Katherine Magbanua’s conviction upheld in 2014 murder-for-hire of Dan Markel
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Katherine Magbanua is remaining behind bars for the 2014 murder-for-hire of FSU law professor Dan Markel. Magbanua is one of four people in prison in connection to Markel’s death. She’s currently serving a life sentence at a prison in Marion County. The upheld conviction...
Convicted felon Hunter Destin caught after firing gun inside Marion County home, deputies say
MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – A convicted felon is back behind bars after allegedly firing a gun during a disturbance inside a Marion County home, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO). MCSO says that Corporal Tripp responded to a shots-fired call in the 5400 block of...
Defunct Ocala: Ocala Gainesville Poker & Jai Alai’s final bet
OCALA, Fl. (352today.com) – Once echoing with the thunder of pelota balls and the murmur of poker chips, Ocala Gainesville Poker & Jai-Alai stood as one of the most unique entertainment venues in Marion County. From its opening in the early 1970s to its closure in 2023, it blended fast-paced sport, Florida gambling...
Lady Lake man found to have MDMA pill during traffic stop in Fruitland Park
A Lady Lake man was arrested after an officer found an MDMA pill in his vehicle during a traffic stop. An officer observed a black Chevrolet Cruze traveling northbound on Dixie Avenue around 11:05 a.m. Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. He noticed a steady cloud of...
VIDEO: Florida corporal catches gas station thief
A sheriff's corporal who was in the right place at the right time helped apprehend a suspected gas station thief in Ocala on Saturday.
Marion felon who was injured by exploding rifle indicted on firearm charge
A convicted felon from Marion County, who was injured on Thanksgiving after a rifle he allegedly fired in his backyard exploded, has been indicted on a firearm possession charge. On Friday, a grand jury returned an indictment charging 40-year-old Juan Mario GonzalezPiloto with possession of a firearm and ammunition...
Technician charged with stealing from patient at troubled assisted living facility
A medical technician has been charged with stealing from a “vulnerable” patient at a troubled local assisted living facility. Alonte McCaster, 30, of Fruitland Park, is facing charges of exploitation of the elderly and theft following her arrest Monday by Lady Lake police. The daughter of a patient...
Officers find straws and spoons with fentanyl residue in woman’s backpack
A Summerfield woman was arrested after officers found straws, spoons and a pipe with fentanyl residue in her backpack. An officer observed a red Ford Focus with white light coming from the taillights around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. He stopped the vehicle...
Murder case is ongoing. But a judge put man in prison for 60 years...
One of three men accused of the brazen murder of a man inside his home last year has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for violating the terms of his probation in a different case. Circuit Judge Timothy McCourt sentenced Blayze Jurien White, 22, to 60 years in prison on June 27 following a non-jury trial. White...
The quirky Florida retirement community bigger than Manhattan
In the 1960s, Michigan businessman Harold Schwartz founded The Villages in the early 1970s as a mobile home park. By the 1970s, he and partner Al Tarrson had built Orange Blossom Gardens, a humble mobile home park. Now it’s a 30,000-acre community where residents zip around in golf carts and...
