News Archive

From Scott Garner, with the Emergency Management Office:

The National Weather Service has some concern about a storm system approaching from the west. While there is some uncertainly in the forecast, they have a “Slight Risk” for severe storms in the forecast for Thursday.

Below is an excerpt from the 3:26 AM Area Forecast Discussion produced by the National Weather Service - Tallahassee Forecast Office, which explains the current thinking of their meteorologists.

VERY CHALLENGING FORECAST THIS CYCLE AS THE MODELS ARE INDICATING A VERY STRONG STORM SYSTEM HEADING OUR WAY BY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.
THIS SYSTEM LOOKS TO PRESENT A MULTIFACETED HAZARDOUS WEATHER THAT WILL INCLUDE NOT ONLY SEVERE POTENTIAL…BUT HEAVY RAIN…COASTAL FLOODING AND MARINE HAZARDS. FOR A SYSTEM THAT IS BETWEEN 48 AND 60 HOURS AWAY…THERE IS STILL SOME SUBTLE DETAILS TO WORK OUT…BUT WHAT IS REMARKABLE IS THAT THE MODELS ARE DOING A REASONABLY GOOD JOB WITH THE SYNOPTIC DETAILS AND DELIVERING SOME RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY.

You can monitor forecasts from the National Weather Service on their website: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tae/

Sheriff’s Office Investigates
Bank Robbery in Old Town

Old Town, Florida- On Monday, June 29, 2009 at approximately 3:54 pm, the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office, Communications Center received a call from Drummond Community Bank located at 25873 SE Highway 19 in Old Town in reference to a Bank Robbery.

Deputies immediately responded to the area and arrived on the scene of the robbery at 4:00 pm.  At this time the investigation into the robbery is continuing.  The suspect is described as white male, approximately six feet tall, weighing 165 to 185 pounds with blonde hair.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Crime Scene Unit responded to the scene and processed the scene for evidence.  The Dixie County Sheriff’s Office is being assisted in the investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, the Gainesville Police Department, the Cross City Correctional, K-9 Unit and the Cross City Police Department.

The Sheriff’s Office is asking that anyone with information concerning this case to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 352/498-1220 or 352/498-1462.  Additional details will follow as they become available.

Old Town, Florida- The Dixie County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Jerry P. Holland, 49 of Old Town and Donald K. Holland, 48 of Old Town on the charge of Aggravated Abuse/Neglect of the Elderly.  The elderly person was the mother of the Holland brothers.

On Saturday, May 16, 2009, Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to 737 NE 644 Street in Old Town in reference to EMS personnel needing assistance.  When the deputies arrived, they observed both Holland brothers sitting on the front porch of the residence.

Once inside, the deputies made contact with EMS personnel, who told the investigating deputy that it appeared the victim had been on the floor for several days.  The victim was partially dressed and the home had a strong odor of human feces and urine.  The victim had numerous sores and was covered with bruises.

The home was in deplorable condition, with maggots, beer cans and trash throughout the home.

According to Jerry Holland, his mother had been on the floor for five days.  The victim was transported to North Florida Regional Hospital in Gainesville by Dixie County Emergency Services, Division of Emergency Medical Services.

Help was summoned for the victim after a neighbor stopped by the residence and called 911.

A tornado is being reported in Old Town that has apparently taken the roof off of a house near the First District EMS station.

Power to the area has not been affected, but there is apparently some road blockage.

Suwannee River flood levels are expected to be as bad as the 1948 flood: if you have any property that is movable near the Suwannee River, move it today!!!

The County Commissioners are having an emergency meeting today at 3:00, but by then it will be too late.  A full press release will appear in the Advocate tomorrow.

A&K Nursery, Ace Hardware and  Rick’s Seafood were among the victims of a theft spree that was discovered on Wednesday morning in and around Cross City.  Art Wyckoff stated that “A&K was broken into early Wednesday morning with the rascals getting off with the overnight cash box only.”

At Rick’s Seafood, the masked thieves managed to break in through a window around 2 am, bust open the safe and steal the money from within.  They also took a pistol, vandalized the flooring with profanity, and trashed the office.  Luckily, Rick’s Seafood has video cameras and the two-hour crime-fest was caught on video in its entirety.

Naveen Rana, the owner of Rick’s Seafood said that “This is the third break-in in fourteen months.  I spoke to Dewey (Hatcher) yesterday and told him they need to patrol this area more often.”

Ace Hardware was hit early Thursday morning.  The cash drawer and safe were broken into and the money was removed.  No merchandise was stolen, and no vandalism was reported.

The Advocate requested police reports on the break-ins from the Cross City Police Department and the DCSO, but none was provided by press time.  The cases are being jointly investigated by both agencies.

Old Town, Florida- At approximately 4:28 pm this afternoon, Deputies with the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office responded to 107 NE 835 Street in Old Town in reference to a person being attacked by numerous dogs.  When deputies arrived, they found a 22 year old victim, who is developmentally delayed lying in the roadway with numerous dog bites to her head, face, neck, chest, abdomen, arms and legs.

According one witness that observed the attack, he saw the victim being attacked in the roadway by approximately six dogs and before he could get to her location the dogs had pulled the victim to the roadway and were “mauling” the victim.  The witness also stated that when he arrived to the victim that the dogs ran away.

The victim was treated at the scene by Dixie County EMS for puncture and lacerations wounds to numerous areas of her body and transported to Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville.  EMS personnel listed the victim in stable condition.  The Dixie County Sheriff’s Office, Animal Control Division confiscated and placed in quarantine three bulldogs, four mixed breed dogs and eight new born puppies from the residence of Jacqualine and Elizabeth Edgell, who are the reported owners of the dogs.

In November 2007, deputies responded to this same residence for another animal attack involving multiple dogs.

The three bulldogs appeared to be in good health, but the four mixed breed and eight new born puppies appeared to be malnourished.  The Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate this animal attack and possible criminal charges are pending.

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For those of you who missed it the first time we posted it:

by Kathy McKinney

Well, this is different.  I don’t normally have to write in hospital waiting rooms.  I usually wait for some sort of inspiration to strike over the weekend to write this editorial…but by late on Sunday afternoon, in the words of Jack O’Neil on Stargate, “I got nothin’.”  My daughter Casey was here for the weekend, and she showed up at the house, complaining that her back was hurting.  Turns out that she (and the Advocate’s Brandi, along with several other accomplices who I won’t name here in case I need to blackmail them later) had been out Saturday night at a Fanning Springs bar, and my daughter, the one who is “graceful like a baby deer,” (i.e. she’s as clumsy as an intoxicated hippopotamus), was standing on the sidewalk and a Jeep, driven by a jerk who was  apparently “playing” by gunning the gas pedal, jumped the curb and hit her.

by Kathy McKinney

Friday is Independence Day.  While you’re out at the Stephenson’s barn, watching the fireworks or eating baby back ribs, and maybe downing a cold one or two, I hope you’ll spare a few minutes to contemplate the day…and to think about freedom.