Hill Guilty of Trafficking Cathinones While Armed with a Firearm

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that Jerry Hill was found guilty by a jury of Trafficking in Substituted Cathinones While Armed with a Firearm. With the verdict, Hill faces up to 30 years in Florida State Prison with a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence for the trafficking and a 10-year minimum mandatory sentencing for the firearm. The Honorable L.E. Hutton will sentence Hill at a later date.

On Jan. 19, 2024, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office received a call from a woman who said that Hill would not leave her residence. When officers arrived, they found Hill sitting on the front steps of a Woodside Street home with a large baggie sticking out of his jacket pocket and a second large baggie in his sweatpants pocket. Hill tried to hide the bags, but when officers told him to take his hands out of his pockets, he attempted to flee on foot. When officers caught Hill and placed him in custody, they found a large bag of white rocks, a bag of marijuana, and a firearm where Hill had been sitting. The rocks — just under a pound — were identified as substituted cathinones, commonly known as “bath salts,” and weighed over 400 grams.  

The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Trinity Turinetti and Robin Jones.