FORT PIERCE — Six members of a Fort Pierce gang were arrested today as part of a multi-agency investigation into the group.

The investigation into the Zoe Pound gang was initiated as part of a concerted effort of regional law enforcement agencies in accordance with the state Attorney General’s Gang Reduction Initiative, according to a news release from the state office.

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.

Tags: Bill McCollum, Bruce Colton, David Poole, Florida Attorney General, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Fort Pierce police, Francis Dextra, Fred Boston, Jamel Asseille, Michael Louis, St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, Wendell Bellevue, Zoe Pound

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2009 at 11:55 am and is filed under Crime, Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.