41-year-old woman killed a wrong guy in Marion County who she accused of stealing

According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, an Ocklawaha woman is accused of shooting and killing a man who she thought stole from him.

The reports say deputies responded to a shooting on the 3200 block of Highway 314A, about 2 miles south of Highway 40 and 9 miles east of Highway 35.

A 39-year-old man identified as Michael Hofacker was shot and was lying near the roadway with a gunshot wound. The victim rushed to the Ocala Regional Medical Center, unfortunately, he died from his injuries on Sunday.

The woman is a 41-year-old Jennifer Hill who believed the victim was a man who had stolen from her in the past but quickly realized it was not him after she had shot him. As per the deputies, Hill’s statement was inconsistent with witness accounts and evidence.

Deputies said Hill is facing a second-degree murder charge and is being held at the Marion County Jail without bond.

4-month-old endangered baby missing from Ocala

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said they are searching for a missing endangered 4-month-old.

According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Children and Families issued a pick-up order for the child, Jacob Barlow, but they were unable to find him. Jacob Barlow was last seen on Tuesday.

As per the deputies, Jacob could be in the custody of his mother, Jennifer Rottmann, 36.

The reports say the boy was last seen on Nov. 24 at 5453 North West 53^rdStreet in Ocala. Anyone with information about Jacob’s whereabouts is asked to call 911.

10 donated laptops stolen from Boys & Girls Club of Marion County

As per the recently released reports, the Silver Springs Shores Branch of the Boys & Girls Club of Marion County was burglarized twice this year.

The reports say altogether 10 laptops were stolen. The thieves also damaged the property.

Records show the club was broken into back in February. A van was stolen at that time. There is no surveillance video that would help to investigate the burglary.

CEO April Savarese said, “It’s frustrating, but it really hurts my heart to know that people are taking away, not just from kids, but from kids who need it the most”. “When we take away those tools we use to foster that growth and academic success, it impacts them greatly.”

The thieves also got away with the club’s PlayStation 3 game system. “It’s no secret we have had some financial challenges, especially this year with COVID and to know that we don’t have a lush reserve account to turn to, to replace everything. It saddens me that really who’s suffering … our kids,” said Savarese.

If anyone has information about the incident they can contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

36-year-old arrested for murder charge in man’s overdose death in Ocala

Ocala police said they have arrested the dealer who supplied a man with the drugs who died two years ago from a fentanyl overdose.

Records say on Dec. 2, 2018, Nicholas Rubino was found unresponsive with no pulse in a restroom at Piesanos Pizza. Rubino died two days later in the hospital. An autopsy confirmed that fentanyl toxicity led to his death. Rubino’s friends and family said he struggled with addiction.

Deputies said David Gilchrist, 36, sold the deadly drugs to Rubino. Gilchrist is facing a murder charge.

“In the last few years, our state has been inflicted with great loss due to drug overdose cases. The numbers have been staggering. The city of Ocala has not been immune to this pandemic. OPD has responded to over 319 overdose calls over the past year, 38 of which resulted in the death of the victim, and 132 where OPD officers administered Narcan to save the victim’s life. In most all of our cases, fentanyl has been the primary contributor, if not the sole contributor, in all death cases in Ocala and Marion County,” police said.

44-year-old found shot to death in Marion County

A recently released report says a man was found shot to death in the carport of a private home early Sunday morning in Ocala. As per the records, police responded to report of the shooting at a home on Northwest 16th Place.

Deputies said the shooting victim was found on the ground in a carport. The victim had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Police said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim was later identified as 44-year-old David Isaac Vega. Deputies are asking questions to the house owners. They said they did not have reason to believe the homeowners where the victim was found were involved in the shooting.

Police have not made any arrests until now. However, the investigation is ongoing. Stay Updated!

“Tree had hit directly over my son’s head”; tree crashed down on a house in Marion County

As Tropical Storm Eta flooded North Central Florida early Thursday, a massive tree crashed down on a house in Marion County.

“It sounded like somebody dropped a train inside the bedroom, just a huge, huge sound,” Jeremy DiFiore, house owner, said. “My wife and I immediately jumped up and we saw, a tree had hit, directly over my son’s head.”

“My son comes in to be safe with us, meanwhile, it hits directly over the top, when he’s with us,” said DiFiore, “a branch coming through and drywall and insulation all over my son. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare.”
“It didn’t seem like it was that bad, we’ve been through them before that were much worse than that,” DiFiore added. “When you think about what really could have happened, he could have been absolutely smashed. That’s terrifying to even think that.”

The homeowner is thanking his neighbors for rushing over to help at 2 a.m. when they heard the tree crash down. Tropical Storm Eta has flooded and affected many places in Florida.

15-year-old missing from 3502 Northeast 59th Terrance; Marion County Sheriff’s Office

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a missing and endangered teenager last seen Saturday afternoon. The 15-year-old Jadaleigh Cothran was wearing a black shirt and torn blue jeans with signatures from her classmates written on them.

Deputies say Cothran was last seen at around 2:30 p.m. at 3502 Northeast 59th Terrance. She was carrying a black and orange backpack. She is known to self-harm and makes suicidal statements.

Cothran is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. She has brown eyes and brown hair. Anyone who has any information about Cothran is kindly requested to inform deputies by calling 911.

A fatal crash in Marion County killed a motorcyclist

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a deadly crash happened on Saturday in Marion County. The report says a man is dead after the crash involving a motorcycle.

Troopers said the head-on crash occurred at about 4:45 p.m. on County Road 314, just south of Northeast 52nd Place Road. A motorcycle was heading north on County Road 314 as an SUV was heading south along the roadway.

As per the officials, the motorcycle crossed the center double yellow line and entered the southbound lane. Troopers said the front of the motorcycle struck the front of the SUV.

The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. However, the people in the SUV suffered minor injuries.

The Florida Highway Patrol is doing further investigation on this crash. Stay updated!

Add to Collection

No Collections