R News is Your News
R News is Your News
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CITRUS – Officials in Citrus County have provided an update on the deputy who was struck by a vehicle earlier this year. According to Sheriff Mike Prendergast, "Deputy Andy Lahera's wife, Michelle, just reached out to me to give us a significant update on Andy's recovery from the accident. She wants us all to know that Any has been given a great opportunity to be at one of the nation's top rehab centers. Andy has a condition called 'disorders of consciousness," caused by a s...
BROOKSVILLE – The Hernando County Sheriff's Office is reporting the arrest of a suspect for homicide after a body was discovered in the Hill 'n Dale area yesterday afternoon. According to officials, a homicide investigation began around 3:30 p.m. yesterday, after a witness called to report smelling a foul odor and discovering what appeared to be a deceased person behind the Dollar General. After just 10 hours, say officials, investigators identified the suspect as 5...
NEW PORT RICHEY – An investigation is underway into a shooting that claimed the life of an alleged burglar. According to the Pasco Sheriff's Office, an armed burglar attempted to break into an apartment at Trinity Palms at Seven Spring Apartments and was shot and killed by an "individual" inside the residence. The investigation is ongoing, say officials....
BROOKSVILLE – Since 1961, the U.S. Department of State has allowed teachers from around the world to work in the United States under a J-1 visa for up to five years. The program called TPG Cultural Exchange helps establish diplomacy with other countries and allows K-12 students the opportunity to learn about other cultures. However, some say there are serious issues with the program that need to be addressed. Yesterday, R News reported that a first grader at Winding Waters K...
BROOKSVILLE – There is supposed to be zero tolerance for violence in Hernando County Schools, but one parent says a Winding Waters K-8 (WWK8) teacher got away with battering her son twice without consequence. According to Kris Evans, her then-6-year-old son Joey is a first grader at WWK8, and she tells R News that his teacher Kimberle McFarlane attacked him two times since September - one time leaving a large bruise on his arm. Evans says the first time it happened was on S...
BROOKSVILLE – On October 16th, 38-year-old Shawn Mullins was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in the area of Jacqueline Road and Mariner Blvd. The suspect in the case has not been identified by officials, but one woman claims the suspect is her sister and that she may still be hiding in the area. According to Kathie Hartwell, 35-year-old Rhonda Sue Smith is the woman responsible for Mullins' death. Hartwell says Smith doesn't have a valid driver's license and was due...
SPRING HILL – A horrific tragedy unfolded last night after a single-vehicle rollover crash claimed the lives of two Spring Hill teens. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a Toyota Camry was traveling southbound on Mariner Blvd, when the driver failed to negotiate a curve, overturned, and struck a tree in the front yard of 6225 Mariner Blvd. Officials say four unrestrained passengers, three 16-year-olds and one 17-year-old, suffered serious injuries. Two of the teens l...
SPRING HILL – An early morning crash claimed the life of a Spring Hill man, after crashing his motorcycle head-on with another vehicle. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the 47-year-old driver was traveling eastbound on Coronado Drive, west of Whitewood Ave, when he lost control of the motorcycle and collided head-on with a Volkswagen driven by a 43-year-old man. The driver was transported to a trauma center where he died from injuries suffered in the crash. The d...
BROOKSVILLE – The Hernando Board of County Commission meetings are usually pretty humdrum but that wasn't the case yesterday when a group of animal rights activists raised concerns over euthanasia practices at Hernando County Animal Services (HCAS). Bob and Kelly Detwiler, who are long-time adversaries of HCAS manager James Terry, joined several animal activists in voicing concerns over what they claim is the practice of using a heart stick method to euthanize animals at H...
BROOKSVILLE – Firefighters are still on the scene of an early morning structure fire at the 2600 block of Walking Horse Lane. Officials say they arrived at the scene just before 9:00 a.m. to find the structure fully engulfed. The State Fire Marshall will be investigating the cause of the fire. There are no injuries reported at this time....
BROOKSVILLE – A Texas man is behind bars this evening after he tried to meet with who he thought was a 13-year-old girl in Hernando County. According to court documents, 42-year-old Joseph Monty Myers traveled from his hometown of Braunfels, Texas, located just outside of Austin, to meet a Hernando County Sheriff's Office detective who posed as the 13-year-old victim. Officials say Myers sent images of his penis to the decoy and asked for her to send nude pictures of h...
BROOKSVILLE – Hernando County Fire Rescue and the Division of Forestry are still on the scene of a 10-acre brush fire in the area of Hebron Church Road. Officials say a lawnmower caught fire and spread to a nearby wood line, which is situated near the Cabot Citrus Farms Golf Club. There are no reports of injuries or damage to structures....
BROOKSVILLE – Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis joined members of the ATF and U.S. State Attorney's Office today, to announce a federal Grand Jury indictment of four suspects involved in the February 2023 murder of a 17-year-old Brooksville girl. Isabella Scavelli was murdered in her Brooksville home on February 7th, one day after she filed a sexual assault complaint with the Sheriff's Office against 36-year-old Lenard White. Officials say White paid 21-year-old Sheldon R...
BROOKSVILLE – Sheriff Al Nienhuis announced he's running for a third term as Hernando County's chief law enforcement officer today, but this time he may not be a shoo-in. Nienhuis was appointed in 2011 by Democrat Governor Charlie Crist and was elected twice after that. Despite mounting allegations of coverups, a defendant in several federal lawsuits, and one of the few anti-body camera chiefs in the state, Nienhuis believes voters still trust him to do the top job again. N...
SPRING HILL – An elementary school student has been detained after officials say she brought a pellet gun to school today. According to officials, the School Resource Officer at Challenger K-8 was notified that a 10-year-old girl may be in possession of a firearm. When the deputy and principal confronted the student, they located a pellet gun and pocket knife inside her backpack. The student did not make threats to any student or staff member, and she did not display either i...
BROOKSVILLE - Fire Rescue is on the scene of a child drowning at the 22000 block of Powell Road. Sources say a 1-year-old child was pulled from a pond located on the property and is not conscious or breathing. A Med-Trans Helicopter is en route to airlift the child to a trauma center. UPDATE: Sources say the child was in the water for up to 45 minutes before they were found. A crime scene has been established and law enforcement is investigating the inciden...
HERNANDO – The debate over whether body-worn cameras (BWCs) should be used by law enforcement is no longer the question; rather, the focus now is on how quickly an agency can implement them. At least that's how the vast majority of citizens and law enforcement officers we spoke to feel about the issue. But there are a few very stubborn chief law enforcement officers who still vehemently oppose the use of BWCs, and citizens are starting to ask, "What do you have to hide?" I...
SPRING HILL – A 20-month-old boy was just two months from his 2nd birthday when tragedy struck in the form of an unintentional drug overdose. Officials have not released a full report, but according to jail records, 38-year-old Nickolas Joseph Lombardi Jr. was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with his son's death. The details on how the child died have not been made available but sources say the toddler ingested narcotics that belonged to his father. The child died on...
Good morning, Adventure Coast, it's time for another common sense news break. There are a lot of issues that spark heavy debate among my readers, a lot of them related to vehicle crashes and the rules of the road. After a fatal motorcycle crash involving another at-fault driver, the most common question is, "Why isn't the other driver in jail?" The answer is quite simple. If the at-fault driver committed a traffic infraction that led to the death of another individual and...
BROOKSVILLE – Earlier today, numerous deputies rushed to Ken Austin Parkway after a woman claimed her significant other attempted to ram her vehicle, threatened her and was carrying a firearm on school grounds. Dramatic Audio Dozens of deputies rushed to Central High School, where they located the woman and escorted her into the lobby. She then advised deputies that she was carrying a firearm, so they took possession of it for "safekeeping." Deputies locked down Central H...
WARNING: Video Contains Explicit Language SPRING HILL – A DUI suspect is behind bars after attempting to flee from an early morning traffic stop on Wednesday. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Trooper Rozzell observed the driver of a red 2007 Dodge Caliber swerving and driving all over the road westbound on County Line Road near Cobblestone Drive. Rozzell attempted to conduct a traffic stop but the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed until turning south onto East Road....
BROOKSVILLE – A tense situation unfolded near several schools along Ken Austin Highway this morning after officials learned there may have been an armed subject sitting in a vehicle on campus. There are unconfirmed reports that a male subject attempted to run over a woman at or near one of the schools and then parked his vehicle behind Central High School. All schools were immediately placed on lockdown as numerous deputies rushed to the scene. Minutes later, the subject w...
SPRING HILL - At least one person is not conscious or breathing after a single-vehicle rollover crash occurred at Mariner Blvd and Quality Drive. Sources say one of four occupants was ejected from a vehicle that flipped and CPR is being performed at this time. There are unconfirmed reports that an occupant, possibly the driver of the vehicle that crashed has fled the scene on foot. Expect major traffic delays in the area for several hours. UPDATE: The occupant who fled is...
UPDATE: There are unconfirmed reports that shots were fired from inside the residence. Neighbors who know the suspect say he may be wanted for multiple shootings. SPRING HILL - Deputies have surrounded a home on Fruitville Street in reference to an armed suspect barricaded inside a home. There may be a female occupant Inside the home with the suspect but it is unknown If she is being held against her will. Nearby schools have been placed on lockdown. More on this as it...
BROOKSVILLE – Two students have been charged after a physical disturbance broke out earlier this morning on school grounds. R News received numerous tips about a large number of Sheriff's Deputies rushing to Central High School just after 7:00 a.m. There are unconfirmed reports that a student took an ESE student's blanket which resulted in the two physically fighting. Deputies intervened and deployed pepper spray and a taser, according to witnesses. Both students were taken i...
