Big Lots returns to Ocala in former Roses location
Big Lots has returned to Ocala, taking over a former Roses Discount Store location that is less than a mile from one of the three Big Lots that closed just over six months ago. The city’s sole Big Lots is now open at 8445 SW State Road 200, in the...
Ocala Hobby Lobby employee arrested on theft charges
A local Hobby Lobby employee was arrested by Ocala police after video surveillance footage allegedly showed her stealing multiple items from the store. On Tuesday, October 7, several Ocala Police Department officers responded to the Hobby Lobby located at 2400 SW College Road in Ocala in reference to a retail theft...
Marion teen accused of faking abduction pleads no contest
A 17-year-old Marion County boy accused of faking his abduction, which led to an Amber Alert and multi-agency search, will avoid going to trial after pleading no contest to several felony charges. On Thursday morning, Caden Rex Speight pleaded nolo contendere (no contest). He was arrested last week by the...
Railroad tie grinding company ousted from Newberry tries again in Dunnellon
The evening scene along the railroad tracks of Dunnellon looked apocalyptic to Bill White. Dark, wooden rail supports known as ties balanced in 10-foot stacks that stretched to the horizon. “ I walked it for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, never got to the end of it,” he said. “It was...
Family of Ajike Owens Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Neighbor Convicted in Fatal Shooting
OCALA, Fla. — The family of Ajike “AJ” Owens, a mother of four fatally shot in 2023 over a neighbor dispute, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Susan Lorincz on June 10, according to court documents obtained by News 6 WKMG-TV. Family of Ajike Owens files civil lawsuit.
The Villages Entertainment Department staffer arrested on battery charges
A staffer with The Villages Entertainment Department has been arrested on battery charges. Brian Joseph Mullany, 43, of Ocala, was arrested Thursday night and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. Bond has been set at $2,000. The arrest report has not been released, but it was a Wildwood Police Department...
Two suspects arrested in theft of $3,495 in electronics at Target in The Villages
Two out-of-the-area men were arrested after allegedly stealing $3,495 in electronics from Target at Rolling Acres Plaza in The Villages. Officers responded to Target at around 5:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. Dispatch advised that two men, 24-year-old Hans...
Niagara firing 85 employees at Ocala bottling facility weeks after $25 million acquisition
A multibillion-dollar water bottling corporation based in California will fire 85 employees from the former Silver Springs Bottled Water Company in northwest Ocala, just seven weeks after purchasing the facility for $25 million. On Tuesday, Niagara Bottling, LLC, announced the layoff of 85 employees assigned to work...
ICE places hold on Venezuelan arrested at Walmart in The Villages
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has placed a hold on a Venezuelan arrested at a Walmart in The Villages. Alejandra Franco-Gimenez, 32, was in the self-checkout aisle at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the store at Buffalo Ridge Plaza when a Walmart loss prevention associate was watching her on surveillance,...
Unlicensed driver from Mexico stopped for speeding by 31 mph
An unlicensed driver from Mexico was arrested after being stopped for speeding by 31 miles per hour. An officer observed 26-year-old Gabriel Lora Felipe in a white passenger car speeding at 81mph in a 50-mph zone around 8:50 p.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department.
