August 2020 – Citrus Times Online

2 of 3 burglary suspects wanted in crime spree now jailed

Two of three suspects were arrested after detectives solved a rash of burglaries that were committed on Aug. 8 in the area of Woodland Estates in Crystal River.

Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) detectives have already identified and arrested two out of the three culprits.

“This case is not fully closed, but I am extremely proud of our deputies, detectives, and intelligence analyst for the work they have done so far. Despite the diligent efforts of our case detectives, the third suspect has not yet been identified. If anyone has information regarding these crimes, or believes to know the identity of the third suspect, please call our office at 352-726-1121,” said Sheriff Mike Prendergast. ”

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Citrus County man charged with capital sex battery on a person under 12 years old

Citrus County Sheriff’s Office detectives in the agency’s High Tech Crimes Unit on Aug. 26 arrested 34-year-old Daniel Grisales of Dunnellon on charges of capital sexual battery against a juvenile victim under the age of 12.

As members of the Central Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, detectives receive tips for the exploitation of children that may be occurring within the community.

This investigation began after a popular internet company reported that child pornography was sent to multiple people through their mobile app.

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Alexander Park receives donation for basket ball courts’ renovation

FROM LEFT: Terrance Hollis, Matthew Vieux, Devonte White, Robert Simmons, Cortney Sawyer, Citrus County Parks and Recreation Director Francine Noble, BOCC Chairman Brian Coleman and Denzel Alexander.(PHOTO: Cynthia Oswald on Aug. 25, 2020).

On Aug. 25, at the Board of County Commissioners’ (BOCC) meeting, Dr. Devonte White, who was born and raised in Inverness, and now resides in Texas, presented his proposal to renovate the basketball courts at Alexander Park.

The BOCC voted unanimously to accept his generous Citrus County Community Charitable Foundation, Inc. grant donation of $10,000, along with a $2,000 donation from the local community and support the renovations to the basketball courts.

“I wanted to renovate my childhood basketball court in order to keep the kids in the neighborhood off the streets and on the court,” said Devonte in a post on Twitter when he began working on the project.

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Citrus County votes in Aug. 18 primary

Citrus County voters on Tuesday filled in their ballots to let their choices be known for several political positions.

Winners include Sheriff Mike Prendergast, who defeated three challengers in the primary. He will now face Lee Alexander in November. Alexander is a former police chief in Inverness.

Creg Dalton gathered the most votes in the Property Appraiser race. Sandra “Sam” Himmel won her fifth term as Superintendent of Schools. Maureen “Mo” Baird bested opponent Scott Adams for the Supervisor of Elections post. Winning the District 3 seat for county commission was Ruthie Davis Schlabach . And winning county commission for District 5 was Holly Davis.

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Cardinal Suncoast Interchange public workshop looks at development plan

The Citrus County Commission held a pubic workshop to discuss a proposed future master development plan for Cardinal Street, a road which has historically been a seven-mile, two-lane road in Homosassa, Fla.

The Cardinal interchange is part of an extension of the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) of the Suncoast Parkway from Brooksville.

The street is proposed to be morphed into mixed use (both commercial and residential). Future developers would then be limited to parcel sizes of no less than 30 acres for any commercial use.

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Man injured in deputy involved shooting in Dunnellon

On Wednesday at about 6 p.m., deputies responded to a residence in the area of West Amman Street in Dunnellon, in reference to a domestic disturbance.

Upon arrival, deputies were met by a suspect who was on the property in violation of a court order.

After threatening the deputies with a firearm, the two responding deputies sought shelter outside the front door. The suspect then emerged from the residence armed with two firearms and fired his weapon toward a deputy.

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