R News is Your News
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HERNANDO – A Spring Hill woman says she and a former co-worker were told to forge the signatures of hundreds of women, in an effort to obtain thousands in federal aid that is supposed to go to victims of domestic violence. Between 2019 and 2020, Lisa Deitsch and Joseph Burgos worked as domestic violence advocates at Dawn Center, a shelter for abused women. Last year, Deitsch contacted this reporter and offered to "blow the whistle" on the shelter, after witnessing horrific c...
PASCO – A Zephyrhills man is charged in connection with a making and distributing explosive materials and could face multiple years behind bars. In a statement released by the U.S. State Attorney's Office, on November 1 and 2, 2022, 34-year-old John James Hall conducted telephone communications with a man to whom he had sold firearms in the past. In these conversations Hall offered to sell the man a "pipe bomb" that Hall had built. Hall shared with the man that he had c...
SPRING HILL – Investigators with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are on the scene of a deputy involved shooting at a residence on Feather Street. According to officials, deputies responded to 12480 Feather Street around 2:40 a.m. this morning to serve a felony warrant on 61-year-old Gary Jean Schryver. When deputies attempted to make contact with the suspect at the residence, shots were fired, and the suspect suffered a fatal gun...
BROOKSVILLE – 10-days after the first arrest was made in connection with a 2021 gang-related homicide, officials now say 5 suspects are behind bars. The investigation began on the morning of July 13, 2021, when deputies were called to the area of Silent Breeze Street and Wolf Road. A delivery driver reported finding an unresponsive Hispanic male lying next to a 2021 Volkswagen Jetta. Fire Rescue later pronounced the subject deceased. Investigators opened a homicide i...
WEEKI WACHEE – On Friday, an elderly man was taken into custody on charges of molesting a victim under the age of 12. According to jail records, 78-year-old Frank Joseph Michali of 13058 Maycrest Ave was booked into the Hernando County Jail on 8-counts of Lewd and Lascivious Behavior and 1 count of Domestic Battery by Strangulation. Michali is currently held without bond at the Hernando County Jail. No further details are available at this time. The Hernando County S...
BROOKSVILLE – A Brooksville couple are behind bars this morning, after sources say they were found in possession of several stolen vehicles. Investigators with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office received information that 49-year-old Amy Joy Patton and her husband Michael Aaron Patton, also 49, had active warrants out of Marion County. Investigators conducted simultaneous search warrants at Brooksville Elementary and Big Lots on Cortez Blvd (City), where they located a BMW a...
HERNANDO – According to Hernando County Emergency Management officials, all government offices, including schools will be closed for the remainder of the week. Here is a statement from officials: Tropical Storm Nicole Update (Brooksville, FL) - In preparation for impacts from Tropical Storm Nicole, Hernando County Government offices will be closed Thursday, November 10th and will remained closed Friday, November 11th for Veterans Day. There will be no trash pick-up on T...
SPRING HILL – Fire Officials are investigating a residential fire that injured two people at a residence on Tassel Street. Fire rescue responded to 10419 Tassel Street after reports of a fired inside the residence. Firefighters were able to quickly bring the fire under control and rescue two occupants and at least on dog. The female victim was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital, after suffering burns over 30% of her body. The extent of the male victim's injuries is u...
HOLIDAY – The Pasco County Sheriff's Office is reporting the death of a child who accidentally shot themselves at a local hotel. On Saturday, deputies responded to the Holiday Hotel located at 2337 US-19 after receiving information that a child had been shot. Upon further investigation, officials determined that a juvenile accessed a gun in a hotel room and accidentally shot themselves. Officials say, 33-year-old Zachary Johnson left an unholstered loaded gun on a t...
NEW PORT RICHEY – A home invasion led to the shooting death of a woman early Tuesday morning. According to the Pasco Sheriff's Office, detectives responded to a report of a shooting that occurred around 12:40 a.m. on Manifee Ct. Sheriff Chris Nocco said during a press conference, that a man broke into the home, pointed the gun at an adult woman who was sleeping on a couch, then headed towards a back bedroom. The suspect then turned on a light and pointed a gun at a female v...
WEEKI WACHEE – The Hernando County Sheriff's Office is reporting the arrest of a property manager accused of stealing over $100,000 through a rental scam. According to officials, in August of this year, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office began receiving numerous complaints from rental property owners regarding a local property manager who they believed was committing fraud. Offiicials say 61-year-old John Bonesteel, operator of Nature Coast Assistance, served as the p...
HERNANDO – Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis is in the hot seat again, after records show he ordered the blocking of nearly 300 Facebook accounts for making critical comments about the agency. In doing so, Nienhuis violated the First Amendment rights of every individual he blocked, according to recent federal court rulings. Last month, R News published a report on rampant sexual misconduct occurring within in the agency that involved top ranking officials. The i...
SPRING HILL – Around 4:00 p.m. yesterday, deputies with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office attempted to execute an arrest warrant at 8051 Canterbury Street. Inside the residence, a woman, child, and murder suspect 29-year-old Jimmy Veloso Nguyen, aka Jordan Ortiz. When deputies tried to make contact with Nguyen, he barricaded himself inside the home, but allowed the woman and child to leave. CLICK HERE for video from the scene. Around 4:00 p.m., numerous deputies began arriv...
PUTNAM COUNTY – A second suspect in a Hernando County homicide investigation has been taken into custody, after a tip led investigators to a residence in Pomona Park, Florida. According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, 25-year-old Reynol Mariscal Gonzalez was arrested on Tuesday, after Hernando County Sheriff's Office investigators provided information on his whereabouts. Deputies converged on in the area of Robin Road, where they believed Gonzalez was hiding and l...
BROOKSVILLE – Two men face charges in connection with the 2021 death of a fellow gang member and at least three additional suspects may face charges. On Tuesday, R News broke the news of a standoff on Canterbury Street with suspected murderer 29-year-old Jimmy Veloso Nguyen. After nearly 3-hours, Nguyen surrendered to deputies and was booked into the Hernando County Jail on charges of Homicide and 2-counts of Aggravated Battery. On the same day, Putnam County Sheriff's D...
HERNANDO – Verizon customers are fed up with the lack of coverage in Hernando County and some say the coverage map is nothing more than false advertising. The majority of Hernando County's population is centered in Spring Hill, and Verizon has pretty good coverage along US-19 and Cortez Blvd, but if you head east of the Suncoast Parkway or west of US-19, the service is intermittent. As you pass US-41 and head towards I-75, the coverage begins to completely disappear. A...
BROOKSVILLE – Citizens have had enough of sexual predators stalking their children and preying on their naivety through social media apps, and that's what led a group of Hernando County residents to start exposing their illegal activities with decoy sting operations. Popular apps like Meetme, Whatsapp, Kik, and Grindr have become hunting grounds for sexual predators to chat with underage victims and attempt to lure them into meeting. Often times the predator will entice t...
HERNANDO – The Hernando County Sheriff's Office is searching for at least four additional suspects in a brutal gang related "beat down" death that occurred sometime in 2021. Officials haven't released any details into the investigation, since the arrests of 29-year-old Jimmy Veloso Nguyen of Spring Hill and 25-year-old Reynol Mariscal Gonzalez of Pomona Park, last Tuesday. Both suspects face murder and aggravated battery charges in connection with the death of a victim w...
BROOKSVILLE – Hernando County Government announces Paul Hasenmeier as the Hernando County Director of Public Safety and Fire Chief. Hasenmeier joined the Hernando County Fire and Emergency Services Team on October 17, 2022. Hasenmeier earned a bachelor's degree in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University as well as a master's degree in Public Administration from Capella University. He is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program. A...
OCALA – An investigation is still underway into a crash on I-75 that claimed the lives of three people and closed northbound lanes for several hours. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, just after 1:00 p.m. today, several vehicles collided in the area of mile marker 337 in the northbound lanes of I-75. Officials have not released a details report of the accident at this time, but they say investigators are still making the scene, gathering evidence and assisting with remo...
BROOKSVILLE – A third suspect has been arrested in connection with the 2021 gang-related death of a victim whose identity has yet to be released by officials. According to jail records, 31-year-old Shayne Anthony Gracteroly-White was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Hernando County Jail. Gracteroly is one of at least 6 suspects that Assistant State Attorney Pete Magrino says murdered a fellow gang member, during a "beat-down" (the process by which a gang member leaves a g...
BROOKSVILLE – The Hernando County Sheriff's Office is under fire again, after one of its own is arrested on sexual battery charges. In a statement released by the Public Information Office, now-former deputy Zachary Carter was arrested yesterday on one count of sexual battery, after he coerced the victim into having sexual relations. Officials say, Carter had sexual relations with the victim on two different occasions while he was on duty and in uniform. According to our s...
TAMPA - FDLE agents arrested 24 SUR 13 gang members charged with various crimes including conspiracy to commit murder, directing the activities of a criminal gang, conspiracy to commit aggravated battery upon a prison inmate, racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and trafficking in numerous controlled substances including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and morphine. Hendry County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and Attorney...
SPRING HILL – The body of a 35-year-old man has been discovered in a residence at the Hibiscus Spring Apartment Complex on Barclay Ave. According to sources, the deceased was discovered face down in a bathtub inside a residence on Swordfish Lane. Law enforcement is on scene and an investigation is underway. It is unknown if foul play is suspected at this time....
BROOKSVILLE – Fire Rescue is responding to Chocachatti Elementary, located at 4135 California Street, after a vehicle crashed into a school bus. Sources say at least seven children may have suffered injuries to their wrists and arms, but none of the injuries appear to be serious. It is unknown if any of the children will be transported for treatment. There are unconfirmed reports that the accident occurred in the school's bus loop....
