SUSPECT CALLED MAJOR DRUG DEALER by JAMAL THALJI

Authorities were looking for a 1981 Plymouth sedan, but
their search led to a bigger catch, a man authorities say
is a "substantial drug dealer" in Citrus County.

Tommie Lee Alexander ran what detectives describe as a
"renegade pawnshop," exchanging illegal drugs most often
crack cocaine for stolen property at his Hernando home.

On Monday, Citrus County sheriff's deputies went to
Alexander's home at 2518 N Railroad Way looking for the
car and its title.

Detectives, assisted by heavily armed members of the
Sheriff's Emergency Response Team, said they searched the
home and found Alexander, the car, its title and a
medicine bottle filled with six pieces of crack cocaine
sitting in sight of law officers.

Alexander, 36, was arrested on charges of possession of
crack cocaine and dealing in stolen property.

The owner of the car told detectives that her boyfriend,
whom she described as "abusive," used her car as collateral
for crack cocaine. Unable to pay for the drugs, the
boyfriend took the title and car and delivered both to
Alexander. The car owner's identity was not released by the
Citrus County Sheriff's Office, and neither was the
identity of the boyfriend, who authorities said dodged an
arrest warrant and fled the state.

While searching Alexander's home, detectives said, they
found more goods reported missing from Hernando and Floral
City, which detectives said led to a more intensive
investigation of Alexander.

Detectives said they found a brandnew lawnmower still
in its cardboard box and two tool boxes, both reported
stolen in two recent burglaries in the county.

Another search warrant of Alexander's home was issued
for Wednesday night. This is what detectives said they
found:

+ Two ounces of crack cocaine.

+ Prescription painkillers.

+ More than 1 ounce of marijuana. + Almost $ 24,000 in
cash.

+ At least $ 20,000 in stolen property, primarily tools
and electronics.

+ A substantial amount of jewelry.

After posting $ 15,000 bail, Alexander was released this
week from the Citrus County Detention Facility, where he
was being held on the charges from Monday's arrest.

He's back there now. Detectives obtained an arrest
warrant for Alexander and served it late Wednesday while
he was working at a Hernando construction site.

He faces additional charges of trafficking in hydrocone
while armed; trafficking in cocaine while armed; possession
of marijuana with intent to sell; possession of more than
20 grams of marijuana; possession of medicinal drugs
with a prescription with intent to sell or deliver;
possession of drug paraphernalia; and eight counts of
possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The total bail on the 15 counts: $ 259,000. Residents in
Hernando have long complained about Alexander's activities,
officials said. Authorities are trying to link Alexander to
unsolved burglaries throughout the county.

"As for Mr. Alexander's drug involvement, we've
collected a lot of intelligence over time, not to mention
concerns we've heard expressed by the citizens of
Hernando," said Sheriff's Capt. Larry Roberts, who heads
the agency's criminal investigations divisions.

"The amount of property seized from the defendant's
residence would appear to substantiate what we've been
hearing," Roberts said.

Alexander has previous drugrelated convictions in
Citrus County, stemming from arrests in 1984 and 1986.

Copyright (c) 1997, Times Publishing Company