Unusual Discovery

On 6-20-12 at approximately 2:00 in the afternoon, Todd Thompson of 13871 SW 72 Place Rosewood, Florida made a very unusual discovery. Thompson had just moved to this property and was in process of cleaning. While moving things around, he noticed two objects that only took only a second to identify. HAND GRENADES. Everyone has seen them. In movies strapped to soldiers' chests, in pictures of OUR servicemen preparing to depart for battle. No one would ever think they would be in their yard.

 

Thompson did the right thing. He got away from them and called the professionals. Levy County Deputies responded and from a distance, verified what Thompson knew. Yes they were hand grenades. Deputies contacted the Alachua County Sheriff's Office Bomb Disposal Unit who responded to recover and make safe these deadly devices. Lt. Moran (ASO Bomb Unit Supervisor) confirmed that the grenades were "training" devices, however could still be armed and cause injury to the unsuspecting. Lt. Moran cautions citizens, which is echoed by all Law Enforcement; should you discover anything you recognize as an explosive, contact the Sheriff's Office. Allow the people with the correct training and equipment remove the object. There is no reason for you to handle or try to move it, you could be risking injury or death.

 

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Lt. Scott Tummond
Criminal Investigations Division
Levy County Sheriff's Office
(352) 486-5111

Water Relief for the City of Cedar Key Courtesy of the Deer Park Natural Spring Water Plant – Nestle Waters.

Public Service Announcement

City of Cedar Key, Fl

 

The Cedar Key Water and Sewer District Chairman David Beach announced today that as he continues to resolve the saltwater intrusion issue that now effect the city water, Nestle Water has volunteered to deliver fresh drinking water to the residents of Cedar Key. The first shipment of water arrived today at approximately 2:30 and is currently being distributed to city residents.

 

The water is being distributed at the Cedar Key Fire Department. Residents are asked to bring either a current water bill or their Hurricane re-entry pass. Mr. Beach says, " two gallons of water per day will be available for each city resident until this problem is resolved." Mr. Beach is currently working on delivery of bulk water to the city for residents. Residents are asked to hang on to their larger containers so that they can transport water to their homes.

 

The City web site will be posting a FAQ section that will answer most resident and tourist questions. Their web address is www.ckwater.org. Any questions not found on the web can be addressed to the City Water District headquarters by calling  352-543-5285.

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Lt. Scott Tummond
Criminal Investigations Division
Levy County Sheriff's Office
(352) 486-5111

Public Safety Warning- Cedar Key, Florida

Salt-Water Intrusion into City Well System

This is an important message from the Cedar Key Water and Sewer District. Due to the drought and low groundwater levels, the District's wellfield is suffering from Salt-Water intrusion.  As a result, the District strongly recommends that for the immediate future, tap water within the City of Cedar Key should not be used for drinking, cooking or any other purpose designed for human consumption.The water remains safe for other household purposes. Starting on Wednesday, June 20, bottled water will be available free of charge for District customers at the Cedar Key Community Center.  Please direct questions to the District at 352-543-5285 during business hours. 

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Lt. Scott Tummond
Criminal Investigations Division
Levy County Sheriff's Office
(352) 486-5111

Delay's Delay's Delay's

Beef 'O'Brady's franchise owner Mark Swain wants to open, but delays keep forcing him to move his Grand Opening date. These delays come in the dark of night, when no one is looking.

 

Twice now thieves have broken in. Stealing the tools his contractors need to do their job. Took the building supplies purchased to make the business complete. And most recently, they stole the newly installed Flat Screen TV's meant for the patrons to watch games while enjoying the family atmosphere.

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The Levy County Sheriff's Office is aggressively investigating these crimes. We are asking our public, the people we protect, for some help. Investigators need tips to identify the criminals, recover the property and help this business open. Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest are urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-877-349-8477. You could be eligible for a reward.

 

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Lt. Scott Tummond
Criminal Investigations Division
Levy County Sheriff's Office
(352) 486-5111

Grant purchases NEW Radios

In 2011 - 13 Florida Counties combined and applied for the Regional Domestic Security Task Force (RDSTF) Public Safety Communications grant worth $3,683,474.00. Alachua County Sheriff's Office was the administrator of this grant representing the counties. Lt Scott Finnen represented Levy County and managed our portion of this grant application.

 

On August 4, 2011, Alachua County was notified they had been awarded the grant. This notification came from the State of Florida, Division of Emergency Management. The purpose of this grant was to purchase the new P25 federal interoperability standard 700-800 MHz radios.

 

Levy County's portion of this grant totaled $178,500.00. This value is the equivalent to 47 radios at approximately $3,795.00 each. This grant award represents the first major investment in our countywide radio system since conversion to the State system in 2007. This was at NO COST to the citizens of Levy County. 

 

The new Harris XG-75 radios are the state of the art and will have compatibility to talk to all surrounding agencies once fully programmed. The radios will be used for communication interoperability in emergency and natural disaster situations, adding to the cohesiveness of all county operations.

 

The radios will be distributed through the county emergency services including: Williston Police Dept., Inglis Police Dept., Cedar Key Police Dept., Chiefland Police Dept., Public Safety Director Knowles representing Fire and Rescue for Levy County and the Division of Emergency Management.

 

In these tight economic times, Levy County Sheriff's Office is constantly searching for new, innovative ways to increase the effectiveness of Public Safety for the citizens of Levy County. Grants are one of the ways we save our citizens money and bring new technology to better serve our public.

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Lt. Scott Tummond
Criminal Investigations Division
Levy County Sheriff's Office
(352) 486-5111

Levy County Teen Driver Improvement Program

The Levy County Sheriff's Office, Community Relations Division, is offering a no cost, Teen Driver Improvement Program to all Levy County students who have a current Operators License or Learners Permit or who are about to get their Learners Permit.

The goal of this program is to educate the teen drivers of Levy County of the dangers of aggressive driving, distracted driving, impaired driving, and to reinforce the benefits of seatbelt use. These four issues have been found to be major causes of teen involved crashes, injuries and fatalities. This program is free of cost and is 4 hours in duration. This program consists of classroom instruction, videos, power point presentations and hands on time during which the students will drive golf carts through a course to learn first hand the dangers of the choices that they make while driving. This is a graphic presentation that will show the students the human consequences of their driving choices. Parent waivers are required due to the graphic nature of the presentation. All students will be required to pre-register for the class by calling Sgt. Max Long at #(352) 486-5111 ext. #275 or via e-mail at mlong@levyso.com. A minimum of eight students are required for class to be held, therefore these dates are tentative. Program Funded by a Highway Safety Grant through FDOT

ALL CLASSES BEGIN AT 9:00 AM

Williston H.S - 7/9, 7/10, 7/18, 7/19, 7/30, 7/31, 8/9  

Chiefland H.S - 7/11, 7/12, 7/23, 7/24, 8/6, 8/7

Bronson H.S. - 7/16, 7/17, 8/1, 8/2, 8/8

Cedar Key H.S. - 7/25

Yankeetown - 7/26

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Lt. Scott Tummond
Criminal Investigations Division
Levy County Sheriff's Office
(352) 486-5111

Task Force Arrests Absconded Sex Offender wanted for Burglary

Task Force Arrests Absconded Sex Offender wanted for Burglary

 

On May 31, 2012, the Levy County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) and the U.S. Marshal's Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force (FRFTF) arrested Kenneth L. Starling, DOB 9-21-63.  Starling had been charged with a Burglary and Absconding as a Registered Sex Offender and had warrants for his arrest.  LCSO Deputies and the FRFTF began searching for Starling earlier in the week and were able to locate him at around 7:30 p.m. in Fanning Spring. Starling was charged earlier in the month stemming from an investigation conducted by LCSO Patrol Division.  When Deputies began looking for Starling, they discovered that he had fled the area.  As a registered sex offender, Florida law requires that he notify the local law enforcement agency, that being the Levy County Sheriff's Office, if he plans on being away from his home more than 5 consecutive days or more than 14 combined days within a calendar year. 

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Lt. Scott Tummond
Criminal Investigations Division
Levy County Sheriff's Office
(352) 486-5111