Tony Marrero, Times Staff Writer
Tony Marrero, a native of Baltimore, joined the Times in 2009. He covers Hernando County schools.
Phone: (352) 848-1431
Email: tmarrero@tampabay.com
Twitter: @TMarreroTimes
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Dunedin man who apparently killed wife, himself had mental issues, authorities say
05/21/13CrimeWEEKI WACHEE — A Dunedin man suspected of killing his wife before committing suicide in the Hernando County wilderness might have been delusional, authorities said Tuesday.
The Hernando Sheriff's Office also released information about how Michael Jones ended his wife Glenna's life before taking his own in the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area early Sunday. Deputies found the couple, both 66, in a wooded area with gunshot wounds to the head, said spokeswoman Denise Moloney....
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One sought, one jailed after shooting in parking lot at Brooksville apartment complex
05/21/13CrimeBROOKSVILLE — Police were searching Tuesday for a man wanted in connection with a shooting at a Brooksville apartment complex.
Kyle Lee Chunn, 22, shot at two men shortly before 2 a.m. at Brookhaven Apartments, Brooksville Police said. He later fled on foot after a traffic stop.
Chunn and Lacie Nicole Swan, 19, arrived at the complex at 8136 Crystal Brook Circle, off the State Road 50 bypass, in a stolen Nissan Altima and argued with the men in the parking lot, said Brooksville police Chief George Turner....
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Bodies of Dunedin couple found in wildlife area
05/20/13 Public SafetyWEEKI WACHEE — Kenneth Jones got a troubling call from his parents early Sunday morning, authorities say.
The call prompted Jones to ask Pinellas County sheriff's deputies to check on Michael and Glenna Jones, both 66, at their Dunedin home. When deputies arrived, the couple and their tan PT Cruiser were gone, but there were signs that Glenna had been bound at the house, the Sheriff's Office said. Investigators also found evidence leading them to believe that the couple might be in the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area in northwest Hernando County....
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Study shows Hernando hospital fees substantially higher than state average
05/17/13HealthThe average patient who gets a joint replaced at Oak Hill Hospital was charged nearly $119,000 in 2011. At Brooksville Regional Hospital, the average was $104,000.
Those fees were considerably higher than at several hospitals in the Tampa Bay area — and much higher than the state average of $62,092.
Chest pain? Oak Hill, owned by Healthcare Corporation of America in Nashville, charged $32,709. Brooksville Regional and Spring Hill Regional, both owned by Health Management Associates of Naples, billed $33,219. The state average: $21,396....
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Hernando judge says red-light camera law is unconstitutional, dismisses right-on-red cases
05/14/13CourtsBROOKSVILLE — Calling the enforcement process unconstitutional, a Hernando County judge is automatically dismissing the cases of motorists caught on camera making rolling right turns on red lights.
In an order signed last week, County Judge Donald E. Scaglione cites three reasons why the state law is "vague (and) arbitrary and capricious." Because of that, Scaglione wrote, enforcing a right-on-red violation is unconstitutional and a violation of due process rights....
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Spring Hill man who killed, buried brother sentenced to 50 years in prison
05/13/13CriminalBROOKSVILLE — Last month, Stanley Elias Eckard turned down a plea offer that would have capped his sentence for killing his brother at 20 years.
On Monday, Circuit Judge Anthony Tatti sentenced Eckard to serve more than twice that long — 50 years.
"No parent should have to endure what you have endured," Tatti told Eckard's parents, Samuel and Donna, who had asked for a new trial....
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Better skills are developing to help Baker Act juveniles
05/10/13HealthBROOKSVILLE — When BayCare closed its stabilization unit at the Harbor 18 months ago, it left the county without a place for children taken into protective custody — and with a potentially serious problem.
Springbrook Hospital became Hernando's only receiving site for Baker Act patients, and it was not licensed to provide in-patient services to minors.
Now, mental health officials say, hospitals are working though the problems and conditions have improved for these young patients....
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Candidate for state House owed nearly $12,000 in unpaid taxes
05/09/13ElectionsSPRING HILL — Tax Collector Sally Daniel was one of several well-known Hernando County Republicans who stood behind Blaise Ingoglia on Wednesday when he announced he was running for the state House of Representatives.
At the time, Ingoglia owed Daniel's office $11,864.75 for two years' worth of delinquent property taxes on his Spring Hill home, records show. He also has been late paying taxes on the property several previous years....
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Man gets 36 months for selling homes he didn't own
05/09/13CriminalBROOKSVILLE — Gaetano Antonelli promised to make dreams come true by selling foreclosed homes to buyers with bad credit.
The problem, prosecutors say: Antonelli didn't own the homes, and in some cases the buyers didn't realize that until after they had moved in and made renovations.
On Thursday, the 63-year-old pleaded no contest to fraud and selling real estate without a license. He was sentenced to 36 months in prison, with credit for time served since November. ...
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Blaise Ingoglia first to file for Rep. Rob Schenck's Hernando seat
05/08/13 BlogBlaise Ingoglia, the Spring Hill homebuilder who made a local name for himself with his Government Gone Wild seminars and who now serves as vice-chairman of the state Republican Party, will run for the state House of Representatives.
Ingoglia, 42, filed papers on Tuesday to run for the District 35 seat currently held by Rob Schenck, a Spring Hill Republican who must leave office due to term limits. Ingoglia is the first to file for the seat that includes all of Hernando County except the northwest quadrant....
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State Republican Party official Blaise Ingoglia will run for state House seat in Hernando
05/08/13ElectionsBROOKSVILLE — In the past half-dozen years Blaise Ingoglia has become a polarizing political figure without ever seeking office.
That changed Tuesday when the 42-year-old Spring Hill home builder and vice chairman of the Republican Party of Florida filed to run for the state House of Representatives.
And on Wednesday, flanked by four of Hernando County's five county commissioners and other prominent Republicans, Ingoglia announced his bid for District 35. The district covers most of Hernando County and is currently held by Rep. Rob Schenck, who must leave office because of term limits....
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Project to halt Suncoast Parkway flooding in major storms under way
05/06/13RoadsBROOKSVILLE — Work is beginning on a project designed to stop flooding of the Suncoast Parkway the next time heavy rain such as that from Tropical Storm Debby slogs through the region.
Crews on Monday arrived to prepare the site at the north end of the parkway, just south of the junction with U.S. 98 in Hernando County, said Christa Deason, a spokeswoman for Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. ...
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Felony's ex-bartender files sex harassment lawsuit
05/04/13CivilSPRING HILL — A former bartender at Felony's Bar and Grill has filed suit against the owners of the Spring Hill restaurant, claiming she was sexually harassed and then fired when she complained.
According to a complaint filed in Hernando Circuit Court, Amy D. Graham claims two managers made lewd comments and touched her while she worked at the eatery and bar at 7285 Forest Oaks Blvd....
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Child protection had investigated Citrus mom accused of killing daughter
05/03/13 Public SafetyChelsea Maree Huggett, the Citrus County woman accused of beating her 2-year-old daughter to death last week, was investigated twice by child protection investigators in the past year, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
An initial look at both cases did not indicate that DCF could have done anything to prevent Aliyah's death, but the department will conduct a more thorough review, said Carrie Hoeppner, a DCF spokeswoman. The results could be released next week....
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Citrus County mother charged in baby's beating death
05/02/13CrimeTired of her daughter's whining, Chelsea Maree Huggett took brutal measures to make her stop, investigators say.
On April 25, Huggett violently shook 2-year-old Aliyah Marie Branum at a house in the Citrus County town of Hernando, according to an arrest affidavit.
The next day, Huggett shook the girl again, then covered the toddler's mouth with her hand, slammed her head into the bedroom wall and head butted her....
