CRIME & SAFETY

This week in Ocala, Florida, several incidents occurred that impacted the safety of the community. These incidents include a man being arrested for stealing Pokemon cards, a three-vehicle crash involving an ambulance, truck, and bus resulting in multiple injuries, a five-car crash causing traffic delays, a housekeeper accused of stealing a significant amount of money from an elderly man, a fatal crash after a vehicle struck a mailbox, fence, and trailer, and a handicapped parking violator being arrested for a probation violation.

Body cam footage shows the moment, a bus, ambulance, and pickup truck collided in Marion County at an intersection.

OCALA, Fla. - A parked truck caught fire on Wednesday in Marion County. The flames quickly spread to another vehicle, then to a house, displacing a single mother of three. Fortunately, no one was injured, and firefighters were on the scene at the home on Pecan Run Drive in a matter of minutes, according to James Lucas, spokesperson for Marion County Fire Rescue. Lucas said the fire started inside a parked Ford F-150 pickup truck while the owner was inside.

An Ocala man has been arrested for a string of home burglaries throughout Marion County in the month of November.

In a lethal display of illegal street racing's dangers, a high-speed catastrophe occurred in Ocala, Florida. A Ford Mustang and a Chevrolet Corvette engaged in an illicit race on State Road 200, resulting in a harrowing collision. Witnesses were shocked as the Corvette, after striking a Toyota Prius, veered off the road and shattered upon impact with a utility pole and a tree, leaving the driver critically injured and the vehicle nearly disintegrated.

After a three-day trial, a jury on Friday found Shannon Le-Neir Montgomery not guilty of second-degree murder with a firearm. Here's what happened at the trial: Lawyers: Assistant State Attorneys Marissa Meyer and Tucker O'Neil for the state and defense attorneys Bill Ramputi and Kathryn Bennett. Jamie Sheppard, an investigator with Ramputi, was...

Lawyers: Assistant State Attorneys Sasha Kidney and Shanae Pickens, and Jack Maro for the defense. Judge: Circuit Judge Anthony Tatti. About the case: Ocala police officials said 22-year-old Elvy, of Hampton, Georgia, shot and wounded a man at an apartment complex located off Southwest 27th Avenue in 2021. Elvy has...

CITRA — A pedestrian died when she was struck by multiple vehicles on Wednesday. The incident blocked traffic on a major roadway for hours as law enforcement officials talked with witnesses and put together what happened. Here's what we know:. Investigating agency: Florida Highway Patrol. Time of crash: Marion...

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - One person was taken to the hospital after five vehicles crashed in Ocala. Ocala Fire Rescue crews say the crash happened on Southwest 60th Avenue near Southwest 38th Street Wednesday evening. The vehicles blocked several lanes of the road. One person was taken to the hospital...

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - A competitor at a barrel racing event was arrested after deputies say she stole an expensive saddle pad from another rider. Marion County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 54-year-old Marcelle Poulin on Thursday. According to the arrest report, Poulin stole a saddle pad from another competitor at...

Witness video reveals new details about a deputy-involved shooting in Marion County that ended in a fatal chase. The footage raises questions about the use of force, showing the deceased on his knees moments before the shooting. The incident is currently under investigation.

Summerfield, Fla.-based Lakeview Healthcare System discovered that an unauthorized individual forcefully entered its Leesburg, Fla.-based Lakeview Specialist Facility and stole medical records containing protected health information. The intrusion occurred around 5 a.m., outside of business hours. The intruder, according to a breach notification from the system, took three password-protected mobile...

A 46-year-old man is facing a felony grand theft charge after he was accused of stealing cigar cutters from The Equestrian Hotel in Ocala. On Tuesday, November 28, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office corporal responded to the World Equestrian Center (1750 NW 80th Avenue in Ocala) in reference to a theft incident. Upon arrival, the corporal made contact with two members of WEC’s security team, according to the arrest report.

A Walmart employee’s sudden leave of absence aroused suspicions leading to her arrest. Erin Coleen Avellaneda, 43, of Weirsdale, was arrested Monday on a warrant charging her with five counts of theft. She had been an employee at the Walmart in Summerfield when the thefts occurred earlier this year,...

A parked truck caught fire on Wednesday in Marion County. The flames quickly spread to another vehicle, then to a house, displacing a single mother of three.

The family of a man who died last year after an encounter with personnel at the Marion County Jail has filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Billy Woods and multiple jail officials. Lawyers James M. Slater of Slater Legal PLLC and Michael E. Levine of Stewart Tilghman Fox Bianchi & Cain in Miami filed the wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit on behalf of the estate of Scott "Scotty" Leslie Whitley III.

Two incidents occurred in Summerfield, Florida this week. In the first incident, a former resident of The Villages was arrested for attempting to shoplift items from Walmart after being banned from the store. In the second incident, a suspect entrusted to feed a woman's dogs was arrested for stealing her motorcycle while she was out of town.

Late breaking news events and top stories of the day are updated by the FOX 35 Nightly News Team along with the latest weather and tomorrow's forecast.

MARION COUNTY, Fla. - Sara Ebersole, a woman reported missing nearly nine months ago in Marion County, was last seen at a property in Reddick. Ebersole's sibling, Michelle Tullis, told FOX 35 News she wants investigators to thoroughly search the property in hopes of bringing her sister home. "She went...