Sheriff: Investigation leads to arrest of 15 street gang members

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says it has busted a street gang responsible for numerous violent crimes and trafficking of heroin and other drugs.

The investigation, which started in January 2015, has resulted in the arrests of 15 people. One suspect, Keith Brooks Jr., 27, remains at large, according to a sheriff’s office news release. He is wanted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to sell heroin and violation of probation.

The gang goes by the name Team no Sleep, or TNS, according to the sheriff’s office. Law enforcement became aware of TNS’s existence in 2014.

“These people dealt with just as much the street violence as they did drugs,” sheriff’s office spokesman Dave Bristow said.

Those arrested and their charges are:

▪  Larren Wade Jr, 40, armed trafficking in heroin, possession of heroin, possession of crack cocaine, probation violation.

▪  Reginald White, 24, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to sell heroin.

▪  John Ethridge II, 25, conspiracy to commit murder.

▪  Tarvin Martin, 24, armed trafficking of heroin, armed trafficking of cocaine, carrying concealed firearm, possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and alprazolam, possession of marijuana.

▪  Paul Thomas III, 29, sale of heroin, sale of crack cocaine, trafficking in heroin.

▪  Brenton Coleman Jr., 24, armed trafficking in heroin, trafficking in heroin, possession of a firearm by convicted felon, fleeing to elude.

▪  Herbert Brooks, 21, armed trafficking in heroin.

▪  Markeith Laws, 21, sale of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to sell.

▪  Dominick Day, 24, trafficking in heroin.

▪  Dontay Henderson, 23, sale of a controlled substance, possession of heroin with intent to sell.

▪  Dorian Gilmer, 21, sale of fentanyl, sale of rock cocaine.

▪  Joseph Brice, 23, sale of rock cocaine.

▪  Larry Woodard, 21, trafficking in heroin.

▪  Robert Cadet, 24, sale of heroin, trafficking in heroin.

▪  Justin Pietarilla, 25, felony possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, carrying a concealed firearm

Many of those arrested were well-known to local law enforcement. Arrested on various dates, the defendants’ cases are at different stages with some having been convicted at trial and others still awaiting trial.

During its investigation, the sheriff’s office said detectives seized seven guns, 109.5 grams of heroin, 30.3 grams of crack cocaine, 233.5 grams of marijuana, numerous pills and $6,000 cash.

Conspiracy to murder

As part of the investigation into the gang’s street violence and involvement with illegal drugs, undercover detectives with the sheriff’s office’s Strategic Unit obtained an order signed by a judge on Oct. 11, 2015, to tap into Brooks’ cell phone, according to the affidavit for the arrest warrant.

Six days later, detectives began to uncover a murder plot involving Brooks, Ethridge and White to kill two of their Sarasota rivals and any of their associates present at the time at a party at Club Throb.

While Brooks remains at large, White was arrested on Sept. 22 on the conspiracy to murder charge and remains in custody at the Manatee County jail on bonds totaling $126,000. Ethridge was arrested in Arizona and is awaiting to be transported back to Manatee County to face the charges.

The trio intended to carry out their plan at a party set to take place the night of Oct. 22, 2015. Not wanting nightfall to interfere with surveillance and the arrest or run the risk of the plot playing out, detectives, knowing that Brooks was a habitual traffic offender and had been seen driving, arrested him instead.

“Your affiant believes that the danger to the lives of the (the intended victims), and anyone else planning to attend Club Throb on Thursday Oct. 22, 2015, was imminent, and that the only reason why a mass shooting with the potential for mass casualties did not take place on that day was because members of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrested Keith Brooks Jr, the ringleader of this murder plot,” the detective wrote in the affidavit.

Brook identified who the intended victims were, both of which were featured on the flier for the party, along with two other of their known associates.

On Nov. 2, Brooks made a call from jail and spoke about the fatal shooting of Dominick Orr — one of the other associates featured on the flier for the party at Club Nitro the night of the murder plot.

That same day, at 2:50 a.m., deputies responded to reports of shooting at the Atlantis Gentlemen's Club at 3800 U.S. 41 N. in Palmetto, and found Orr, 27, of Bradenton, with multiple gunshot wounds in the parking lot. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

According to witnesses and video surveillance, Orr and a Sarasota man had got into an argument in the parking lot and pulled out guns, shooting at each other. That fatal shooting was later ruled self-defense.

“Brooks confirms that the only reason the murder plot did not get carried out is because he was arrested,” the detective wrote.

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Sheriff: Investigation leads to arrest of 15 street gang members."