a.m. last Friday after a man placed a call to dispatchers with reports that he heard gunshots coming from a specific room at the motel.

Officers found shell casings in the motel’s exterior foyer, along with two people who were in the room where the gunshots were reported being heard. 

43-year-old Leandris Scott – who was the subject of an open arrest warrant – and 30-year-old Alexandria Medina, were detained for questioning and searched. Officers found a silver handgun and drugs inside of a purse in Medina’s possession, according to reports.

During the investigation, officers found that Scott was involved in an argument with another man who was still on the motel property – 40-year-old Jasone Bodiford – and that Scott fired three shots on the ground during the verbal dispute. 

Investigators looked into the room Bodiford went into after the shots were fired, finding him, 45-year-old Torranno Smith, and 42- year-old Tyreemah Green. 

Illegal drugs were left in plain view inside both motel rooms during that security sweep, prompting POP officers to obtain search warrants.

$1,455 in U.S. currency was also found inside a brown bag, and seized, in one of the rooms along with the handgun found in Medina’s purse. 

Bodiford was taken into custody after officers discovered a small plastic bag containing ecstasy in his possession while he was being questioned. He’s charged with possession of MDMA. 

Besides the two raids at the Sun Plaza, the POP Unit has conducted two similar raids since December 2020 where 11 people in total were taken into custody, one at the Camellia Motel in early December and the other at a home on Ribault Avenue in late January.