CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — The man arrested at the scene of a deadly deputy-involved shooting in Charlotte County on Oct. 23, is now facing charges tied to a marijuana grow operation found on the property.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on the charges Troy Johnson is facing:
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to a home on Sandy Pines Drive just afternoon on Oct. 23, by the homeowner Elroy Clarke. The sheriff’s office said Clarke was trying to have Troy Johnson, who had been living on the property removed.
“It was basically a landlord type tenant, Troy was there, they had a disagreement, he wanted Troy off the property,” said Sheriff Bill Prummell during a press conference on Friday.
Sheriff Prummell said while on scene, deputies discovered Clarke himself had a warrant for his arrest.
Body camera footage of the incident was released on Friday, which shows deputies trying to take Clarke into custody. CCSO said Clarke was uncooperative, and deputies used tasers, pepper spray, a ‘less-lethal’ shotgun with bean bag rounds to try and gain control of Clarke, none of which worked.
Ultimately, Clarke charged at a deputy who fired his service weapon, killing Clarke according to CCSO. After the incident, Sheriff Bill Prummell said a grow operation was found on the property, which has led to charges for Johnson.
According to a probable cause affidavit, investigators found “humidifiers, tents utilized to grow marijuana, and two rooms containing suspected marijuana in various stages of growth,” inside of a “barn style structure” on the property. The PCA states investigators found a total of 384 suspected marijuana plants.
Additionally the PCA states that investigators found “there was a corner of the room that appeared to have been used for sleeping quarters. Within that same space was suitcases containing male clothing, bottles of what appeared to be urine and two photo IDs bearing the name Heir Emperor Troy Bey.”
The PCA also states that other identifiers that belonged to “Troy Bey” were found, which is an alias of Johnson’s. Investigators also found a 12-gauge shotgun in the living quarters, according to the PCA.
Based on the investigation, Johnson now faces possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, manufacturing marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession or use of drug paraphernalia charges.
Johnson is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 2.
