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Updated: Rachel Hoffman facing multiple felony charges when agreed to help police
By Angeline J. Taylor and Nic Corbett • DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITERS • May 9, 2008
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Updated 6:18 p.m.
When the slain Tallahassee woman Rachel Hoffman agreed to assist police in Wednesday’s buy-bust operation, she was facing multiple felony charges and was in a diversion program for possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, said Tallahassee Police Chief Dennis Jones in a news conference today.
“It is not unusual to have known drug dealers or users offer to assist police in narcotics investigations,” Jones said. “Rachel was no exception.”
Hoffman was facing charges of possession of ecstasy with intent to sell, possession of controlled substance with intent to sell, maintaining a drug house and possession of drug paraphernalia, he said.
She agreed to buy 1,500 pills of ecstasy, 2 ounces of cocaine or crack cocaine and a gun from two men who are now suspected of kidnapping and robbing her.
“Unfortunately, Rachel chose to ignore precautions established in a previous briefing as well as the direction of her case agent,” Jones said.
Hoffman left the Forestmeadows Park area, where several police officers were watching her, to go meet Andrea J. Green and Deneilo Bradshaw.
Police tried to stop her, but were unsuccessful, said police spokesman Officer David McCranie. It’s not clear how they lost sight of her or where she went.
Murder charges against Green and Bradshaw are pending, officials said.
updated 2:55 p.m.
The best friend of slain Tallahassee woman Rachel Hoffman remembered her as fun-loving and smart.
"She was everything -- smart, incredibly bright and intuitive," said Jessica Weinstock, who went to Florida State University with Hoffman. "She also really loved to have fun."
Hoffman, who was working with the Tallahassee Police Department's vice unit in an investigation, went missing Wednesday night near Forestmeadows Park. Investigators found her body today in rural Taylor County. Two men have been arrested in connection with her disappearance.
Hoffman and Weinstock used to go to the Beta Bar, the Warehouse and other bars and clubs to see live bands. She had two cats, named Jimi Hendrix and Bentley.
"She loved music -- we loved going to shows and festivals, anything that was an excuse to go on a road trip," Weinstock said.
"She was a pool shark," Weinstock said. "She could beat anybody at pool."
Weinstock, who now lives in Miami, last saw her best friend the weekend of April 26, when their friends were graduating from Florida State University. They ate sushi at a local restaurant before Weinstock left for the airport. They decided Hoffman would come down the next time a good band was in Miami.
"I'm just devastated to lose her," Weinstock said.
updated 2:10 p.m.
David McCranie, spokesman for the Tallahassee Police Department, said today that Rachel Hoffman was cooperating with TPD's vice unit in an investigation when she went missing Wednesday.
Hoffman's body was found about 7 a.m. this morning in rural Taylor County.
Two suspects in her death, Andrea J. Green and Deneilo Bradshaw, led investigators to the scene. Authorities are seeking murder charges against them.
"Miss Hoffman is a good person," McCranie said in a news conference this morning. "She was cooperating in an investigation with the Tallahassee Police Department's vice unit.
"We had established protocols in place to ensure her safety," McCranie continued. "At some point during the investigation, she chose not to follow the instructions. She met Green and Bradshaw on her own. That meeting ultimately resulted in her murder."
McCranie said the cause of death isn't yet known. Investigators, including agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, are still processing the crime scene in Taylor County.
Hoffman's family was notified this morning of her death, McCranie said.
"The family's obviously suffering," he said. "They are our primary concern right now. Our hearts go out to them."
Green and Bradshaw are expected to be booked today into the Leon County Jail.
updated 11:55 a.m.
Tallahassee police have confirmed that Rachel Hoffman, a 23-year-old woman who went missing Wednesday, has been found dead in rural Taylor County.
Two suspects in her death, Andrea J. Green and Deneilo Bradshaw, led investigators to the scene, said David McCranie, spokesman for the Tallahassee Police Department.
"They led us to Miss Hoffman's body," McCranie said in a news conference late this morning. "She is deceased."
Hoffman, a Florida State University graduate, disappeared Wednesday night near Forestmeadows Park on North Meridian Road.
She had been working with TPD's narcotics unit in an investigation. However, she went outside TPD safety protocols, McCranie said.
"She met with Green and Bradshaw on her own," McCranie said today. "And that meeting ultimately resulted in her murder."
McCranie described Hoffman as a "good person."
"The family's obviously suffering," he said.
Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Green and Bradshaw Thursday in Orlando on charges of kidnapping and armed robbery. They were flown to the Tallahassee area this morning.
More charges against them are pending, McCranie said.
Hoffman's body was found about 7 a.m.
Hoffman served three days in Leon County Jail this year, from April 4 to April 6, for failure to appear in court, according to court records.
That sentence stems from her arrest last year on a charge of possessing more than 20 grams of marijuana, a felony.
She was arrested after being pulled over for speeding on Feb. 22, 2007. The arresting officer found 25.7 grams of cannabis in her car, court records show. Hoffman was sentenced to probation, community service, and she was required to attend a drug-rehabilitation program.
Green, of Perry, spent nearly nine months in prison from 2004 to 2005 for selling marijuana and aggravated assault in Taylor County, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
TPD is expected to have another news conference at 4 p.m. in Tallahassee.
updated 11:45 a.m.
The body of Rachel Hoffman was found this morning in rural Taylor County.
Two suspects in her death led investigators to her body.
updated 10:40 a.m.
A hearse has gone to the scene in rural Taylor County where law-enforcement officers have been searching for missing 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman.
The hearse was from Bevis Funeral Home. There's still no word on whether Hoffman was found.
Willie Meggs, state attorney for the 2nd Judicial District, visited the scene this morning.
Investigators have gathered near Cabbage Grove Road in Taylor County. The area is marked by dirt roads, rolling hills and cow pastures. Members of the media have not been allowed near the search area.
Hoffman, a Florida State University graduate, went missing Wednesday night while assisting Tallahassee police in an investigation.
Two men, Andrea J. Green and Deneilo Bradshaw, were arrested Thursday in Orlando on charges of kidnapping and armed robbery in connection with Hoffman's disappearance. They were arrested by agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
updated 10 a.m.
Law-enforcement officers have moved from Jefferson County to rural Taylor County as part of their search for missing 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman.
Jefferson County Sheriff David Hobbs said investigators have made a discovery, but he declined to elaborate.
The scene is off County Road 257 about 12-15 miles south of Lamont, Hobbs said.
Check back with Tallahassee.com for more on this breaking story.
Updated 9:24 a.m.
An update by investigators on the search for missing 23-year-old Rachel Hoffman is expected later this morning.
David McCranie, spokesman for the Tallahassee Police Department, said he will be talking with members of the media about 11 a.m. in Jefferson County.
Law-enforcement officers have been searching a rural site near Wacissa for Hoffman, who disappeared Wednesday night while assisting Tallahassee police in an investigation.
There's still no word on whether Hoffman, a Florida State University graduate, has been found.
Two men, Andrea J. Green and Deneilo Bradshaw, were arrested Thursday in Orlando on charges of kidnapping and armed robbery in connection with Hoffman's disappearance. They were arrested by agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Updated 8:39 a.m.
The Tallahassee Police Department has blocked off a road in rural Jefferson County where investigators are concentrating their efforts to find a missing 23-year-old woman.
Officers are restricting access to Thomas City Road near Wacissa to law-enforcement and emergency vehicles.
Officers are not letting members of the media near the search scene. There's still no word on whether Rachel Hoffman has been found.
Meanwhile, Hoffman's father said he is offering a $150,000 reward for the safe return of his daughter.
“This is my daughter," said Irv Hoffman of Palm Harbor. "My heart’s broken. We just want Rachel home safely."
Hoffman was at his daughter's apartment in Tallahassee this morning.
Rachel Hoffman, a Florida State University graduate, went missing Wednesday night while assisting Tallahassee police in an investigation.
Two men have been arrested on kidnapping and armed-robbery charges in connection with her disappearance. They are Andrea J. Green and Deneilo Bradshaw. Both were arrested in Orlando by agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Updated 7:20 a.m.
Investigators are looking for a 23-year-old missing woman in rural Jefferson County.
They've gathered off a dirt road in the Wacissa area in hopes of finding Rachel Hoffman, who went missing Wednesday while assisting Tallahassee police officers with an operation.
"We're hoping for the best," said Jefferson County Sheriff David Hobbs, who was on his way to the scene this morning.
A reporter and photographer have been sent to the scene.
Check back with Tallahassee.com for more on this breaking story.
morning update
Two men were arrested Thursday afternoon in connection with the kidnapping and armed robbery of a Tallahassee woman who went missing after assisting in a police operation.
Andrea J. Green, 25, and Deneilo Bradshaw were arrested at 5 p.m. by Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents in Orlando, according to the Tallahassee Police Department.
There is no word on 23-year-old Rachel Morningstar Hoffman, who was last seen about 7 p.m. Wednesday near Forestmeadows Park in northeast Tallahassee. She is 5-foot-7, weighs 135 pounds and was last seen wearing a green V-neck shirt, black skirt with multiple colors on the bottom and black flip flops.
"The department continues the investigation in an attempt to determine the exact circumstances of her disappearance," TPD released in a statement.
Police have been using helicopters and other resources to search for her, said Officer David McCranie, TPD spokesman. That search has extended to Taylor County. Agencies assisting in the manhunt include: the Leon County Sheriff's Office, Perry Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the Taylor County Sheriff's Office.
"We want her found safe and sound as much as her family does," McCranie said. "We are working all night long. We have officers rotating shifts, commanders rotating shifts and we have thrown a great deal of resources into locating the suspects and Ms. Hoffman."
Authorities found Hoffman's 2005 silver Volvo sedan about midday Thursday at United Welding Services, 606 Industrial Park Drive, in Perry. No one was inside the car.
Police set up a field post at the Meadows Soccer Complex at Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park as part of its search for the missing woman. The complex is next door to Forestmeadows on North Meridian Road. About a dozen police vehicles patrolled the area in hopes of finding Hoffman or her car.
Local residents who work or exercise at the Forestmeadows Park & Athletic Center were shocked Wednesday morning to hear about the missing woman.
Linda Talbot, who works at the front desk at the center said the news made her nervous.
"I was in shock because I see this as a safe place where people play tennis, and children play here," Talbot said.
Talbot said she was considering working the night shift — the athletic facility stays open until 10 p.m. on weekdays — but now she's changed her mind.
"You never know what could happen in any place," she said.
But Tallahassee police said park-goers shouldn't be nervous because it was an "isolated incident."
"There's no reason for the public to be concerned for their general safety in terms of being in public places or parks," McCranie said.
Paul Beckham, who goes to the center almost every day to practice his tennis for the "Golden Boys" senior league, said nothing like this happens in this area.
"Well, I sure hope they come up with something," Beckham said. "People don't go missing often here."
Hoffman graduated from Florida State University last August with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Her hometown is Clearwater, according to her Facebook Web page. She lives on the east side of Tallahassee.
Shaina Hale, a friend of Hoffman's, said Hoffman is planning to attend culinary school in Arizona in the fall.
"Rachel is one of the sweetest girls ever," she said.
Hoffman and the men arrested in Orlando all have criminal records. Hoffman was arrested in February 2007 and entered drug court for possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and resisting arrest without violence, according to court records. Bradshaw was arrested in April and May 2007 for possession of marijuana.
Green, of Perry, spent nearly nine months in prison from 2004 to 2005 for selling marijuana and aggravated assault in Taylor County, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.