Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/297477
On April 11, U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III announced the unsealing of an indict- ment charging Michael Allen Babiarz, 42, of Sarasota and Aaron Edwin Remaley, 39, of Riverview with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilo- grams or more of marijuana, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office reported. The case is in the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida, which is in Tampa. According to the indictment, from at least August 2012 to this month, "Babiarz and Remaley conspired with each other, and with others, to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana in Sarasota, Hillsborough and Polk counties," a news release says. Detectives with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Section began the investigation, which grew to involve the Drug Enforcement Administration, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and Polk County Sheriff's Office, the release adds. If convicted, Babiarz and Remaley face a max- imum penalty of 40 years in federal prison, it notes. "There is no parole in the federal sys- tem," it points out. "In addition to significant prison time, federal prosecution results in more rigorous supervision by federal proba- tion officers when felons are released to the community," it says. The current indictment brings to 12 the number of federal drug and weapons cases initiated by a Sarasota County Sheriff's Office investigation since 2011. PAIR INDICTED FOR DISTRIBUTING HUNDREDS OF POUNDS OF POT As of April 16, consumers who wish to make bail payments of up to $750 for inmates at the Sarasota County Jail can do so using major credit cards via GovPayNet®, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office has announced. GovPayNet accepts major credit, debit and prepaid debit card brands for bail 24 hours a day, seven days a week, onsite, online or by phone, a news release explains. Cardholders can make payments for themselves or on behalf of friends or family members who are incarcerated, the release adds. "Users will need to provide basic information about the arrestee and the bail amount," it says. There is no cost to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office for providing this service and convenience, but GovPayNet charges cardholders a fee for the transaction, the release points out. More information about this service is on sarasotasheriff.org under the "Operations" tab; click "Corrections" and "Jail Booking." "This will help keep people who have been granted bail from spending a night or week- end in jail when banks are closed or they don't have access to enough cash," said Sheriff Tom Knight in the release. "That will save taxpay- ers money and improve overall service." According to GovPayNet, more than 650 corrections systems nationally rely on the company to process bail and other crimi- nal justice payments, the release notes. "In addition, GovPayNet has dedicated bilingual criminal justice payment specialists available for assistance." % SHERIFF'S OFFICE OFFERS NEW PAYMENT OPTIONS FOR BAIL Sarasota News Leader April 18, 2014 Page 100