Sheriff: Florida Man Arrested 35+ Times Had Meth, Oxycodone While Out on Bond
BUNNELL, Fla. — A 32-year-old Flagler County man with a criminal record that includes more than 35 arrests is back in jail after deputies took him into custody on a felony warrant and allegedly found methamphetamine and oxycodone hidden in a pink drawstring bag in his pocket, authorities said.
Edward G. Sampson was arrested shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Unit, Special Investigations Unit and PACE team, the agency said in a Facebook post.
The warrant followed an Aug. 26 search of Sampson's home on South Church Street in Bunnell. Detectives searching his bedroom allegedly found marijuana, cocaine, a digital scale and a Suboxone strip, according to the Sheriff's Office.
When deputies searched Sampson during his arrest, they allegedly found more. A pink drawstring bag tucked inside a cargo pocket of his pants contained about 3.2 grams of a crystal-like substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, along with 16 oxycodone pills weighing roughly eight grams, the Sheriff's Office said.
Under Florida Statute 893.135, knowingly possessing seven grams or more of oxycodone constitutes trafficking. The alleged eight-gram amount is enough to support a trafficking charge. For seven to less than 14 grams, the statute calls for a mandatory minimum three-year prison sentence and a $50,000 fine upon conviction.
The case illustrates how Florida's trafficking statute is tied to weight: prosecutors do not have to prove intent to sell to pursue a trafficking charge when the alleged amount crosses the threshold. It also adds to broader debate over bond conditions and community supervision, particularly when defendants have lengthy criminal histories.
The Sheriff's Office said Sampson has served five separate sentences in Florida state prison, with his most recent release coming in May 2025.
His record includes convictions for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, robbery, felony battery, grand theft, fleeing from law enforcement and multiple drug charges, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Rick Staly put it bluntly.
"It was no surprise that Sampson was dealing drugs while he was out on bond," Staly said. "This dirtbag has been arrested more than 35 times and was sent to state prison five times for crimes ranging from drug possession to aggravated battery. No bond conditions or community control is going to stop him from drug trafficking, stealing things, and assaulting people. It's time we put this career criminal in prison to rot."
Sampson was arrested on charges of trafficking in oxycodone, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while license suspended and eight counts of possession of a controlled substance.
He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he was being held without bond, the Sheriff's Office said.
The charges are allegations, and an arrest does not prove guilt. Sampson is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
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