Local

ALACHUA ‒ The Alachua Police Department (APD) responded to 22 vehicle burglaries that occurred around midnight on July 28. Most of the vehicles were in the area of Traveler’s Campground in the 17700 block of April Boulevard.

Several of these burglaries included forced entry by utilizing a window punch. Of the 22 vehicle burglaries, seven firearms were stolen. “This is currently an ongoing investigation by our detectives,” said PIO/Detective Thomas Stanfield.

Stanfield said this is a reminder not to leave unattended valuables in vehicles. These valuable items include electronics, purses, wallets, money, keys and weapons.

Citizens are asked to remove visible and hidden valuables from their vehicles, even if their doors are locked. In addition, the public can help law enforcement stop these crimes by keeping a record of valuables and by notating the make, model, color, any special characteristics and the serial number of valuables. This is important information to assist law enforcement in locating stolen items and possibly the suspect(s) of the crime.

“Currently, we don’t have any suspect information or surveillance video of the incident, but we are diligently working on establishing leads and suspect information,” Stanfield said.

Anyone having information pertaining to these incidents is asked to contact the Alachua Police Department at 386-462-1396.

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ALACHUA ‒ Ronald Darrick Carlisle, 44, from Alachua, was arrested early Saturday, July 30, after he allegedly fired a shotgun at neighbors who were looking for their dog. Carlisle was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

At about 2 a.m. Saturday morning, a father and son who were neighbors of Carlisle’s in Alachua, drove to Carlisle’s property to look for a missing dog. When they arrived at the front of Carlisle’s residence, Carlisle allegedly discharged a double-barreled shotgun in the air because he didn’t recognize them.

When he recognized them, the three reportedly engaged in a conversation in which Carlisle reportedly said that not only did he have the dog, but he also had an ATV 4-wheeler belonging to the victim, and they could get it back if they paid him $20. The conversation escalated into an argument. When the victim approached Carlisle, Carlisle allegedly pointed the shotgun at him and said he was “waiting for a good reason to blow his brains out.”

The victim then walked over to the ATV to take it back. When he touched the ATV, Carlisle allegedly fired the shotgun in the air a second time. The victim backed off, but when he tried to touch the ATV a second time, Carlisle allegedly pointed the shotgun at the tires of the ATV and said, “I’m going to shoot the tires.”

The victims told an Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy that they then went back to their vehicle and left, with Carlisle allegedly continuing to point the shotgun at them.

Deputies made contact with Carlisle at his residence, and Carlisle reportedly admitted to pointing the shotgun at the victim but claimed it was for self-defense. He also reportedly claimed that the victim had a firearm and fired it at the front of his property.

Carlisle has two felony convictions. He was sentenced to four months in the county jail in December 2021 for possession of cocaine. He has been released on $25,000 bail.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ One person is dead after a head-on crash in High Springs on Wednesday, July 27.

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) troopers say a semi-truck crashed head-on with a Mazda 6 on U.S. Highway 441 near High Springs around 9:30 a.m. killing a 35-year-old man.

Troopers say a car was driving erratically on the highway and a High Spring police officer tried to initiate a traffic stop.

The driver did not pull over and continued to drive at a high rate of speed, eventually crossing the median near Northwest 210^th Lane and hitting a southbound truck head on. The driver of the Mazda was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced deceased on the scene. The semi-truck driver, a 51-year-old man from St. Petersburg, was not hurt.

“This is a death investigation that FHP is conducting,” said Lt. Patrick Riordan, FHP spokesperson. “We will be at this for several hours because in a situation like this we want to make sure that we factually collect and document everything that is there on the roadways as far as evidence and tells us the story of exactly what transpired.”

About a half mile of the roadway was blocked off and traffic was re-directed. After several hours of investigation, the roadway re-opened.

High Springs Police Chief Antoine Sheppard Department said that officers from his department observed a vehicle driving erratically around High Springs Main Street and Northwest 83^rd Avenue. With a suspicion of impaired driving, the officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the driver.

The vehicle then evaded law enforcement and continued to drive recklessly through downtown High Springs and proceeded north on Main Street before connecting to U.S. 441 toward Columbia County.

“At the request of the High Springs Police Department, the Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the traffic accident,” said Sheppard. “As with every HSPD vehicle pursuit, an internal review is conducted to ensure our policies are adhered to. HSPD vehicle operation policy authorizes vehicle pursuits in forcible felonies or when the driving and/or other actions of the vehicle driver or occupants place the public in extreme danger.”

Sheppard added, “A preliminary review indicates that the officer acted within policy.”

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ A 29-year-old Lake City woman and four children, also from Lake City, went to Shands Hospital with serious injuries after an Aug. 1 crash. The 3 p.m. accident happened after the 2004 Ford sport utility vehicle blew a tire on Interstate 75, just north of the High Springs Exit at mile marker 406.

When the rear tire blew out, the driver lost control of the vehicle, which traveled onto the west grass shoulder where it overturned multiple times, ejecting one passenger. The children, all females, were 7 months old, 4, 5 and 11 years of age.

Although the driver was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, the Florida Highway Patrol states the 7-month-old child as not belted in and was ejected during the crash. It is unknown whether the 4-, 5- or 11-year-old girls were wearing seatbelts at the time.

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NEWBERRY ‒ The City of Newberry has temporarily suspended disconnections for electric and water utility usage for customers with balances less than $500.

These relief measures are part of a broader plan to help address high utility bills due to increased fuel costs and higher consumption to combat extreme summer heat. This extended grace period will continue through Sept. 30, 2022. Costs are rising in many areas – rent, gas, groceries – for consumers throughout the United States. And utility bills typically peak in the months of July and August in North Central Florida.

Newberry is encouraging customers to do their best to stay current with their bills, as payments will be deferred, not waived. The grace period will apply to any customer – residential or business – who needs more time to pay their bill. Residents needing utility bill assistance or payment arrangements should contact Newberry’s customer service team at 352-472-2161, Ext. 1 or by email at Service@NewberryFL.gov.

“We understand the impact that these extremely high natural gas prices have had on energy costs for our residents. These increased fuel costs, coupled with high temperatures, have made this summer's utility bills extremely tough for our community,” said Assistant City Manager and CFO Dallas Lee. “We're a publicly-owned utility that exists to serve our residents. We're hopeful that these measures will alleviate some of the stress our residents are feeling.”

Customers are asked to be conscious of their electricity use at this time and take steps to try to reduce usage, if possible. Using the new tools available in the City’s online AMI dashboard can help customers understand their usage and curb their consumption. Newberry also offers free in-home energy audits, and customers can request one online or by calling 352-472-2161, Ext. 1, or use the City’s online energy auditing tool at www.MyEnergyPlanner.com to get ideas and information about lowering their bills.

“With rising energy costs across the nation, and understanding that citizens are having to make difficult choices, we felt that it was a small gesture to remove their worries of being cut off from water or power in the middle of the summer,” said Mayor Jordan Marlowe. “We know that many families have to make choices between food, health care and utilities, and we stand with our residents in these hard times, as partners. Together, we will get through this,” he said.

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