Marion residents encouraged to put phones down on Nov. 15
A local nonprofit is encouraging Marion County residents to participate in a new initiative on November 15 to put down their phones, disconnect from screens, and engage with their families and friends. The Marion County Children’s Alliance (MCCA) is hosting its inaugural “Look Up Marion, Put The Phone Down” day...
Trespasser who exposed himself last year returns to Lady Lake Library
A Summerfield man was arrested after trespassing at the Lady Lake Library for a third time. Todd Ferdinand McClendon, 52, was arrested twice last year at the Lady Lake Library, located at 225 W Guava St. The first was in February for getting highly intoxicated on the library steps, and the second was in October for...
Ocala firefighters put out house fire, no injuries reported
OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - A closed bedroom door helped Ocala firefighters contain a house fire Thursday night. Ocala Fire Rescue officials say firefighters were called to a home on Southwest 54th Court at around 5:45 p.m. in response to a structure fire. Crews arrived at the home to heavy smoke...
Woman with suspended license caught behind wheel for 12th time
A Leesburg woman was arrested for driving with a suspended license for potentially the twelfth time. Officers spotted 46-year-old Alicia Latray Wesley driving a silver Toyota westbound on Main Street at 10:50 p.m. Friday, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Her vehicle was missing the...
Disruptive young couple were vaping at pool
We were at Belvedere pool on Saturday, Nov. 8 in the afternoon. There was a young couple at a corner table that was being disruptive as they were laughing hysterically, crying, crawling under the table and vaping. I think a couple that left called to have them checked. They were...
Ocala man accused of pointing green laser at MCSO helicopter facing federal charge
A 41-year-old Ocala man accused of pointing a green laser beam at a Marion County Sheriff’s Office helicopter because he was “bored” has been indicted on a federal charge. On Thursday, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the return of an indictment charging Adam Santiago-Lugo with aiming...
Widespread 911 disruptions hit Marion, Sumter and Citrus counties; officials cite possible fiber-optic cable...
Marion County officials confirmed Thursday evening that 911 service is experiencing disruptions across multiple counties in Central Florida, with callers reporting dropped calls and difficulty connecting. The outages are also impacting Citrus and Sumter counties. Lisa Cahill, director of Public Safety Communications...
Ocala judge hands down a chilling sentence in manslaughter case
The courtroom was silent on Nov. 14 when Circuit Judge Timothy McCourt sentenced former Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Leslie Dale Boileau to a very specific prison term: 25 years, eight months and 20 days. That's exactly how old Boileau's girlfriend, Polina Annette Wright, was the day he shot and killed her. Wright,...
Unlicensed driver from Honduras arrested near shopping plaza in The Villages
An unlicensed driver from Honduras was arrested near a shopping plaza in The Villages. Elvis Geovany Zepeda Umana, 40, of Bradenton, was driving a white Honda fit at 12:43 p.m. Thursday near Pinellas Plaza when a deputy ran the vehicle’s license plate and found that the registered owner did not have a valid license,...
Walmart shopper blames late SNAP benefits for skip-scanning incident
A Leesburg woman will appear in court for skip-scanning $25 in food because she could not pay for it all without food stamps. Surveillance cameras caught 20-year-old Jasmine Fields and her male companion at a self-checkout register in Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Blvd., around 10:40 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, according...
