Police Beat for Saturday, April 18

Published: Saturday, April 18, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, April 17, 2009 at 10:59 p.m.
Couple charged with neglected their child

OCALA — The Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Silver Springs Shores couple on child neglect charges after they found their child was living in what deputies described as “deplorable” conditions. They were charged with third-degree felony child neglect.

Deputies responded to the home after receiving a report about the condition of the home and found a large amount of garbage, rotting food, dirty laundry and animal and human waste inside, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

The floors in the home also appeared to be partly covered in sewage water caused by a septic drain backup.

The names of the parents were withheld to protect the identity of the child.

On Tuesday, the child had been sent home from school with head lice. Two days later, the parents still had not treated the problem, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Officials says golf cart crushed woman’s lungs

OCALA — Marion County sheriff’s deputies released the name of a woman killed Wednesday when a golf cart ran over her at a horse farm.

The victim, Linda S. Cassidy, 54, tended to horses at Hidden Lake Farms. Deputies said she died from traumatic asphyxia. When the cart ran over her, it crushed her lungs and she could not breathe.

According to a deputy’s report, Judy Brosius, another farm employee, told the official she saw Cassidy feeding horses around 8:30 a.m. Around noon, when she went back to the area, she saw Cassidy underneath the cart.

Deputies believe feeding buckets on the seat fell onto the accelerator and the cart ran over Cassidy.

Murder trial jurors told to avoid media reports

OCALA — Prospective jurors for the first degree-murder trial of William Kopsho will get a letter instructing them to steer clear of researching the case, which will be sent along with their summons.

State Attorney Brad King and Chief Assistant Public Defender Bill Miller agreed on the letter and a questionnaire jurors will fill out during a 15-minute hearing Friday. With Judge David Eddy presiding, King and Miller also agreed they will select a jury from a pool of 150.

The letter instructs possible jurors to not view or listen to stories about the case through television, newspapers, the Internet or radio.

“It’s always difficult to send a letter like this because, psychologically, it could tempt people to read up on the case,” Miller said during the hearing. “But I think it’s important to explain to them why they shouldn’t.”

Kopsho, 55, is facing the death penalty on charges of first-degree murder and armed kidnapping for the fatal shooting of his wife in October 2000. He was previously convicted in a 2005 trial in Sumter County, but that conviction was vacated in 2007 because of a juror selection issue.

Wounded man arrested for crack possession

OCALA — A man who had been shot in the left shoulder was arrested at a hospital Friday morning and charged with possession of crack cocaine.

At about midnight, officers went to Southwest 19th Avenue and Southwest Third Street in response to shots being fired, according to an Ocala police report. While searching the area, they got word that someone had dropped off 19-year-old Kenterrell Wright at Munroe Regional Medical Center.

Wright, officials later learned, had been shot in the left shoulder.

Wright reportedly told an officer he and a friend were hanging out when a masked man approached and pointed a handgun at him. Wright said when he tried to drive away the gunman fired into the car and a bullet struck him.

Wright reportedly asked the officer to search his pocket for his cell phone. Instead of finding the phone, the officer found a container with a white powdery substance that proved to be crack cocaine, according to the report.

Wright was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail.

Police: Stabbing victim is expected to recover

OCALA — Police say a 20-year-old man who reportedly was stabbed three times in the Hollywood 16 parking lot Thursday night is expected to recover.

Interviewed at Munroe Regional Medical Center, the victim told Ocala police he was entering the passenger door of his girlfriend’s car when two men approached him from behind and demanded his wallet and cash.

The victim said he refused, and the three began struggling. He said he was stabbed three times. Officers reported one wound was to the left side of his chest and the other two were above the waist.

The assailants left empty-handed.

Anyone with any information can call the Ocala Police Department at 369-7000 or Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP.

Authorities arrest man they say robbed CVS

OCALA — A man who reportedly robbed the CVS pharmacy at 2401 S.W. 27th Ave. in the early morning hours of April 8 was arrested by detectives Friday and charged with armed robbery, according to officials.

On Thursday, an officer spotted a Suzuki Grand Vitari that resembled the vehicle the suspect was seen getting into after the robbery. On Friday, three detectives met with Bryan Dehaven, who was wearing black shorts with white stains on the left front, which matched the one’s the robber wore.

Dehaven was transported to the Marion County Jail.

Authorities say around 12:35 a.m. on April 8, a man entered the CVS and approached the counter with a bottle of aspirin. He then handed the clerk a note demanding $100. The clerk opened the register, and the robber grabbed cash before fleeing.

Two loose horses struck, one killed on CR 484

OCALA — A horse was killed Friday after it was struck by a pickup in the 12700 block of Southwest County Road 484.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers said two horses ran out of a private residence onto County Road 484 and were hit by two separate trucks.

Authorities say one of the horses died, while the other was injured.

The gate to the residence was unlocked, officials said.

The drivers of the trucks were not injured.

Man faces same charges that put him in jail before

SILVER SPRINGS SHORES — Christopher D. Robinson, 35, was arrested Friday after Marion County sheriff’s deputies reportedly watched him kick in the front door of a Silver Springs Shores home, go inside and come out with a game system and a camera.

Robinson — who had been released from prison in October after serving 15 years for grand theft and burglary — is once again charged with grand theft and burglary, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives followed him from the home and arrested him Friday afternoon. His probation was also violated, according to officials.

Robinson reportedly told detectives that he committed another six or seven similar break-ins, and they are looking at additional charges.

Since November, homes in Silver Springs Shores, along Baseline Road and in other surrounding areas, have had burglaries during which the robber would kick in the front door and, once inside, steal firearms, game systems, jewelry and other items.

During the Sheriff’s Office investigation, detectives developed Robinson as a suspect and began tracking him.

On Wednesday, they reportedly saw him kicking down a front door. However, Robinson did not enter. Instead he was seen limping back to his car before driving away.

On Friday, they caught him in the act and took him into custody.