Summerfield — Two people were found to be unconscious in a running vehicle parked at the gas pumps at the Circle K, located at 14870 South U.S. 441, Summerfield.
On Wednesday, authorities were alerted after a clerk reported that the car had been parked at the pump for a long time.
Brandon Rutledge, 28, and Jessica Potter, 23, were passed out inside the vehicle and not moving — the engine was still on.
The two were awakened by deputies banging on the window.
Upon searching the vehicle, deputies found several pills, marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and multiple hypodermic needles.
Potter was arrested and charged with Trafficking in Heroin, Possession of Methamphetamines, Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Buprenorphine without a Prescription (a narcotic painkiller), Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Equipment.
Rutledge was charged with Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Buprenorphine without a Prescription, and Possession of Drug Equipment.
Both Potter and Rutledge have an extensive arrest record.
Ohio — A woman who got into a heated argument is accused of pouring hot grease on another person during the dispute.
Cincinnati police said Charlene Thompson, 61, had reached her boiling point in an argument when she dumped hot grease on the victim Sunday at a residence on Hawaiian Terrace in Mt. Airy.
Police said when police they arrived at the scene the victim’s injuries were “very visible.”
The victim suffered severe burns to her arms and back.
Thompson was arrested and charged with Assault.
Additionally, during a computer check, police discovered that Thompson was also wanted on two outstanding felony warrants.
“I’m requesting a high bond as the court is well aware, burns are some of the most devastating, painful, debilitating, long-term injuries that someone can suffer,” Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor David Wood said during court Tuesday.
Thompson has been ordered to stay away from the victim and have no contact with her until further notice.
She is being held on a $15,000 bond. Her next court date is slated for December 14.
Ocala — Ocala Police responded to a Family Dollar Wednesday evening after a customer allegedly brandished a handgun.
According to OPD, a store clerk thought that a man was stealing from the store, at which time the clerk and the unidentified man became involved in a verbal altercation.
The clerk stated that the man then pulled out a gun, waved it in the air, and stated: “this is all I got.”
Police said the employee waited 10 minutes before calling 911.
Officers are currently at the scene gathering information.
A known felon was arrested Monday after he was caught trespassing at the Sun Plaza Motel, located at 5461 East Silver Springs Boulevard, for the second time in less than two months.
Upon searching the suspect, Justin Mendez, 27, he was found to be in possession of a used hypodermic needle.
According to reports, Mendez stated that he worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and that, he had been given the needle by the agency.
The needle tested positive for methamphetamines.
Mendez was charged with Trespassing and Possession of Drug Equipment.
According to state records, Mendez has an extensive criminal record.
Gypsy McEntire [Deceased] Sample picture of the suspect vehicle provided by FHP.The Florida Highway Patrol is asking for the public’s help with identifying and hit-and-run driver who killed a 22-year-old woman on Saturday.
According to troopers, at approximately 6:30 p.m, Gypsy McEntire was traveling west on SR 40 when her motor scooter was struck by the front of an unidentified silver 2005 to 2010 model Chrysler 300.
Troopers said McEntire was dragged for nearly a quarter mile, and following the collision, the driver of the Chrysler fled the scene.
McEntire was transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where she later died from her injuries.
Troopers believe the four-door Chrysler will have significant front-end damage (missing front chrome grill and missing fog lamps) as a result of the collision.
The vehicle was last seen traveling north on NW 53rd Ct.
If you have any information about this incident, call FHP at 1-800-387-1290, Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP, or text 274637 using keyword 368-STOP. Tipsters can also visit www.ocalacrimestoppers.com. Anonymity is guaranteed.
Many parents in Marion County have expressed concern about children recently being sent home from school due to having lice.
The Marion County School Board told Ocala Post that they have lice cases throughout the district on a daily basis.
The school district said they would not refer to the cases as “outbreaks” as some parents have stated on social media.
“Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen more cases than usual at Marion Oaks Elementary and Ward-Highlands Elementary, and those students are sent home immediately for treatment, said Marion County Public Schools Public Information Officer, Kevin Christian. “Our school board has a “no nits” policy, meaning students are sent home whenever a visible presence exists. They cannot return until their lice issues are resolved.”
While there are many methods to kill lice, experts say aerosol hairspray, like AQUA NET, is an affordable way to kill lice. Simply douse the hair with hairspray, let it sit for approximately 15-minutes, and wash. Then, remove any dead lice or remaining nits with a lice comb.
The recreational harvest season for snook closes Dec. 1 in federal and most state waters of the Gulf, including all of Monroe County and Everglades National Park.
Snook, as well as redfish, remain catch-and-release only in state waters from the Hernando/Pasco county line through Gordon Pass in Collier County (includes Tampa Bay and Hillsborough County) through May 10, 2019, in response to the impacts of red tide.
Snook outside of that area will reopen to harvest March 1, 2019. Anglers may continue to catch and release snook during the closed season.
Season closures are designed to help conserve snook during vulnerable times such as cold weather. Atlantic state and federal waters, including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River, will close Dec. 15 through Jan. 31, 2019, reopening to harvest Feb. 1, 2019
The Dunnellon Police Department announced that the 2018 Dunnellon Small Town Christmas Parade & After Party Celebration will be rescheduled due to strong thunderstorms and rain that are expected to hit the area on Saturday, December 1, 2018.
The new date for the Small Town Christmas Parade & After Party Celebration is Saturday, December 15, 2018.
The Small Town Christmas Parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Dunnellon Middle School.
The After Party Celebration will be held from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Dunnellon Little League.
Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a woman’s “gas leak” after a customer in line at a Dollar General store, located at 120 S. Federal Highway, Dania Beach,
complained about the smell.
According to reports, a customer told deputies that Shanetta Yvette Wilson, 37, “farted loudly and stunk up the store.”
When a man standing in line complained, Wilson and the man began to argue.
The man reportedly told Wilson that she was nasty, at which time Wilson pulled out a knife.
The arrest affidavit states that Wilson told the man she would “gut” him and then lunged toward him with the knife.
Wilson was arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
Wilson is being held at the Paul Rein Detention Facility in Pompano Beach on a $2,500 bond.
Daytona — A Texas fugitive wanted on murder and other charges in a deadly Thanksgiving Day home invasion in El Paso was located in Daytona Beach thanks to License Plate Reader technology that alerted law enforcement to his stolen vehicle.
Jason Gibson, 38, was arrested Tuesday afternoon shortly after he fled from a converging group of Daytona Beach and Holly Hill police officers, Volusia County sheriff’s deputies, and members of a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force.
As he was surrounded, Gibson drove his car at a VCSO deputy and HHPD officer as he fled.
Gibson later bailed on foot and was taken into custody at a Daytona Beach office building.
In addition to his out-of-state charges of Homicide, Aggravated Assault, Kidnapping, Aggravated Burglary, Aggravated Battery with Great Bodily Harm and Larceny, Gibson was charged locally with two counts of Aggravated Assault for driving at the two law enforcement officers as he attempted to flee.
On Thanksgiving Day, Gibson forced entry to a home in El Paso, Texas and shot a father, 58-year-old Juan Salas in the head, a mother, 58-year-old Lorenza Salas, and son, 24-year-old Jonathan Salas.
Juan died at the scene.
Lorenza and Jonathan both remain in ICU.
Police said, “The mother was shot in the head and the son was shot in the face.”
El Paso police said that the home invasion was random.
Those who know Gibson told police that he “is a very evil man and always has been.”
The Ocala Police Department is currently working in collaboration with the State Attorney’s Office with the investigation involving Ocala couple Jourdon Bryant and Richard Sherrets.
On a November 2 Dr. Phil show, the couple publicly gave detailed accounts of his violence toward her over the past few years.
“We are working in collaboration with the State Attorney’s Office and were granted a Risk Protection Order which allowed OPD to seize Richard’s AR-15 and ammunition. We also aided in getting an injunction for protection which is now in place. If Richard is located with Jourdon, he will be arrested,” said OPD Public Information Officer, Meghan Shay.
Assistant State Attorney Toby Hunt told Ocala Post that said he could not comment on an active investigation.
In early November, Hunt stated that his office could not prosecute based on information or statements from a T.V show. He said the proof would need to be independent.
According to state records, in 2016 Sherrets was arrested for domestic violence against Bryant.
The state dropped the charges because Bryant refused to cooperate with prosecutors and continued her relationship with Sherrets.
Additionally, state records show that Sherrets has multiple arrested for violence toward women dating as far back as 2005. On June 6, 2015, he was arrested and charged with Aggravated Domestic Battery. Again, the stated dropped the charged is all cases.
Bryant’s mother, Mindy Kay, told Dr. Phil that “she is petrified that her daughter Jourdon’s boyfriend, Richard, is going to kill Jourdon due to his physical abuse.” Mindy alleges that Sherrets admitted to stabbing and even attempting to drown Jourdon.
“Richard admits he has physically abused Jourdon so badly that he needed to keep her hidden in a hotel room for two weeks until her injuries healed. But what is most shocking is that Richard admits he gets gratification from abusing Jourdon and claims she likes being abused. Richard blames Jourdon for triggering his abuse and says when he sees her on the floor crying in the fetal position trying to protect herself, it only makes him want to hit her more,” stated Dr. Phil.
Much of the abuse has taken place in front of Sherrets 10-year-old son.
The Dr. Phil show has arranged for Sherrets and Bryant to enter an all expenses paid 45-day treatment program. Bryant has already completed hers.
A woman was killed Tuesday afternoon after she ran a stop sign and collided with a 1998 3-axle TEREX crane.
Florida Highway Patrol Troopers say that Dinan Mcintosh, 66, of Virginia, was driving a 2004 Hyundai Elantra westbound on Southeast 178th Street approaching a stop sign at the T-intersection of South Highway 475.
The crane, driven by Marion Evans, 53, was traveling northbound on South Highway 475 approaching the same intersection.
Evans told troopers that as he entered the intersection, Mcintosh ran the stop sign while attempting a left-hand turn and slammed into the front of the crane.
The crane’s right front tire rolled up onto the Elantra and crushed it.
The two vehicles then continued in a northerly direction and onto the west shoulder of South Highway 475 and into a traffic sign.
According to troopers, in order to be able to remove Mcintosh from her vehicle, Marion County Fire Rescue responded to the scene and had to use jacks to lift the crane off of the car.
The annual Ocala Christmas Parade will take place on December 8, 2018.
The parade is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. in the area of 1800 East Silver Spring Boulevard.
This year the theme is ‘The Magic of Christmas’.
VIP bleacher seating may still be available. Tickets are available for $10 and must be presented at the parade.
The tickets can be purchased online. Just fill in your information, and your tickets will be e-mailed to you for your convenience. All you have to do is print them out and present them on the day of the parade.
David Johnson, the man who shot a woman inside a Walmart and later shot himself, was removed from life support Monday night and has died.
On November 24, Johnson, 55, and 30-year-old Carli Cronin, were involved in an argument inside the Walmart garden center, located at 4980 East Silver Springs Boulevard.
Witnesses stated that when the couple entered the garden center, Cronin screamed for help.
Johnson then shot Cronin multiple times. Cronin later died from her injuries.
Johnson fled the scene and returned to their home in the 6000 block of Northeast 35th Street. When police arrived, they found Johnson with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
According to friends and family, Johnson and Cronin have had domestic violence issues in the past.
Cronin’s mother says that her daughter was not dating Johnson despite what others have said. She claims that Johnson still had feelings for Cronin, but Cronin would not reciprocate those feelings.
“That animal chased after her and did what he did,” said Cronin’s mother. She went on to say, “I believe he wanted her to get back on drugs so he could control her.”
Ocala Police Department Public Information Officer, Meghan Shay, said, “This is the 12th domestic violence homicide in Marion County this year.”
David Johnson, the man who shot a woman inside a Walmart and later shot himself, is currently on life support at Ocala Regional Medical Center.
“Johnson is on a ventilator and does not have any brain activity. He has not been officially pronounced deceased,” said Ocala Police Department Public Information Officer, Meghan Shay.
On November 24, Johnson, 55, and 30-year-old Carli Cronin, were involved in an argument inside the Walmart garden center, located at 4980 East Silver Springs Boulevard.
Witnesses stated that when the couple entered the garden center, Cronin screamed for help.
Johnson then shot Cronin multiple times. Cronin later died from her injuries.
Johnson fled the scene and returned to their home in the 6000 block of Northeast 35th Street. When police arrived, they found Johnson with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
According to records, Johnson and Cronin have had domestic violence issues in the past.
Shay said this is the 12th domestic violence homicide in Marion County this year.
Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a rare but serious condition, which is typically seen in children. It affects the nervous system, specifically the area of the spinal cord called gray matter, which causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak. CDC said they have been thoroughly investigating the AFM cases that have occurred since 2014 when they first noted a large number of cases being reported.
So far in 2018, there are 90 confirmed cases of AFM in more than 20 states. These 90 confirmed cases are among the total of 252 reports that CDC received of patients under investigation (PUIs).
In 2017, CDC received information for 33 confirmed cases of AFM in 16 states.
In 2016, CDC received information for 149 confirmed cases of AFM in 39 states and DC.
In 2015, CDC received information for 22 confirmed cases of AFM in 17 states.
Tuesday, the CDC said that almost all patients with acute flaccid myelitis this year first showed signs of viral infections. Further, CDC has tested body fluid specimens from 71 patients this year and 54 percent of these showed positive tests for non-polio enterovirus A71, EV-D68, and several other viruses.
Symptoms of AFM
AFM is rare, but it can lead to serious neurologic problems. You should seek medical care right away if you or your child develops any of these symptoms:
weakness and loss of muscle tone and reflexes in the arms or legs
facial droop or weakness
difficulty moving the eyes
drooping eyelids
difficulty swallowing
slurred speech
The states reporting cases so far are Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Washington.
The CDC said that in some of the aforementioned states, the cases are merely “under investigation.”
In October, Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida confirmed that a 3-year-old girl was diagnosed with AFM.
The CDC says it is working hard to find the causes and origination of these AFM cases.
The 35th annual Light Up Ocala will take place on November 17, 2018, from 4 to 9 p.m.
Watch downtown Ocala come alive with sparkling lights and illuminated icicles.
Get in the holiday spirit as you shop from local vendors, sing along to holiday songs, take pictures in front of the tree, and meet Santa.
The Downtown Holiday Skating Rink, “Let’s Skate Ocala” will open at the event.
Between 20,000 and 25,000 people are expected to attend and the city had to adjust the layout of the event due to the construction of the Hilton Garden Inn hotel.
Conservative company KeepandBear.com says it has the best selling Christmas gift of 2018.
“We are pleased to announce the launch of a brand new line of toys: MAGA building blocks! This set comes with more than 100 pieces including President Trump in a MAGA hard hat,” the company said. “This toy makes a great Christmas gift for your kids and grandkids!”
The company says the motive behind the toy is simple:
A mob of 10,000 Central American migrants is marching through Mexico and heading toward El Paso, Texas. Mexican border agents attempted to stop them at the Mexican border but to no avail.
We understand why they want to flee Honduras and live and work in America. After all, we are the greatest nation on earth.
In the interest of national security, however, we cannot allow just anyone and everyone to cross our borders. While there are good people attempting to enter our nation, there are also gangs, criminals, and terrorists. Everyone who wants to enter our country must enter legally for the safety of all.
The wall must be built. The wall will keep America safe and strong. Only then will we be able to help those in need.
The company has sold thousands of the building block sets.
