Officials permit Ocala man to pay off $6,250 in jail liens by volunteering at...
A former Marion County inmate with some of the highest civil restitution liens that officials had ever seen was granted permission to pay off the $6,250 in fees by volunteering for over 300 hours at the same faith-based recovery shelter that helped turn his life around. The Marion County Board...
Resident of The Villages busted with cocaine and firearm during traffic stop
A resident of the Village of Sunset Pointe was arrested after an officer found cocaine and a firearm in her possession. An officer saw 28-year-old Katie Marie Marshall fail to come to a complete stop behind the stop bar when leaving 7-Eleven, located at 16950 U.S. Hwy. 441, around 1:40 a.m. Friday, according to an...
Ocala woman gets 10 years in prison for fatal shopping cart hit-and-run
A 42-year-old Ocala woman, accused of leaving the scene of a 2024 crash that claimed the life of an elderly man riding in a shopping cart, was sentenced to prison last week after pleading no contest to several charges. On Wednesday, February 18, Mary Pate Wise was sentenced to 10...
Man arrested for stealing more than $12,000 from unlocked van in Ocala parking lot
A Clermont man was arrested for reportedly following a van to an Ocala shopping complex, entering the vehicle, and stealing more than $12,000 in cash. According to the arrest report, on Saturday, January 24, a male victim reported to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office that approximately $12,800 had been stolen from...
Ocala man sentenced to 45 years for bank robbery, stabbing
Randall Lee Williford 's life has come full circle in a year. On Feb. 27, 2025, he was released from prison after serving a 10-year term for attempted robbery with a firearm. Three months later, Williford was arrested and accused of robbing an Ocala TD Bank branch and then leading police on a chase, at the end of...
Litigation begins following Dunnellon rail tie fire
A class action lawsuit filed in Marion County on behalf of all residents, property owners and employees who live, work, or own property within a 30-mile radius of the Feb. 1 Dunnellon railroad tie fire said the defendants displayed an “utter indifference and/or conscious disregard” for the dangers the railroad ties...
Ocala restaurant sued over slip-and-fall in aisle
An Ocala restaurant is facing a lawsuit from a Citrus County man who claims a fall on a “hidden, dangerous condition” at the establishment over two years ago resulted in serious bodily injury. David A. Honiker filed the negligence complaint in Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Marion County...
Aggressive behavior at Leesburg hospital lands woman in jail
A Leesburg woman was arrested after allegedly punching a hospital security officer in the face when told to calm down. An officer responded to the emergency room at UF Health Leesburg Hospital, located at 600 E Dixie Ave., for a highly agitated and aggressive individual at 2:35 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, according to...
Ocala driver flees on I-75 through several counties before Jeep disabled by stop sticks
An Ocala man is in custody after a high-speed, multi-agency chase that stretched across several counties on Interstate 75 last week ended when he lost control of his Jeep due to spike strips. The pursuit began on Feb. 20, at around 12:50 p.m., when the Sarasota Police Department alerted the...
Marion County Commissioners Approve Funding to Improve Lake Weir’s Water Quality
MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – The Marion County Board of County Commissioners has taken a significant step toward improving water quality in Lake Weir, the county’s largest lake by surface area. At a recent meeting, commissioners approved a $1.2-million appropriations request to the Florida Department of...
