Flagler Man Arrested For Drug Trafficking and Child Neglect

Posted

Palm Coast, FL - A Flagler County man is now being charged with drug trafficking and child neglect.

Flagler County Sheriff's Office arrested Rondal Gibson yesterday after the FCSO Special Investigations Unit and SWAT executed a search warrant at a home on Blakemore Drive. The warrant was the result of a two-month long investigation.

The home was occupied by Gibson, a woman by the name of Sarah Rodriguez, and their three young children.

During the search, detectives seized a collection of illegal narcotics with a total value of up to $7,000. Packaging items consistent with illegal distribution were also found throughout the home.

Detectives also discovered a trafficking amount of synthetic cathinones - commonly known as "bath salts" - within the master bedroom just feet from where a child was sleeping.

“Not only is this drug dealer selling his poison to others, but he is keeping it within arm’s reach of very small children,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “He is lucky the children did not get ingest these drugs, as it could be deadly. I am proud of our detectives for doing the leg work to get him off the street and behind bars where he belongs. I also thank the community for reporting suspicious activity. If you see something, say something.”

Gibson was charged with possession, trafficking, and child neglect. The trafficking charge carries a mandatory three year prison sentence and a $50,000 fine if found guilty. Further charges are pending as the investigation is still ongoing.

Both Gibson's photo and the photo of the bath salts are courtesy of Flagler County Sheriff's Office.