Revolving door stops after 3rd arrest in 4 months, 2 straight from seatbelt violations

(As originally published with bells and whistles, Sun, November 27th 2022, 4:30 AM EST)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Two West Palm Beach detectives assigned to the Gang and Habitual Offender Suppression Team unexpectedly arrested a man who was part of the latter.

In their undercover car, this past Monday night, Nov. 21, they got word of a stolen Alfa Romeo SUV from Riviera Beach entering the city on Greenwood Avenue.

They found it parked in a driveway on 43rd Street and kept surveillance on it. Then, after about 40 minutes, they saw two people leave the home and get inside.

They were a woman who was never charged, and a man later identified as 59-year-old Andrea Byron Thompkins who the arrest report said,

“sat on the driver’s seat and applied the brakes, allowing the back brake lights to illuminate, as if the driver was attempting to start the vehicle. At this time, multiple detectives converged on the vehicle.”

…purposely drop/discard US currency and a small sandwich bag-style baggie

One of the detectives wrote, he “quickly approached the driver’s side door. Thompkins was alerted by my presence and with the driver’s door still ajar, he exited the driver’s seat and attempted to flee on foot towards the rear of the property. [The detective] yelled multiple times to ‘STOP, Stop, stop;’ however, Thompkins continued to run on foot towards the rear of the property. As I was within three to five feet behind Thompkins, I observed Thompkins purposely drop/discard US currency and a small sandwich bag-style baggie on the floor. Thompkins, with his right hand, attempted to ‘throw’ a small black object onto the property of [address] adjacent the driveway in which he was running. Thompkins was then confronted with a closed chain-link fence into the backyard in which he could not access. At this time, I closed the distance, and Thompkins and I were now on the east wall of the property … and he was taken into custody with handcuffs behind his back.”

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Thompkins didn’t have anything on him, but the arrest report said in “the immediate area in which Thompkins ran, [the detective] located three (3) US bills separately ‘balled//crumbled up’ (1x – $10 bill and 2x – $20s). Due to training and experience, individuals will ‘ball up’ currency so it’s easily hidden and quickly available for ‘hand-to-hand’ narcotic sales. [The detective] also located a medium-sized sandwich baggie that was later found to contain three (3) small baggies that contained 0.8 grams of white powder determined to be powder cocaine, multiple pieces of a hard white-colored rock-type substance determined to be 0.6 grams of crack cocaine, and fresh green leafy substance determined to be 2.6 grams marijuana.”

…adamantly stated that he is ‘PRR and just take me to County. Call my lawyer.’

It turned out, the small black object thrown was an Alfa Romeo key fob.

Then, at the police station, “Thompkins quickly stated that he did not wish to answer any questions and adamantly stated that he is ‘PRR and just take me to County. Call my lawyer.’ [The detective] knows PRR to be ‘prison release reoffender.’”

Thompkins was charged with two counts of cocaine possession, marijuana possession less than 20 grams, resisting an officer without violence, and grand theft of a vehicle.

He was booked on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 2:30 a.m. and bail was set on two of the charges for a total of $6,000.

respectfully asks the court to revoke Thompkins’ bond

But the detective wrote at the end of the arrest report, “It is to be noted that Thompkins is out on bond (released from Palm Beach County jail on 08/01/22 and 11/05/22) on two open separate felony cases. [The detective] respectfully asks the court to revoke Thompkins’ bond and/or set a higher bond as Thompkins’ probability to reoffend is high.”

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office handled both earlier arrests, his only others in the county in the past year.

I observed him sweating profusely and foaming at the mouth

Andrea Thompkins was booked into jail on (from left) July 31, Nov. 3 and Nov. 22, 2022. (Palm Beach Co. Sheriff’s Office)

Thompkins was arrested July 31 after a seatbelt violation on Belvedere Road led to an off-road chase.

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That arrest report said, “In the backseat of my patrol vehicle, I observed him sweating profusely and foaming at the mouth. Thompkins began vomiting”

I asked Tompkins what drugs did he consume…

Then, a deputy wrote what came up: “I observed a small pink-colored Ziploc baggie containing a white substance residue, and a clear plastic bag containing white chunks of cocaine, come out of Thompkins’ mouth and onto the ground. I asked Tompkins what drugs did he consume at which time he stated ‘cocaine.’”

He was treated at a hospital, medically cleared, and taken to jail.

When he got into the patrol car, Thompkins was going to be charged with fleeing and eluding, resisting without violence, driving on a suspended license, and not wearing his seatbelt.

When he got out of the patrol car, Thompkins was also charged with tampering with evidence, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, having a place for trafficking a controlled substance, and carrying a concealed weapon.

Thompkins eventually spent six-and-a-half hours in jail and was released in lieu of $36,500 bond.

Then, a few weeks ago, on Nov. 2, Thompkins got pulled over on Lake Worth Road for another seatbelt violation. That arrest report said he “traveled multiple blocks” but stopped.

the container fell to the ground and several white crack rocks…

That’s when the undercover agent smelled “the odor of burnt marijuana.”

The agent “kept asking him to keep his hands out of his pockets” and besides “money and keys,” the agent “could also feel a container in his left pocket. Tompkins reached into his pocket and pulled out a gray container. I asked what that was, and he said f___ this s___ and the container fell to the ground and several white crack rocks were observed.”

That led to a chase on foot.

Tompkins was caught and charged with possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting without violence.

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Then, Thompkins — who was already out on bail from July — spent more than two days in jail before he was released in lieu of $6,000 bail.

There was a court hearing on the morning of his latest arrest and the detective in the case got that wish he “respectfully” requested.

The judge revoked Thompkins’ bond in each of those cases.

He didn’t get out this time and has been at the Main Detention Center ever since.

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