Homosassa couple sentenced to serve 20 years with the Forida Department of Corrections

State Attorney's Office (SAO), Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties
June 4, 2024

Citrus County, Florida - In a court case handled by the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office, two residents of Homosassa, Florida - 32 year-old Tyler David Cote, and 30 year-old Courtney Mackenzie Hall - pleaded guilty to the offenses listed below and were each sentenced to serve 20 years in the Florida Department of Corrections (FDOC). The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Patsey Jacobs and Tara Hartman.

Cote recently pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking fentanyl, two counts of possession of alprazolam, battery of a law enforcement officer, resisting a law enforcement officer with violence, possessing a place used for the sale of a controlled substance, and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Just a few weeks previously, Cote's co-defendant, Hall, pleaded guilty to three counts of trafficking fentanyl, three counts of possession of alprazolam, two counts of resisting a law enforcement officer without violence, possessing a place used for the sale of a controlled substance, and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

"The defendants in this case will have twenty years to reflect on their actions," said William "Bill" Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. "Drug use and drug trafficking are not victimless crimes, they pose a significant threat to our communities, affecting the wellbeing of our citizens by fueling addiction."

On June 30, 2023, deputies with the Citrus County Sheriff's Office responded to a call for service due to a report of two unresponsive adults inside a vehicle parked in the Homosassa, Florida Walmart store parking lot.

Deputies arrived at the location to find a male - later identified as Cote - in the driver's seat and a female - later identified as Hall - in the passenger's seat. Deputies also found two children inside the vehicle, a small child and an infant.

To gain the attention of Cote and Hall, deuties first knocked on the windows, then banged on the vehicle's doorsm and when they both failed to awaken, the deputies opened the driver's door, which was unsecured, and physically roused them.

Deputies asked the two to exit the vehicle. They noticed that Cote was wearing a small pouch that appeared to contain a small clear plastic bag containing a white substance. Believing this might be an illegal narcotic, a deputy ordered Cote to remove the bag and hand it to deputies. Cote refused and began kick at deputies, then attempted to run away. However, deputies detained him then placed him inside a patrol vehicle for the remainder of the investigation.

The pouch contained numeroous pills and shortened straws, along with the white substance that tested positive for fentanyl.

Hall showed "obvious signs of impairment consistent with the use of fentanyl," according to the State Attorney's Office press release. Cote and Hall both had a white powdery substance around their noses, which was swabbed, and both tested positive for the presence of fentanyl.

Surveillance footage from the business showed that Cote's and Hall's car had been parked at the store, approximately an hour prior to the arrival of deputies, and Hall and Cote had both remained inside the car.

A witness provided a statement indicating that both adults inside the vehicle were unresponsive, and the two children inside the vehicle crying. Cote and Hall were arrested on various drug charges, as well as child neglect.

Deputies secured a search warrant for the residence of Cote and Hall, located on South Allice Point in Homosassa. During the search of the residence, officials located nearly 29 grams of a white powdery substance that tested positive for fentanyl.

Cotes and Hall were interviewed while in custody at the Citrus County Detention Facility in Lecanto, Florida. Both admitted they'd sold fentanyl. They were additionally charged with trafficking in fentanyl, possession of drug paraphernalia, and renting, leasing or owning a structure or conveyance for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance.