HOLLY HILL, Fla. — Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood is pushing back after a Holly Hill pastor said she was not aware of alleged criminal activity tied to a church-owned home raided during a major gang investigation.
The raid was part of a multi-agency operation targeting members of a gang known as the Cutthroat Killers. Investigators said the group is linked to overdose deaths, shootings and drug trafficking across Volusia County.
Channel 9 first reported the operation Tuesday morning. Volusia County reporter Demie Johnson was the only reporter who rode along with the sheriff’s office as SWAT teams raided a home on the property of Greater Harvest Ministries Church.
Records show the church owns the home. Pastor Terry Brown told Channel 9 she allowed her son, Ermando Lewis, and others who needed help to stay there.
When asked Tuesday if her children were running an operation out of the house, Brown denied the claim.
“My kids were not running no operation out of the house,” Brown said. “No, not that we was aware of anyway.”
On Wednesday, Chitwood said he found that hard to believe.
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The sheriff said the church property was the focal point of the investigation and that the home and church were under federal wiretap and surveillance for about a year.
“That was the focal point of this investigation, was that church,” Chitwood said.
Chitwood also pointed to Lewis’ criminal history while responding to Brown’s comments.
“Here’s the loving son who would never do anything wrong,” Chitwood said. “Ermando Lewis, born in 1978, 15 felony arrests, six convictions, 13 misdemeanor arrests, three convictions. He’s been rearrested six times.”
Investigators said Lewis’ 17-year-old grandson was also arrested during the raid on charges including manufacturing, selling and trafficking drugs.
The sheriff said multiple agencies served warrants at several locations as part of the investigation, but he described the church property as a major hub for the gang’s operations.
“At the end of the day, these scumbags are murdering people,” Chitwood said.
Authorities said the gang members arrested are facing various drug and weapons charges.
Chitwood said there is no proof that Brown was involved in the gang’s operations.
The bust is part of a broader effort to dismantle gangs across the country.
Channel 9 will continue to follow this story and provide updates on Eyewitness News.
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