EDGEWATER, Fla. – News 6 recently spent the day with Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood, a lawman known as much for his tough talk as for his front-line leadership.
Chitwood has made headlines across Central Florida, famously labeling some of Volusia’s most wanted criminals as “scumbags” and even greeting extradited suspects at the airport himself.
But what does a typical day actually look like for the sheriff? We wanted to find out.
Our morning began well before sunrise in Edgewater, Florida. It was still dark out as we pulled into a nondescript parking lot where more than 30 officers gathered. Members of the SWAT team and the East Volusia Narcotics Task Force, which is made up of officers from Edgewater, Port Orange, Holly Hill and New Smyrna Beach, were preparing for a high-risk operation.
Among the tactical vehicles was a massive SWAT truck that looked like it could level a small building.
They were getting ready to serve a search warrant at a mobile home on Indian River Drive. The target: 29-year-old Bryan M. Clarkson, a man with a criminal history that included allegations of meth trafficking and firearms.
Deputies also expected to find 29-year-old Alexandria Wieman, who had prior charges involving fentanyl and meth.
The briefing was precise, focused and intense. Every detail was covered, from who they were looking for to the location of the nearest trauma center, Halifax Health. The threat level was clear.
Just after 5 a.m., Chitwood arrived, taking in the final updates before the team rolled out.
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When asked why he was personally on scene at such an early hour, he said, “I try to make every single warrant. The SWAT team will serve the tickets, but it’s good for the team to see their sheriff out here at 5 a.m. And it’s good for the neighbors - because everybody’s going to come out - to see their sheriff is in their neighborhood responding to their complaints.”
With a quick two-minute warning from Chitwood, we loaded into his unmarked SUV to follow the convoy. On the drive over, he explained what led to the warrant.
“Narcotics got a complaint about sales coming out of the house. They discovered the person living there has been arrested before for armed trafficking and meth,” Chitwood said.
Surveillance had confirmed Clarkson’s presence at the home that morning.
“They’ve been watching him since 11 p.m. We know he’s inside. He got up earlier and moved his car so his father could leave for work,” he said.
Even with solid intel, unpredictability is part of every warrant.
Chitwood told us no two situations are alike.
“Sometimes you knock, and they let you in. Other times they’re flushing drugs, tossing things out the window, or they’re armed in bed. A couple of months ago, we pulled the sheets off a guy and he was lying there with a gun in his hand,” he said.
The convoy was impossible to ignore, even in the predawn dark. The rumble of SUVs and armored vehicles filled the street as officers made their presence known over a loudspeaker, announcing the address, the warrant and calling for the occupants to exit the home.
After several commands and no response, the team breached the front door. It’s a sound that rattles you, even when you’re expecting it.
As journalists, we were allowed to get close but not inside the home. Our names weren’t on the warrant.
The first person to emerge from the home was Alexandria Wieman, crying and claiming she was just making breakfast. Moments later, officers found Clarkson in bed, just as feared, with a gun in hand, officials said.
Inside, deputies said they recovered a kilo of methamphetamine, a large amount of cash and at least one gun.
As Clarkson was led outside in handcuffs and seated in a chair, I asked Chitwood what would happen next.
“They’ll take him back inside, record everything on video, read the warrant aloud, and explain what we’re searching for. He’ll have the chance to talk to us. He may, he may not. Then he’ll be transported and charged again with armed trafficking and whatever else they find in the house,” Chitwood said.
Both Clarkson and Wieman were taken into custody without injury.
Later that morning, we learned the street value of the seized meth was worth about $42,000, tens of thousands of dollars in drugs and drug money that won’t reach the streets of Volusia County.
For Chitwood and the men and women behind the badge, it’s another successful mission completed.