Levy inmate found to be in possession of handmade weapons
Inmate James Goins and contraband.
Lt. Scott Tummond
Levy County, Florida - On March 25, 2021 as Detention Officer Jarrod Horne was performing an 11:00 pm security check in the dormitory of the Levy County Detention Bureau, he noticed that 35 year-old inmate James Donald Goins, of Chiefland, FL, was behaving in a suspicious manner, and it appeared that he was pulling a rope-like item into his cell. Officer Horne immediately seized the item and called for assistance from other officers.
Inmate Goins initially resisted officers when they attempted remove him from his cell, but when he was threatened with pepper spray if he continued to resist them, he complied with them. He was placed into handcuffs and transported to a confinement area. Officers then searched his cell and found contraband items that had been fashioned into weapons.
Three handmade weapons found in Goins' cell included a makeshift club that measured eleven inches in length that had been fashioned from cardboard and paper, a flattened piece of battery that had been honed into razor-like sharpness, and pieces of sheets and towels that had been cut into strips and fashioned into a rope. All of the items could have been used as a weapon against an officer or another inmate.
The contraband items that were found and seized are in violation of the rules of the detention facility. Goins was issued a disciplinary report for possessing them and could receive up to 30 days in disciplinary confinement. He could also potentially face criminal charges.
"This is an example of the many dangers our detention officers face on a daily basis," said Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum. "Officer Horne is an asset to the Levy County Sheriff’s Office and is doing an exceptional job. We are very proud of him, and all of the men and women in the Detention Bureau, for their hard work. They work in a very stressful atmosphere with many violent dangers, and I salute and thank each one of them."
Goins has been incarcerated at the detention facility since Feb. 15, 2021, on charges of third degree burglary and theft, and is currently being held without bond on those charges. The detention facility shows nine arrests for Mr. Goins since 2014.