At 5:02am on June 6th, deputies responded to the 3000 block of Curry Terrace in Port Charlotte for a disturbance call involving gunshots. The caller/victim reported that a vehicle he was driving was shot by a subject in the area of Stone Street and Montgomery Drive in Port Charlotte. The caller/victim stated that a silver colored vehicle was involved and that he was hiding from subjects involved in front of 3058 Curry Terrace.
While uniformed patrol members were responding to the area, a vehicle that matched the description provided by the victim was observed on Holcomb Rd turning away from the area of the caller. Based on the circumstances, a traffic stop was conducted on a silver colored 2012 Ford Focus bearing Florida tag of DUUN95. The traffic stop was conducted within a minute of the victim last seeing the vehicle. The driver was identified as Sterling Brandon Butler (10-20-98). Butler did not have a reasonable explanation for being in the area and a bullet was observed in plain view inside the vehicle he was
driving. Based on the circumstances the caller was asked to conduct a show-up to identify the person and vehicle. The victim positively identified the vehicle and personally knew the driver as Sterling Butler.
Initial reports stated that there was possibly someone other than Sterling Butler also involved with Butler. A perimeter was established. Two citizens called the Sheriff’s Office to report a black male in the area asking to use a phone and running in and out of the wooded lots in the area.
Detectives spoke to the victim and two other involved subjects. All three of these subjects explained that they were recently involved in a disturbance with a subject named Daniel M. Bouchard (8-7-97). The victim stated that he believed that Daniel Bouchard was possibly involved in the shooting of his vehicle. Daniel M. Bouchard was located at his residence of 3029 Montgomery Dr. which is in the same neighborhood as all the aforementioned events. Bouchard was detained and implied that he was involved in the altercation with the victim and other subjects. He expressed that he called Sterling
Butler to assist him with making the victim and other subjects leave his residence. Bouchard stated that during conversations with Sterling, another male was on the phone with Sterling.
At approximately 1000 hrs. Darnell Rashawn Horace (3-5-97) was located hiding in a wooded lot near the intersection of Quinlan Ave and Holcomb Road by a canine unit. Horace also did not have a reasonable explanation for his actions and being in the area.
Detectives transported all involved subjects to the District 1 Headquarters to conduct formal interviews and begin to verify the statements. At the conclusion of the statements, and after evaluating the evidence obtained, Darnell Horace was identified as the subject who discharged a firearm during the disturbance. A second subject, Sterling Butler (10/20/98) was identified as an accomplice.
The firearm was also located and collected during this investigation.
Darnell Horace is charged with Shooting into an Occupied Conveyance and Tampering With Evidence. Sterling Butler is charged with Shooting into an Occupied Conveyance and Violation of Probation.
On June 22, 2018, Daniel Bouchard was charged with “Sale of Drugs in Lieu of Schedule I, II, III, or IV Drugs,” selling a fake substance as real drugs. This charge stemmed from the original investigation, during which statements were obtained from all involved subjects and the fake bags of white powdery substance were located in one of the involved vehicles. It was determined during the investigation that the sale of the fake cocaine started the disturbance that led to the shots being fired that morning.
Bouchard was served with the open charges on June 22nd after his arrest on an unrelated Domestic Battery charge.
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