R News is Your News
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UPDATE - March 5, 2024: Former Hernando Correctional Institution (HCI) Officer contacted R News earlier this week to advise that the state has dropped the charge of Sexual Activity Involving Animals filed against her last October. Assistant State Attorney Bryan Sarabia tells R News that he did not want to abandon the case but there were technicalities that would not allow the prosecution to continue. Sarabia says a recent court ruling changed her charge from a misdemeanor to...
HERNANDO – There isn't a city, town, or suburb that hasn't been affected by the fentanyl crisis plaguing our country. With approximately 10,000 immigrants crossing the U.S. southern border every day, there isn't much that can be done to stop the deadly flow of fentanyl into the U.S., so residents want to know what local officials are doing to help protect the community. In 2022, Florida had over 5,083 drug overdose deaths, with 2,744 of those related to fentanyl. Data for H...
HERNANDO/PASCO – Over the last few weeks, R News has received multiple tips from residents regarding animal mutilations. Several weeks ago, an Aripeka woman contacted R News after her daughter discovered a badly mutilated deer at the entrance to the Aripeka Preserve. The deer was skinned and dismembered, and the head was placed on a fence post. On September 24th, Daina Simons says she called the Hernando County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) and Florida Fish & Wildlife C...
SPRING HILL – An alleged Fentanyl dealer is behind bars today on a drug-related homicide charge. Officials have not released details of the homicide investigation, but according to jail records, 36-year-old Jonathon Lazaro Vaz is charged with Distribution of Fentanyl that Caused Death, Sell or Delivery of Opium, and Using a 2 Way Communication Device to Facilitate a Felony. Vaz is currently held without bond at the Hernando County Jail. We will bring more on this story if a...
BROOKSVILLE – The suspect who brutally stabbed to death a gate guard at the High Point Golf Community on Thursday is behind bars, after an extensive search that lasted nearly 24 hours. Officials say 24-year-old Jeremy Jason Patterson was taken into custody around 10:30 p.m. Friday, less than 100 yards from the scene of the crime and charged with Murder without Premeditation. The victim has been identified as 81-year-old Ed Mead. A vigil will be held this evening in front of t...
UPDATE: According to officials, 24-year-old Jeremy Jason Patterson has been identified as a suspect in the Highpoint stabbing death of a male victim. Patterson should be considered ARMED AND DANGEROUS. BROOKSVILLE – Investigators are searching for a suspect involved in a late-night stabbing on Thursday that left one person dead. Officials say the incident occurred around 10:16 p.m. at the entrance to the Highpoint Golfing Community located on Cortez Blvd, where the victim w...
BROOKSVILLE – Yesterday, R News broke the news of a violent shoplifting incident that took place at the Walmart SuperCenter on Cortez Blvd. Officials have now released more details into the incident and identified two suspects who have been charged. On September 26th, Officials say one of the suspects distracted an elderly woman while the other stole her wallet from her purse. They then proceeded to charge more than $2,000 with the stolen card. On Wednesday, while deputies w...
BROOKSVILLE – The 2023-2024 Annual Budget was approved by the Hernando Board of County Commissioners last night, but not without the usual debate over spending, taxes, inflation, and growth. The total approved budget is nearly 16% higher than last year at around $767,373,154, but that's not the only issue addressed during Tuesday's meeting. Prior to the board's budget discussions, members of Mom's for Liberty (MFL) addressed an issue regarding the American Library A...
TAMPA Things just keep getting worse for top brass at the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, after a Federal Judge threatened to impose sanctions against the agency during a hearing in Tampa on Tuesday. Former Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Deputy Matthew Puglia is suing the agency for wrongful termination and violation of his civil rights after he complained about deputies pressuring him and his girlfriend to join in on the “agency-endorsed” sex parties. Puglia...
SPRING HILL – Yesterday, R News reported the arrest of two suspects who officials say are responsible for the death of a teenage girl who died at a residence on Bancroft Ave, Tuesday. Officials say 18-year-old Joshua Ware arrived at the Bancroft Ave residence around midnight Monday evening with the 17-year-old victim who was already unconscious. Ware and his friend 24-year-old James Richard Briski carried the victim into the home from a vehicle that was parked in the b...
TALLAHASSEE – Today, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued arrest warrants for 54-year-old Tiffany Carr and 57-year-old Patricia Duarte, the former CEO and CFO, respectively, of the now defunct Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence (FCADV). Carr and Duarte are accused to stealing more than $3.7 million while overseeing the FCADV, but that all came to an end in 2021, when the FDLE began investigating allegations of fraud. According to a statement from the F...
SPRING HILL – Officials have charged two men in connection with a homicide investigation at an address on Bancroft Street. According to Hernando County Jail records, 24-year-old James Richard Briski is charged with possession of Cocaine and Negligent Manslaughter of a Child. Briski is held on a $30,000 bond. 18-year-old Joshua Ware is also charged with Negligent Homicide of a Child and Possession of Cocaine but is also charged with Trafficking in Fentanyl and possession of a...
SPRING HILL – A death investigation is underway at a residence on Bancroft Street after sources say the body of a female victim was found inside the home. Neighbors say Fire Rescue responded to 202 Bancroft Street around 4:30 a.m. and transported the victim to a nearby hospital. Officials have not released any details into the investigation, but there are unconfirmed reports from sources that say a 17-year-old girl was found unresponsive in a bathtub during the overnight h...
PASCO COUNTY – Earlier today, R News learned that Shauna Urive had met with Detectives in Pasco County and admitted to killing her girlfriend who was found at an address on Darts Street. Officials have now confirmed that Urive is in custody in Pasco County and the victim's vehicle has been discovered. Urive is charged with 2nd Degree Murder and has been booked into the Pasco County Jail. Officials say she confessed to killing the victim....
SPRING HILL – At least one person was stabbed in an early morning home invasion at a residence on Toucan Trail. According to sources, at least three men entered the home around 1:30 a.m. Monday, stabbed a male subject and his dog. The suspects then stole a Mustang and fled the scene. Pasco Deputies caught up with the suspects and began pursuing the vehicle southbound on US-19 until the driver crashed into a utility pole at the intersection of Sunset Road and US-19. All t...
WEEKI WACHEE – Yesterday, R News reported the discovery of a woman's body who was found inside a residence on Darts Street. Today, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office released a statement regarding the investigation. According to officials, at approximately 3:30 p.m., deputies were dispatched to a residence on Darts Street, regarding a possible Missing Person. Upon arrival, deputies met with family members outside the residence in question. Family members told deputies t...
WEEKI WACHEE - A woman's body has been discovered at an address on Darts Street in Weeki Wachee. There are unconfirmed reports that the body was wrapped in plastic. Officials say foul play is suspected. An investigation is underway and there are no further details at this time....
DADE CITY (HERNANDO) – An investigation is underway into the discovery of a body that was found floating in the Withlacoochee River. Fire Rescue located the deceased on the riverbank near the 33000 block of Ranch Road after a passerby reported seeing the body in the area. The investigation is just getting underway and there are no further details at this time....
BROOKSVILLE – An investigation is underway into a commercial robbery that occurred at a local 7-Eleven. There aren't many details at this time but according to sources, the 7-Eleven located at Cortez Blvd and Barclay Ave was robbed around 4:30 p.m. this afternoon. Officials have not commented on the robbery at this time....
BROOKSVILLE – Four people are now charged in connection with a drive-by shooting that occurred at a residence on Holiday Drive last weekend. According to Sheriff Al Nienhuis, a teenager decided to throw a party while his parents were out of town last Saturday night. At some point during the party, a physical altercation broke out while the host was not at the scene. At around 4:30 a.m., Nienhuis says 27-year-old Heath Gates and 18-year-old Connor Bradley returned to the p...
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has announced the arrest of a Cape Canaveral man on charges of Criminal Mischief in connection with a June 10th incident in Orange County. Officials say 48-year-old Jason Brown was part of a group of protestors who hung antisemitic banners on the Daryl Carter Parkway Bridge that crosses I-4. The banners contained images of swastikas, and read "Wh*te P*wer World Wide," and "Destroy ALL pedophiles." The banners were p...
TALLAHASSEE – Amid all the bad news, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement declared a Brooksville man Citizen of the Year after he located a missing toddler earlier this year. In February, 2-year-old Joshua "JJ" Rowland disappeared from his mother's Brooksville home and was missing for several hours. A massive search ensued and the next morning, Marine Veteran Roy Link found him while searching his property. Officials announced the award during the Florida Missing C...
SPRING HILL – Deputies have made two arrests in an early morning drive-by shooting that occurred Sunday at a residence on Holiday Drive. According to jail records, 18-year-old Conner John Bradley and 27-year-old Heath Gates were booked into the Hernando County Jail just before 3:00 a.m. Monday and charged with Discharging a Weapon into a Building and Aggravated Battery with a Weapon. Gates and Bradley are held without bond at this time. Officials have not commented on the a...
SPRING HILL – Christmas will never be the same for the Ptarcinski family, after their 18-year-old daughter Ariana Ptarcinski was murdered on the night of December 24, 2021, inside their Sterling Hills home. Click Here for Full Story Ed and Judy Ptarcinski trusted that investigators would charge their daughter's alleged murderer, Ramon Calderon Durst, with her death but last month they were told that because he "remained silent" they couldn't make an arrest. The unexpected resp...
SPRING HILL - Sheriff's Deputies are currently on the scene of a drowning involving a 2-year-old boy at an address on Bentley Ave. Sources say the toddler was pulled from a residential pool and was not responsive. Deputies are performing CPR at this time. Fire Rescue is responding. UPDATE: The victim will be transported to Bayfront Health Spring Hill where he will be airlifted to a trauma center for treatment....
