Attorney General Bill McCollum Press Release

June 18, 2009
Media Contact: Jenn Meale (850) 245-0150
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Key Members of Violent Ft. Pierce Gang Arrested

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today joined State Attorney Bruce Colton, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, and the Ft. Pierce Police Department to announce the arrests of six members and associates of a dangerous gang located in Ft. Pierce. The investigation into the Zoe Pound gang was initiated as part of a concerted effort of regional law enforcement agencies in accordance with the Attorney General’s Gang Reduction Initiative.

According to the arrest affidavit, the gang has continually been in existence since at least 1998 and currently consists of approximately 50 individuals who are involved in the narcotics trade, deal in stolen property, commit robberies, burglaries and thefts, and engage in acts of violence, including violence against law enforcement.

Zoe Pound members and associates arrested today were David Poole, 28; Michael Louis, 27; Wendell Bellevue, 21; Francis Dextra, 25; Jamel Asseille, 26; and Fred Boston, 19. The defendants are charged with criminal racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering.

The joint investigation was conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, the Ft. Pierce Police Department, and State Attorney Bruce Colton's Office for the 19th Judicial Circuit.

Those arrested were booked into the St. Lucie County Jail and will be prosecuted in the 19th Circuit through a joint effort between the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution and the State Attorney's Office.