A former Daytona Beach police officer and current Richard Milburn College teacher has been charged with five drug-related felonies after his arrest early Friday morning.
Amber Williamson, 40, was arrested at an apartment at The Bradley, 1560 Alexis Ave., Daytona Beach.
The case began with an investigation by Port Orange police when the East Volusia Drug Task Force and the Volusia County SWAT team executed a search warrant around 6 a.m., according to her arrest affidavit.
After a knock on the door and an order given over the public address system, no one answered the door.
A SWAT team member saw Williamson and a man named Marcus Plowden leaving the master bedroom. Another couple was found in another bedroom, the affidavit states.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood described Plowden, 28, as Williamson’s boyfriend, but Williamson told law enforcement they “had no romantic relationship and just slept in the same bed.”
Detectives found a bag with a white substance floating inside the master bedroom toilet and powder remaining around the rim of the toilet, the affidavit states.
What charges are Amber Williamson and Marcus Plowden facing?
A SWAT search turned up fentanyl, marijuana, crack cocaine, other controlled substances and at least two guns, the affidavit states.
Plowden faces 11 charges, including nine felonies. The charges include trafficking in heroin and possession of cocaine with intent to sell.
Williamson faces a total of six charges, including trafficking in heroin, possession of cocaine with intent to sell and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
She told detectives that all drugs and related items found in the apartment belonged to Plowden and that she knew he sold cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl.
“Amber stated that Marcus asked her to deliver drugs to his clients and that he was unable to do so because he was busy or out of town,” the affidavit states.
Sheriff Chitwood, who hired Amber Williamson, calls the case ‘disgusting’
Chitwood said in a Facebook video posted during the search that he hired Williamson as a Daytona Beach police officer in 2009 and she worked there for 10 years before becoming a teacher.
Amber Williamson, 40, a teacher at Richard Milburn Academy, is seen in a photo taken at the Volusia County Jail on Jan. 23, 2025, after her arrest on drug charges.
“In the next few minutes she would snap awake,” Chitwood said. “We’re going to execute a search warrant and I suspect her boyfriend is going to go back to jail and she’s going to go with him.”
The video shows a swarm of SWAT officers entering the apartment, followed by a handcuffed Williamson facing a wall.
“Amber, you know the good guys always win, don’t you?” Chitwood said, walking past her and into the apartment.
Chitwood said the case is disgusting, especially that “a man sworn to protect the streets of Daytona Beach is working with children and out there peddling this poison, destroying families and destroying lives.”
In 2010, Williamson received the Daytona Beach Police Department’s Chief’s Award for law enforcement.
The News Journal contacted Richard Milburn College. A man who identified himself as the principal but declined to give his name said he had no comment.
This article originally appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona charter school teacher faces trafficking charges
