Traffic Stop Leads to Drug and Ammo Arrest

ALACHUA – A 48-year-old High Springs man, John Kada Talton II, was arrested early Sunday morning, January 26, 2025, by an Alachua Police Department (APD) officer following a traffic stop for a stop sign violation. Talton now faces multiple charges, including possession of drugs and ammunition.

The traffic stop occurred at approximately 4:55 a.m. During the stop, the officer identified Talton as the driver and registered owner of the vehicle. A records check revealed that Talton was on probation and under house arrest as part of a drug offender probation sentence. Talton’s probation had been extended to 10 years in 2022 due to multiple probation violations stemming from a Columbia County drug possession case.

While the officer attempted to contact Talton’s probation officer to confirm his house arrest status, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office K-9 team arrived on the scene. The K-9 unit alerted to the presence of illegal substances in the vehicle, prompting a search.

According to police reports, the search uncovered several items, including:

• A bag containing 0.7 grams of methamphetamine
• A methamphetamine pipe
• 27 1-mg Xanax pills in a bottle labeled for 0.5-mg Xanax, prescribed to Talton
• A single round of ammunition

After being read his Miranda rights, Talton and his passenger both denied knowledge of the items found in the vehicle. However, as the vehicle’s driver and owner, Talton was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia

Talton has a lengthy criminal history, with at least six felony convictions and three state prison sentences—two from Alachua County and one from Columbia County. He was most recently released from prison in May 2022.

Bail for Talton was set at $155,000 by Judge James Colaw.

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