CRIME & SAFETY
House fire in Ocala kills 1
OCALA, Fla. – A house fire late Thursday in Ocala left a person dead, according to Ocala Fire Rescue. Crews responded around 11:20 p.m. to the 2600 block of NE 1st Avenue, arriving to find a one-story residence engulfed in flames, the fire department said in a statement. A...
Sovereign citizen jailed 30 days for contempt of court after he refused to sign his name
Self-described sovereign citizen Michael Aaron Patton, charged with grand theft/$100,000 or more and utter forged check, was supposed to stand trial and represent himself this week. But he asked for a lawyer after the jury was selected, the judge wound up declaring a mistrial, and Patton eventually landed in jail...
5-year-old boy dies after being rescued from swimming pool
A child hospitalized after being rescued from a family pool several days ago has died. Ocala police officials said Alexander "Abe" Everts died at UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville on Thursday. The 5-year-old boy was autistic/non-verbal, officers said. On April 17, police were dispatched to a home in the 900 block of...
‘Owe him each day that I’m here’: Handler of Marion County K9 killed in line of duty speaks on coping with his loss
MARION COUNTY, Fla. – K9s United held a fundraising event Saturday in St. Augustine that will benefit four-legged law enforcement throughout Northeast Florida and beyond. This year’s 9K for K9s event honored the memory of Marion County Sheriff’s Office K9 officer, Leo, who was recently killed while keeping his human partners safe.
Clerk arrested in theft of lottery tickets from Circle K in The Villages
A clerk has been arrested in the theft of lottery tickets from a Circle K convenience store in The Villages. The store manager at the Circle K at 3431 Southern Trace at Southern Trace Plaza was conducting an inventory on Wednesday morning and discovered that the store was $150 short on revenue from Florida Lottery tickets, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. The manager checked the in-store surveillance that showed the night shift employee, 41-year-old Vairley Ann Nickerson of The Villages, taking $170 worth of scratch-off tickets. She concealed the tickets in a garbage bag as she cleaned.
Driver who failed to pay ticket arrested with fentanyl and meth
A driver who failed to pay a traffic ticket was apprehended with fentanyl and methamphetamine. Derrick Stanley Januszyk, 47, of Summerfield, was driving a white Honda SUV on Thursday afternoon in the 1400 block of SE 145th Street in Summerfield when a deputy spotted Januszyk and was aware his license possibly had been suspended for failure to pay a ticket, according to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Suspected thief foiled by facial recognition software back behind bars
A suspected thief who was foiled by facial recognition software has landed back behind bars. Jason Vincent Saunders, 43, of Summerfield was taken into custody earlier this month by Marion County sheriff’s deputies on a pair of warrants charging him with failure to appear in Sumter Count Court on charges of theft. He was transferred this week to the Sumter County Detention Center where he continued to be held this weekend on $10,000 bond.
Man riding uninsured Harley-Davidson nabbed with open bottle of Fireball
A man riding an uninsured Harley-Davidson motorcycle was nabbed with an open bottle of Fireball whiskey. Travis Keith Sharpin, 48, of Summerfield was riding the motorcycle shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday on Cleveland Avenue when an officer noticed the bike had an expired license plate, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department.
Villager’s oft-arrested son snared in multi-agency initiative
A Villager’s oft-arrested son has been snared in a multi-agency initiative aimed at making sure offenders are abiding by terms of their probation. Brian Mark Krajewski, 49, was arrested at his home at 616 St. Andrews Blvd. on the Historic Side of The Villages in Operation 420, according to a news release from the Lady Lake Police Department. Krajewski was arrested for violation of probation after narcotics were located at the home.
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