CitrusCountyNetwork.com

Halloween is right around the corner, and citizens can help keep their children (or grandchildren) safe this October 31, by following these simple holiday safety guidelines.
Check out the Sheriff’s Office Web site at www.sheriffcitrus.org for the most up-to-date information about registered sexual offenders and predators living in Citrus County. Just click on “Sexual Offender Information” and search the list by first or last name, zip code or other criteria. Photographs of the offenders also are posted. Those without Internet access may obtain a hard copy of these same lists at the Sheriff’s Operations Center in downtown Inverness or any of the agency’s community resource offices.

· The agency’s Sexual Predator Unit will be coordinating neighborhood notifications near all of the county’s registered sexual predators during the week before Halloween night. Also, watch for posters in every Citrus County box store where trick-or-treat candy is sold. These posters feature the names, addresses and photos of all registered sexual offenders currently living in the county.

· Encourage kids and teens to explore alternatives to traditional trick-or-treating. Harvest festivals, haunted houses and costume parades are popular events sponsored by area churches, community groups and shopping malls. Organized

festivities like these provide some measure of supervision, plus a safer environment for children.

· Make sure costumes are made of light-colored, flame-retardant fabrics only. If children are permitted to trick-or-treat after dark, decorate their costumes and candy bags with reflective tape to make them even more visible to motorists.

· Instead of children wearing masks that might obscure vision, try face makeup instead. Props, such as swords and broomsticks, should be made of Styrofoam or cardboard.

· A responsible adult or teen should accompany each group of youngsters. Try to limit the group’s size to a manageable four or five.

· At least one person in each group should carry a flashlight.

· Instruct children to walk, not run, from house to house, and to cover one side of the street at a time. Have them cross only at street corners and not between parked cars.
· Children should stay in their own neighborhoods and only go to houses where the lights are on.

· Stress to youngsters that they should never enter a stranger’s house or vehicle.

· Teach children to respect the privacy and property of others. Acts of aggression, violence or vandalism could possibly lead to arrest.

· Don’t leave your own home unattended on Halloween, and keep your pets inside.

· Examine children’s treats for signs of tampering before you allow them to eat anything. Remember, if you have a doubt, throw it out.

· Report any suspicious treats or incidents to the Sheriff’s Office.

Do your part to help keep kids safe this Halloween!

Early voting begins today for the 2008 Presidential Elections. Early voting is open Monday through Saturday October 20th through November 1st.

• Early voting provides the voter an opportunity to vote in person prior to Election Day.

• Early voting begins 15 days prior to each election.

• Any qualified voter may vote in person at any of our designated early vote sites. (This is contrary to Election Day voting when you are required to vote in the precinct where you reside.)

• Early voting results will not be released until after 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

• Bring a photo and signature ID to vote at an early vote site. (Lack of photo and signature ID will require a voter to cast a provisional ballot. F.S. 101.043(2))

Early Vote Locations:

Citrus County Courthouse

110 N. Apopka Ave.

Inverness, FL 34450

Hours 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.

Inverness City Hall

212 W. Main St.

Inverness, FL 34450

Hours 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m.

Central Ridge Library

425 W. Roosevelt Blvd.

Beverly Hills, FL 34465

Hours 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m.

Crystal River Elections Office

801 SE Hwy. 19

Crystal River, FL 34429

Hours 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.

Homosassa Public Library

4100 S. Grandmarch Ave.

Homosassa, FL 34446

Hours 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m.

Friday, October 17, 2008

CRYSTAL RIVER ROBBERY SUSPECT APPREHENDED IN GAINESVILLE

Around 9 p.m. on Thursday, Gainesville Police Department officers made a traffic stop on a subject who turned out to be the primary suspect in Tuesday’s robbery of the Mercantile Bank in Crystal River.

Shannon Lee Shepardson, 36, was taken into custody without incident on an active Citrus County warrant for robbery.  Because Shepardson wore a mask during the commission of the crime, the charge of robbery where offender carried no weapon will be enhanced to a first-degree felony.

The bond on the warrant was set at $10,000.  If Shepardson fails to bond out, he’ll be transported to the Citrus County Detention Facility for incarceration.

The defendant’s 1991 Plymouth Voyager, which was used in the commission of the robbery, has been secured by GPD officials.  The Sheriff’s Office will
have it brought back to Citrus County for processing.

I was unable to attend the Political forum held at the Armory in Crystal River. I was hoping to go and report back to everyone what the different candidates said. If any of my readers was able to attend, please click on the comments above and let us know what was said.

Thank you,

(Crystal River) Citrus County Sheriff’s Office detectives have released
the name and photo of their primary suspect in this afternoon’s robbery of the Mercantile Bank.

Witnesses have positively identified him as the man who entered both the bank and the ABC Fine Wine & Spirits store on S.E. U.S. Highway 19.

He is Shannon Lee Shepardson, 36, of 8300 W. Rainbow Oaks Court in Crystal River. The 1991 Plymouth

Shannon Lee Shepardson

Voyager he’s driving has a Florida tag 189KGQ.

Anyone with information about Shepardson’s crime or his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or (352) 726-1121 as soon as possible.

(Crystal River) Just before 3:30 p.m. today, a lone white male entered the
front door of the Mercantile Bank at 1000 S.E. U.S. Highway 19. At the time, five bank employees were in the building, but no customers were there.

With some kind of cloth covering his face, the suspect approached one of the tellers and demanded cash. Although he alluded to having a weapon, none was ever displayed.

The masked man was given an undisclosed amount of money. He exited the front door of the bank and ran around to the back of the building.

A bank employee followed him in an attempt to get a visual on his direction of travel or a vehicle description. He was seen jumping into a 1991 Plymouth Voyager station wagon/van. It was described as being two-tone, either blue or gray.

Minutes before the suspect entered the bank, he went into the ABC Fine Wine & Spirits store at 822 S.E. U.S. Highway 19. His behavior was strange enough that workers there took note of his tag number and passed it along to Citrus County deputies. Since he wasn’t masked at the time, the store’s surveillance video captured a strong image of the suspect.

Information provided by good witnesses at both the store and bank enabled deputies to identify a very viable person of interest in the case.

Citrus deputies are attempting to locate the man at this time.

Wesley Erven, 44

The Brannen Bank located at 6901 W. Gulf to Lake Highway Crystal River was robbed today around 2pm today. The masked Robber approached one of three bank employees and demanded money. He did not show any weapons or even threatened that he had one.

The suspect then left the bank on foot. A sherrif’s deputy who happened to be in the area at the time the call came in saw him heading behind the bank and alerted k-9 units to the direction he was headed.

The dogs quickly picked up his sent and found discarded articles of clothing that the suspect was wearing along with his mask. They then found Wesley Erven, 44, by a pond behind James White Plumbing, located at 6833 W. Rich Street. Erven identified himself and said he was currently staying with friends in Citrus Springs.

Erven faces a charge of robbery, which will carry stiffer penalties because the defendant wore a mask during the commission of a crime.

All of the stolen cash has been recovered.