Stepsister gets year in jail

By JOHN FRANK, Times Staff Writer
Published January 22, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The stepsister of an alleged Brooksville drug kingpin who was accused of helping to identify an undercover deputy received a year in county jail followed by four years of probation Friday.

Circuit Judge Jack Springstead sentenced Lynette Mobley on charges of using a communication device to facilitate a felony and obstructing a warrant, after she struck a plea deal with prosecutors.

Mobley, 32, of Brooksville, was found guilty for her role in a major drug network raided by the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. She also faced one count of conspiracy to traffic drugs, but it was later dropped because of insufficient evidence, prosecutors said.

Mobley is the stepsister of Bobby Walter, who law enforcement officials say is the leader of a drug-trafficking organization that was raided after an eight-month investigation in June. Those raids ended in the arrests of 20 people.

Mobley's friend Kijafa Brown worked in the clerk's office at the courthouse. According to arrest reports, Brown "served as a lookout for criminal charges or upcoming law enforcement action" against Walter. Then Mobley acted as the intermediary for the information, investigators say.

On March 11, Brown passed the deputy's identity to Walter through Mobley, reports say.

The cases against Walter and Brown are still pending.

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or 754-6114.

[Last modified January 21, 2008, 20:17:30]