R News is Your News
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DADE CITY – An arrest has been made in a 2022 domestic-related double shooting that left one person dead and another seriously injured. On May 1, 2022, Sheriff's Deputies responded to 3468 Jodi West Drive after a 911 call was received from the victim, 32-year-old Michael Duran Cool who stated, "I got into an argument with my brother, and he shot me." Cool further advised that he was shot in the chest twice and that the shooter was his brother, 30-year-old James Francis N...
BROOKSVILLE – It's not uncommon for porch pirates to steal packages from the doorsteps of intended recipients, especially during the holidays, but not many would suspect an Amazon driver of taking more than they deliver. That's exactly what one woman says happened last week at her home inside the Amersham Isles gated community at Sterling Hills. Nicole Exline tells R News that an Amazon employee delivered a package to her home on Copper Hill Driver around 9:15 a.m. last F...
Adventure Coast Hero Watch our interview with The Batman of Spring Hill , Jack Asbury, who helps bring a smile to children with serious illnesses. Follow HERE for all our social media platforms...
BROOKSVILLE – A Walt Disney World employee is behind bars today after investigators with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office discovered dozens of images depicting child pornography in his possession. According to officials, on Wednesday detectives responded to the home of 47-year-old Michael David Foster, located at the 300 block of Zoller Ave, where they executed a search warrant. During the investigation, detectives discovered 32 images of child pornography on a flash d...
BROOKSVILLE – Car thieves are zero for two in passing through Hernando County after Troopers with the Florida Highway Patrol stumbled upon a stolen SUV while refueling a Brooksville gas station. According to the FHP, Troopers Kelly and Nottingham were recently part of an investigation involving two stolen cloned Cadillac Escalades. One was recovered during a traffic stop on I-75 in Hernando County and the other was located at a car dealership in Tampa. The former owner of t...
SPRING HILL – Conservative parents have been battling school districts around the country over teachers indoctrinating students on progressive issues like gender fluidity, Critical Race Theory, and the LGBTQ community. Hernando County has seen its fair share of similar controversies, but they aren't as frequent in Florida as they are in "blue" states. In March of this year, a transgender Fox Chapel teacher made threatening statements about his students and was ultimately r...
SPRING HILL – A licensed physical therapist who works in Spring Hill is facing a sexual battery charge after sources say he used his position at a local YMCA to target the victim. The victim's stepfather contacted R News earlier this month to share details of what happened to his stepdaughter while she worked at the YMCA in Spring Hill. The protect the family's privacy, we will refer to the stepfather as "James." According to James, his 17-year-old stepdaughter became a...
SPRING HILL – No injuries were reported but someone has some explaining to do after two electric Amazon delivery vans collided at the offramp at the Suncoast Expressway and Spring Hill Drive. The accident occurred just after 11:00 am this morning, leaving both vehicles with significant damage. The question is, how does an accident like this happen when Amazon vans are equipped with high-tech accident-avoidance features? Amazon's website provides the following statement a...
SPRING HILL – A convicted child sex predator is behind bars again, after serving only 2 years of probation for possession of child pornography and aggravated stalking. According to a Hernando County Sheriff's Office report, Manatee County Sheriff's detectives contacted Hernando County regarding sexual cyber harassment that was occurring in Spring Hill. Investigators determined that 24-year-old William Michael Isoldi "took over" the victim's Snapchat account (posing as the vict...
BROOKSVILLE – A Spring Hill man could face the death penalty after being charged with sexual battery on a young child. The full details of what occurred have not been released by officials but according to court documents, 35-year-old Eric Michael Myers was arrested on Wednesday, after he allegedly raped a child under 12 years old at least four times over the summer. During a First Appearance hearing in front of Judge Kurt Hitzemann, the State Attorney advised that despite M...
SPRING HILL – As the second anniversary of 18-year-old Ariana Ptarcinski's murder draws near, the victim's parents Eddie and Judy Ptarcinski are still grieving their beloved daughter's death and are losing hope that Ariana's killer will ever be brought to justice. CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY Media coverage has been sparse since the 2021 Christmas Eve murder, and the Ptarcinski family is starting to believe that may have been design. At the onset of the investigation, Eddie a...
TALLAHASSEE – Amid growing tensions around the country over the conflict between Israel and the Hamas terror organization, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is issuing a warning to all Florida residents to be aware of their surroundings over the holidays. According to the FDLE, since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, anti-Semitic incidents have been on the rise, and racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVE) may target Hanukkah c...
SPRING HILL – Two elderly St. Petersburg men are charged with Grand Theft after allegedly committing a string of liquor store thefts in Hernando County. According to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, 64-year-old Michael Terrance Brinson and 70-year-old Johnnie Ray Magee stole several large bottles of liquor from the Walmart Liquor Store on Commercial Way and then fled in a white Mercedes. Deputies responding to the area recalled three active theft investigations i...
BROOKSVILLE - A death investigation is underway at a residence on Meetinghouse Lane in Brooksville, after a golf cart was found tipped over in Cloverleaf Lake. A witness says a male occupant was discovered inside the golf cart, face down in the water. Fire Rescue responded and confirmed the driver was deceased. There are no further details at this time....
BROOKSVILLE – Last September, R News reported the arrest of three suspects who committed an armed home invasion in Spring Hill and then fled to Pasco County in the victim's car. Today, R News discovered new shocking details that involves the arrest of a woman who may have planned the robbery. According to court documents, in the early morning hours of September 18th, 26-year-old Marina Nicole Rhinehart brought three black males to the victim's residence, where she also r...
BROOKSVILLE – The Hernando County Sheriff's Office is reporting the arrest of a Brooksville man, after investigators found hundreds of child sexual assault images on his electronic devices. According to officials, probable cause was established to secure a search warrant at the residence of 29-year-old Ryan Hohman. Prior to serving the warrant, detectives observed Hohman driving on a suspended license and conducted a traffic stop. Hohman was placed under arrest on that c...
Letter from the Editor After years of covering Hernando County government and politics, I have learned that transparency, accountability, and respect for checks and balances are something to be desired. There is an illusion that politicians represent the people, but as we all know, most only care about preparing for the next election and gaining as much power as possible. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir for most voters in Hernando County. The leadership in the School...
UPDATE 3:20 p.m.: According to School Board member Mark Johnson, Ms. McFarlane is no longer employed with the Hernando County School District, effective today. There are unconfirmed reports that Ms. McFarlane packed up her things and never returned to the school several days ago on her own accord. It is not known if she was terminated or resigned from the HCSD. BROOKSVILLE – Last month, R News reported that a first grade student at Winding Waters K-8 had been battered, not o...
SPRING HILL – A Grand Opening of Hernando County Fire Station #5 was held yesterday, allowing citizens to tour the facility and meet fire officials. The station officially began operations last month, which allowed firefighters to finally move out of an old portable building and into the new state-of-the-art facility. County Commissioners Steve Champion, Jerry Campbell, and Brian Hawkins attended the event, along with Florida State Representatives Jeff Holcomb and County A...
BROOKSVILLE – The Florida Highway Patrol is reporting the arrest of a Riverview woman for possession of stolen Cadillac's, after the driver was stopped for Speeding on I-75. On Wednesday, Troopers conducted a traffic stop on a 2018 Cadillac Escalade that had a dealer's tag attached. The driver, 39-Year-old Yajaira Martinez advised she did not have paperwork for the vehicle, so Troopers ran a check of the VIN numbers to makes sure it matched the tag. Officials say the VIN, w...
SPRING HILL – Detectives with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office have been quite busy over the last few weeks, capturing suspects involved in possessing child pornography. Today, investigators executed a search warrant at 4276 Goldcoast Ave, after receiving several tips earlier this year regarding the distribution of child pornography. According to officials, detectives discovered two child-like sex dolls in the residence that belonged to 51-year-old Greg Houseman. Investiga...
FLORIDA – Since 2018, Law Enforcement and other agencies have been shielded from releasing the identities of crime victims because of Marsy's Law, but all that changed yesterday, when the Florida Supreme Court unanimously ruled to amend the law. Marsy's Law went into effect five years ago and was intended to protect the identities of law enforcement officers and victims of crime, but the Florida Supreme Court says, "We conclude that Marsy's Law does not guarantee to a v...
BROOKSVILLE – Some interesting news coming out of this week’s Hernando Board of County Commission (BOCC) meeting, after a commissioner proposed two ordinances be considered to protect consumers. During Tuesday’s BOCC meeting, Commissioner Steve Champion asked County Attorney Jon Jouben to research the possibility of passing a cashless prohibition. Champion, who also owns American Gun and Pawn, says some businesses are refusing to accept cash. “You go to a Bucs game, you go...
IMPORTANT UPDATE: After the release of our report regarding the iPhone Update, we were notified that the feature does not allow the automatic sharing of private information. According to Apple, you still have to acknowledge and approve any request to share your contact information. It is unknown why Law Enforcement agencies, including the Hernando County Sheriff's Office is sharing this errant information with the media. HERNANDO – If you own an iPhone and are preparing to i...
NEW PORT RICHEY – A teenager faces multiple felony charges this morning after a multi-agency pursuit ended with a PIT maneuver. Pursuit Video According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 18-year-old Juelius Austin Matusiak fled from Pasco Sheriff's Deputies after committing a battery on law enforcement. The Florida Highway Patrol and New Port Richey Police joined in a pursuit that began in the area of Trouble Creek Road. Troopers caught up with Matusiak who was driving a white p...
