Chitwood Criticizes Judge Over Release of Alleged Drug Trafficker

Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood levied criticism against a local judge over the release of an alleged drug trafficker. Circuit Judge Randell H. Rowe III of the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida was the target of a heated social media post from Chitwood on Thursday. The dispute stemmed over the arrest of 40-year-old Amber Williamson, a former law enforcement officer, last Friday. Williamson was charged with heroin trafficking, manufacturing cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. Williamson was released on her own recognizance the day after her arrest, an action authorized by Judge Rowe. Five days after her initial arrest she ended up back behind bars, this time charged with two counts of methamphetamine trafficking and one count of fentanyl trafficking. “Given that detectives recovered 53 grams of fentanyl during her first arrest (enough for thousands of potentially fatal doses), I must join the rest of the community in asking: WTF?”, Chitwood wrote on his personal Facebook account. “If Judge Rowe feels that certain drug dealers should be released on their own recognizance and sent right back into our community the next day, it makes you wonder why our deputies and police are busting their asses to lock them up in the first place.” Chitwood’s post has received almost two thousand comments as of late Friday morning, many of which echo his frustrations. Williamson is still in custody, this time denied bond by Circuit Judge Chris Miller. Following his post, Chitwood claims he was told that a threat was placed against Judge Rowe. He didn’t specify that it was in connection to the frustrations directed at Rowe by himself and shared by some of his followers, but the sheriff did make a point of writing another post condemning this action. “Let me be crystal clear about how unacceptable that is,” Chitwood said. “Criticism is one thing, but death threats are absolutely over the line. If you cross that line and make a threat, I’ll make sure we do everything in our power to track you down and hold you accountable.” “We have opened an investigation in this case, and you can bet that the full power of our investigative resources will be dedicated to it,” Chitwood continued. “We can all be criticized. No one knows that better than me. You express your opinion through your argument and your vote. Once you resort to threats of violence, you have already lost.” Since being elected Volusia County Sheriff in 2016, Chitwood has consistently been willing to outwardly and openly criticize other entities in the criminal justice system when he feels they aren’t living up to their duties. This included the Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Children and Families, both state agencies, after a deputy shootout with two juveniles in 2021.