INSIDER
Family fights for conditional medical release for man convicted for stealing JSO car in 2016
Read full article: Family fights for conditional medical release for man convicted for stealing JSO car in 2016The family of a man serving a 15-year sentence for stealing a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office cruiser and other charges in 2016 is fighting for a conditional medical release after they said he suffered injuries due to ‘diminished care’ at the prison.
21-year-old Lake Butler woman dies in head-on collision with semi in Union County
Read full article: 21-year-old Lake Butler woman dies in head-on collision with semi in Union CountyA 21-year-old Lake Butler woman died in a head-on collision with a semi-truck in Union County on Wednesday at 5:17 a.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Large party in Lake Butler ends with 1 shot, multiple law enforcement agencies working to control crowd
Read full article: Large party in Lake Butler ends with 1 shot, multiple law enforcement agencies working to control crowdOne person was shot at a pop-up party at Lakeside Park in Lake Butler, according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
Over 50 neglected cats & dogs rescued from Florida home
Read full article: Over 50 neglected cats & dogs rescued from Florida homeMore than 50 cats and dogs are undergoing examinations after they were found in a filthy Lake Butler home, according to a news release from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Suspect in deadly triple shooting in Lake Butler arrested
Read full article: Suspect in deadly triple shooting in Lake Butler arrestedThe Union County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a Lake Butler man accused of shooting at least three people Saturday night. One of the victims died, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies search for man accused in deadly triple shooting in Lake Butler
Read full article: Deputies search for man accused in deadly triple shooting in Lake ButlerThe Union County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a Lake Butler man accused of shooting at least three people Saturday night. One of the victims died, the Sheriff’s Office said.
DeSantis announces $3.5M for Lake Butler wastewater system improvements
Read full article: DeSantis announces $3.5M for Lake Butler wastewater system improvementsMore than $3.5 million has been awarded to Lake Butler to make improvements to the city’s wastewater collection and pumping system to further mitigate infrastructure damage from future storms, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday.
DeSantis on first lady’s cancer fight: ‘We’re not out of the woods’
Read full article: DeSantis on first lady’s cancer fight: ‘We’re not out of the woods’Months after announcing that his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, was facing a battle with breast cancer, Gov. Ron DeSantis gave a brief update on her fight during a news conference Friday in Lake Butler.
3rd correctional officer dies from COVID-19 complications
Read full article: 3rd correctional officer dies from COVID-19 complicationsTALLAHASSEE, Fla. A third Florida correctional officer has died from complications of COVID-19, the Florida Department of Corrections confirmed on Wednesday, nine days after the officer died. Johnnie Brown, a correctional officer who was assigned to the Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler, began his career with the Florida Department of Corrections in 2006. Officer Browns loss will be felt by many, his character and contributions as a correctional officer to the Florida Department of Corrections will be remembered by all who worked alongside him each day, Corrections Secretary Mark Inch said in a statement Wednesday. As of midday Wednesday, 15,170 prisoners and 2,340 corrections workers had tested positive for the virus, and 77 inmates had died. Corrections officials said Wednesday that 1,468 corrections workers who had tested positive for the virus have been cleared to return to work.
Boomerang weather means drier Thursday then storms return Friday
Read full article: Boomerang weather means drier Thursday then storms return FridayToday: Afternoon highs in the 80s under cloudy skies for Florida, partly cloudy across southeast Georgia with highs in the low 90s. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop across northeast Florida while southeast Georgia has a chance to dry out. Friday: Overcast to cloudy skies across northeast Florida, with increasing clouds through southeast Georgia with scattered showers, storms developing through the afternoon. Showers and storms, some locally heavy, 60-70 percent across northeast Florida, 40-50 percent across southeast Georgia. Looking ahead: Onshore wind with scattered showers, storms through the weekend as temperatures remain near to slightly below normal.
Union County crash leads to discovery of human remains from 2017
Read full article: Union County crash leads to discovery of human remains from 2017UNION COUNTY, Fla. – An investigation into single-vehicle crash Tuesday night near Lake Butler led to the discovery of another car with human remains inside it, authorities said. Investigators believe the Mercedes-Benz in which the remains were found crashed sometime last year, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Just after 9 p.m. Tuesday, the Highway Patrol and the Union County Sheriff's Office responded to County Road 796A at State Road 238, about 9 miles west of Lake Butler, where a van went off the road and crashed into trees. According to the Sheriff's Office, that same car was reported stolen in August 2017 and the suspect was reported missing. "We have reason to believe the remains belong to the suspect," reads a Wednesday news release from the Sheriff's Office.
FHP: Lake Butler man, 27, killed in 2-vehicle crash
Read full article: FHP: Lake Butler man, 27, killed in 2-vehicle crashUNION COUNTY, Fla. – A 27-year-old Lake Butler man was killed and two others were injured in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday morning in Union County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The driver of the Honda, Curtis Oliver Waters Jr., died at the scene, troopers said. The passenger in the Honda, a 54-year-old Lake Butler man, was transported to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville with critical injuries, troopers said. The driver of the Ford, a 41-year-old Lake Butler woman, was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries, troopers said. Charges are pending, according to the Highway Patrol.
Man arrested in Gainesville questioned about Lake Butler homicide
Read full article: Man arrested in Gainesville questioned about Lake Butler homicideLAKE BUTLER, Fla. – Union County deputies and Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents investigating the shooting death of 65-year-old Ralph Gary Anderson arrested a man they consider their primary suspect in the homicide. A call by concerned neighbors Monday evening prompted deputies to find Anderson dead of a single gunshot wound in his home on SE 6th Street, across from Lake Butler Middle School. Early Tuesday morning, deputies and FDLE agents served search warrants at the Lake Butler home of Donnie Crawford, 42, who was one of a few visitors to Anderson's home on Sunday evening, according to witnesses. With the help of Gainesville police and the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, deputies arrested Crawford on charges of grand theft and burglary and questioned him about Anderson's death. Crawford was ordered held on $65,000 bond in Alachua County until he can be transferred to Union County.
FHP: 23-year-old thrown from truck in crash dies
Read full article: FHP: 23-year-old thrown from truck in crash diesALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – A 23-year-old Lake Butler man was killed Thursday in a two-vehicle crash on County Road 236 in Alachua County. According to Florida Highway Patrol investigators, Daniel Jenkins was a passenger in a Ford pickup truck being driven by Brandon Sabish, 20. The two were eastbound on County Road 236 when a Honda Accord, also eastbound on County Road 236, being driven by Nicholas Coullias, 32, of Gainesville, collided with the rear of their vehicle. Jenkins was not wearing his seatbelt and was ejected from the cab of the truck as the vehicles traveled to the south shoulder of the roadway. The exact cause of this crash remains under investigation.
Chase of stolen vehicle leads to arrest, several weapons
Read full article: Chase of stolen vehicle leads to arrest, several weaponsLAKE BUTLER, Fla. – A high-speed two-county chase of a stolen pickup truck early Thursday morning led to an arrest and the recovery of several stolen weapons. About 7:30 a.m., Bradford County deputies spotted the pickup on County Road 231 in Brooker. Several weapons were found inside the vehicle, Union County Lt. Daniel Williams said. The driver was identified as Darryl Ray Greer, 43, from Lake Butler. “Our primary concern was the safety of the citizens of Union County and stopping this person from hurting anyone through his erratic behavior and driving."
2 arrested on Union County drug charges
Read full article: 2 arrested on Union County drug chargesUNION COUNTY, Fla. – Union County Sheriff Brad Whitehead in cooperation with the Multi-agency drug task force arrested two Alachua County suspects for drug trafficking today just outside of Lake Butler. Two people were arrested Wednesday near Lake Butler on drug trafficking charges, according to the Union County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said 34-year-old Travis Norris and 57-year-old Winifred McAllister, both of Alachua County, were the latest in a three-month long undercover drug operation headed by the sheriff's office. Deputies said the two had routinely been conducting business in Union County. They said additional drug charges are forthcoming from previous undercover operations involving both of the suspects.
Slain trucking company owner laid to rest
Read full article: Slain trucking company owner laid to restLAKE BUTLER, Fla. – The Lake Butler community said goodbye Friday to 80-year-old Marvin Pritchett, one of four men who died in last weekend's shooting rampage by a former employee of his trucking company. Not just family and friends, but hundreds from all over the community filled the First Christian Church for Pritchett's funeral service. "Everybody in Union County is mourning, but we're going to come together, we're going to be strong and we're going to bounce back," Bayer said. Before the start of the Union County High School football game Friday night, the team was set to hold a moment of silence. Investigators said Pritchett's former coworker, 72-year-old Hubert Allen Jr., went on a shooting rampage last Saturday.