Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida Press Release:
Marion County, FL – On Thursday, March 6, 2025, the day after 43-year-old Santini Antwain Chisholm’s trial commenced, jurors found the twenty-three-time convicted felon guilty on all five counts of drug-trafficking-related offenses. After his conviction, Judge Barbara Kissner-Kwatkosky sentenced Chisholm to fifty years in prison.
Chisholm was charged and convicted of Armed Trafficking in Fentanyl, two counts of Armed Trafficking in a Controlled Substance, Armed Trafficking in Oxycodone, and Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
“We are fully committed to protecting our neighborhoods by aggressively prosecuting drug traffickers who endanger public safety, ensuring that those who engage in these illegal operations face severe legal repercussions,” emphasized Bill Gladson, the State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit. “We’d like to also thank our community partners at the Department of Probation and Parole who were able to dismantle this illicit drug network and get this dangerous defendant off our streets.
“The trial stemmed from an investigation initiated in 2021 by the Florida Department of Probation and Parole when specialists were conducting a home check at a residence off Hemlock Course in Ocala, FL. Deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) were called in to assist after probation officials located firearms and narcotics inside the residence.
Upon arrival at the home, MCSO deputies were informed by the probation specialists that they were at the home to conduct a check on the probationer, later identified as defendant Chisholm. When they knocked at the door, a female named Latoya Wilkerson-Chisholm answered the door and indicated she needed to put on some clothing before letting the probation officials inside the home.
After an unusually long amount of time, the probation specialist eventually made entry into the home. Inside, they located various amounts of illicit narcotics and scales, along with multiple firearms, and large quantities of cash. At that time, MCSO deputies and members of the Unified Drug Enforcement Strike Team (UDEST) entered the residence after obtaining a warrant. They located all items previously identified by probation authorities. When questioned about the evidence seized inside the house, Chisholm denied all ownership and Co-defendant Wilkerson-Chisholm stated she couldn’t say if the drugs belonged to her husband.
Wilkerson-Chisholm entered a plea back in 2023. She was found guilty and sentenced to 21 months in prison, with credit for time served, three years probation, and two hundred hours of community service.
Assistant State Attorneys Marissa Meyer Shannon and Kyle Lambert prosecuted this case.
