LATEST NEWS

Residents of a Crystal River neighborhood were asked to the avoid the area on Saturday while deputies disabled a homemade explosive device.

Death notices have confirmed the identities of a couple who died in an apparent murder/suicide at their home in The Villages. The National Cremation Society has posted the official death notices for 71-year-old Philip Edward Molloy and 70-year-old Karyn Ann Molloy. They were found dead Tuesday morning at their home at 635 San Pedro Drive in the Village of Rio Grande.

An Ocala man with 20 prior felony convictions is facing life behind bars for a federal firearm offense. On Tuesday, May 30, United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the arrest of 53-year-old Craig Antwon O’Neal based on an indictment charging him with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

OCALA, Fla. — Marion County Sheriff's Office deputies are investigating a shooting in Ocala that killed a woman Friday night. MCSO deputies responded to a shooting on the 1600 block of SW 108th Lane in Ocala around 9 p.m. Friday. When they arrived, deputies located a woman who had been shot.

OCALA, Fla. - A man was shot and killed by police after his mother called 911 for him after he made suicidal threats, Ocala police said. The incident began at 8:53 a.m. Saturday morning when a concerned mother called the police about her son making suicidal threats while parked in the Home Depot on SR 200.

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - A family’s home in Marion County is unlivable after a woman fleeing from sheriff’s deputies crashed into the house. On Thursday night, when Marion County Sheriff’s deputies noticed a white SUV speeding nearly 30 miles over the speed limit. “I actually saw them...

An unlicensed driver from Mexico was arrested on the suspicion of drunk driving after he was found sleeping in a vehicle at the Florida Citrus Center on State Road 44 in Wildwood. Jesus Rodrigo Malagon-Vega, 23, of Ocala, and another man were found at 7:27 p.m. Thursday sleeping in the...

A Coleman man has sentenced to 23 years in federal prison after importing drugs from Mexico and elsewhere for local resale. Senior U.S. District Judge John Antoon II has sentenced 28-year-old Uriel Fajardo-Albarran to 23 years in federal prison. A federal jury previously convicted Fajardo-Albarran of conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and three other drug distribution count.

Cheap gas lured in plenty of customers at the new 7-Eleven on Friday on the Historic Side of The Villages. Unleaded gasoline was selling for less than $3 per gallon at the gas station and convenience store at the corner of U.S. Hwy. 27/441 and Griffin Avenue. The new 7-Eleven...

Robert “Robbie” Audette Jr., 40, a sales representative for Properties of The Villages, was served in May with a temporary restraining order. His estranged wife is hoping to make that order permanent, according to records on file in Sumter County Court. Wildwood police were called at about 9:30...

A Marion County judge on Friday sentenced a man to six months in jail for hosting illegal cockfights. Last month, a jury found Cameron Tyrone Taylor, 55, guilty of owning property for use in fighting or baiting animals and attending the fighting or baiting of animals. He was acquitted on a charge of selling, possessing and using equipment for animal fight bait. He will also be given 88 days of time-served credit. ...

There has been a whirlwind of graduations this past week. Here are some highlights:. Hernando High School’s Valedictorian, Gabrielle Healis’ brother, Will Healis, is a Hernando High alumni and just graduated from West Point. There were numerous graduates from Hernando High who have enlisted and will be joining...

A drunk driving suspect with an open wine bottle in her car was arrested after a rear-end collision on U.S. Hwy. 441 in Summerfield. Anita Kaye Hurley, 54, of Belleview, had been at the wheel of a black Volkswagen Jetta at about 11 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. Hwy. 441 north of SE 143rd Lane when she rear-ended a white Mazda CX-9, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol.

A suspected thief who cannot speak English has been arrested in a price tag-switching incident at Walmart at Buffalo Ridge Plaza in The Villages. Lynn Thu Wun, 30, of Lady Lake, entered the store at about 1 p.m. Thursday and was observed by the store’s loss prevention officer as he removed the UPC bar code from an air mattress, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. He selected a brown futon bed priced at $178 and placed the $126 UPC bar code from the air mattress over the bar code for the futon bed. He went to the self-checkout and purchased the futon bed at the lower price. He was taken into custody when he left the store. The arrest report noted he does not speak English.

David DeCarlo has been appointed director of the Hernando County Department of Emergency Management. He has served in the post on an interim basis since February. Retired from the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, DeCarlo spent the last five years of his tenure there as Captain and Director of Emergency Management for Citrus County, FL, where he oversaw Emergency Operations at the Emergency Operations Center for numerous hurricanes and tropical storms. He also conducted preliminary damage assessments, prepared public disaster recovery centers, assisted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with public and individual assistance, FEMA Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, and State Disaster Unemployment Assistance. DeCarlo will permanently assume his post as Hernando County’s Director of Emergency Management on June 12.

CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — The sheriff’s deputy seriously injured while conducting traffic recently in Lecanto continues to recover and had surgery on Tuesday. Sheriff’s Office officials said Deputy Andy Lahera had surgery on both legs and remains in critical, but stable condition. Lahera was struck by a...

A mediator has declared an impasse after a failed bargaining session in a battle over a little white cross in The Villages. Julie O’Kane of O’Kane Mediation & Arbitration LLC of Orlando has filed a document with the court indicating Tuesday’s mediation session was held but, “The parties reached an impasse.”

Deputy Lahera was working Lecanto High School's graduation when the Florida Highway Patrol says a car plowed into him. Now, his family and friends pray for a miracle while he recovers.

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — Storm preparation is underway in various sectors, including at the Citrus County-owned Crystal River Airport, a critical resource for the community during and after storms. "You can't wait until it's storming; you have to do it ahead of time," Chief Flight instructor Gudi Davis said...

Skechers is expected to open later this month at Rolling Acres Plaza in The Villages. The shoe store is taking over the former Pier1 Imports location which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. A temporary certificate of occupancy was issued this past week by the Town of Lady Lake to allow...