THE NEWSCASTER
THE NEWSCASTER
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Deborah Russell - Editor/Publisher
A Publication of
Inglis, FL 34449
Wednesday December 28, 2011
Tom Russell - Consulting Editor
Newscaster Publishing
Permit No. 14
Sally Price - Correspondent
Have a Safe & Happy New Year!
Mike Moore - Photojournalist
Squawk Box
FCAT Testing Needs
Re-Evaluation
With Doug Johnston
In the year 2003 I
hired a student from an area
high school as a cashier at
Food Ranch in Inglis. She
was dependable beyond
her years and very smart.
This young lady made good
grades, helped her parents very often be-
fore school by delivering crabs to local
accounts, (her father was a commercial
fisherman at the time), was on the schools
girls weightlifting team, and worked for
me after school and on weekends. In the
eight years she worked for me she never
called in sick. The only time she didn’t
work her scheduled days was when she
asked for time off in advance.
This young lady was so bright
and had so much initiative she actually
spearheaded the training for our staff
of 28 employees when we converted to
scanning in 2004. She wrote a How-To
Once again the Inglis Police Department hosted their annual Shop With a Cop Event. The event was held at the Wal-Mart located at SR 200 in
book for our cashiers and also one for the
Ocala. The event had the largest turn out in the Shop With a Cop history for the town of Inglis. This IPD Photo shows Inglis Police Officer Brian
management team explaining in layman
Hilberer, (right) with one of Santa's helpers and an eager shopper, from last week's shopping trip. Continued on page 12.
terms how to procure data and various
New state
reports. At that time many of our older
Two Armed Robberies & Home
cashiers had never touched a computer.
E-FORCSE
The day before we were ready
Invasion Keep Investigators Busy
to go live with the new system we hit a
glitch transferring an entire pricing file
program results in From Citrus County Sheriff Dept.
to our master server. This high school
girl stayed all night working to correct
6 to 9 inches tall, unshaven, with a slim
six drug arrests
the file so we could open following day.
build and wearing a gray hoodie.
HOMOSASSA - Just before 8 p.m., Dec. 21, CRYSTAL RIVER - Around 12:30 a.m.,
We barely made it, but her determination
the Citrus County Sheriff's Office was noti-
bore results.
From Citrus County Sheriff Dept.
Dec. 22, an armed robbery was reported at
fied of an attempted robbery at gunpoint at
We opened for business the next
the Kangaroo Express located at 6296 W.
The Citrus County Sheriff’s Of-
a Homosassa residence on W. Green Acres
morning and the day went smoothly. Of
Gulf to Lake Hwy. in Crystal River. The
fice s Tactical Impact Unit and Pharmacy
St.
course, she was there to guide everyone
clerk told deputies that the lone suspect en-
Diversion Unit made six arrests recently as
The 56 year-old victim told depu-
through. Did I mention that this was her
tered the store pointing what appeared to be
the result of intensive investigations. Most
ties he was walking from his garage and
very first experience with scanning? The
a rifle and demanded all the cash from the
of the cases involved obtaining and selling
saw a young, white man walking toward
How-To book she wrote was viewed by
register. He threatened to shoot the victim if
prescription narcotics illegally. The narcot-
him. The man called a man s first name and
Hitchcock Supermarkets scanning and
he failed to comply.
ics are powerful and highly addictive opiate
asked if the man was home. The victim told
computer system guru Brad Buckles and
The store clerk told deputies that
painkillers.
the man that no one by that name lived there
after meeting her he asked me if he could
he handed the robber an undisclosed amount
The cases ranged from doctor shop-
and ordered him to leave the property. The
hire her. I said only after I die.
of money in a plastic bag. The suspect fled
ping (seeing more than one doctor to obtain
young man pointed a handgun at the resi-
When the time came for this
from the store, running westbound. The sus-
controlled substances) to trafficking in hy-
dent and demanded all his money. The vic-
young lady to graduate from high school
pect was described as a white male, about 5
drocodone. Some were suspected of dealing
tim knocked the man’s arm away, and the
she encountered a demoralizing, life
feet 8 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds and
not only in pills but of also selling cocaine
weapon discharged.
changing snag. She couldn’t pass the
wearing a dark-colored T-shirt, blue jeans,
and other substances. Many were selling
The suspect ran down the driveway
FCAT. She is in that substantial number
black shoes and a dark cap, along with a
narcotics for profit “and had been doing so
and fled on foot. The CCSO sent a helicop-
of people who do not perform well on
mask and a camouflage cloth to conceal his
for a while,” according to Gail Tierney, Pub-
ter, ground units and a K-9 team to search
standardized tests. The State Board of
face. The sheriff's office sent an air unit,
lic information Officer. “The Pharmacy Di-
the area, but the suspect was not located. A
Education last week approved a new set
ground units and a K-9 team to search for
version unit intends to send a clear message
BOLO (be on the lookout) was issued, de-
of scores for passing the FCAT. They de-
the suspect, but he was not located. A photo-
that it will not tolerate ANYONE trying to
scribing the suspect as a white male in his
Continued on page 4- Squawk Box
Continued on page 3 - Drug Arrests
Continued on page 4 - Robberies
late teens to early 20s, approximately 5 feet