The concession stand at the South Columbia Sports Park (Ft. White) had been burglarized on 2/15/2012 and again on 2/16/2012. Soft drinks were stolen in each of the burglaries. Detective Todd Green and Deputy Randy Harrison were conducting enhanced patrols of the area due to the recent burglaries. At approximately 12:30 a.m. on the 18th, Deputy Harrison was checking the concession stand and found that a window cover had been breached. Deputy Harrison discovered the three juveniles inside the concession building. The suspects had large amounts of candy and snacks in their possession. It is estimated that over $1,000.00 in damage was sustained to the building as a result of the burglary.

The three juveniles were arrested without incident and booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility. They were released to their parents after the booking process was complete. All three are charged with burglary and criminal mischief. Additional charges are possible as Detective Green continues the investigation into the previous burglaries.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office would like to offer some tips to help you avoid being the victim of fraud.

1. For calls regarding a loved one being arrested or injured in an accident; always verify with your family prior to sending any money, no matter how urgent the caller appears.
2. If someone calls you, (e.g., a telemarketer), don’t be afraid to hang up on them.
3. Stay away from deals that sound “too good to be true”.
4. Beware of deals that ask for a lot of money up front and promise sure success.
5. Don’t be taken in by miracle cures for health problems.
6. Do not agree to send money at the request of a telephone solicitor.
7. Here are some examples of common scams:

a. BOGUS CHARITIES - The senior is approached either at the door or by telephone with a request to donate to a legitimate sounding charity. Be very wary of such calls. Many so-called charities are bogus and the money is diverted directly into the pockets of the crooks.
b. HOME IMPROVEMENT SCAMS - The senior is approached normally by at least two individuals posing as contractors. The unsuspecting victim is persuaded that a roof, driveway or home needs repairs. The strangers pretend to carry out the work, which is in fact, shoddy and almost worthless.
PRESS RELEASE
c. THEFTS FROM WITHIN THE HOME - The senior is approached at the door by at least two individuals who use a ruse to enter the senior’s home. Such ruses are a request to use the telephone or to get a glass of water. Once inside, one of the individuals will keep the senior occupied while the other individual rummages through the senior’s personal belongings and steals cash and jewelry.
d. BANK INVESTIGATOR SCHEME - The senior is contacted outside their bank or by telephone by a stranger who identifies himself as a member of law enforcement. The stranger asks for the senior’s help in catching a dishonest bank employee. The senior is persuaded to go inside the bank to a particular teller window and withdraw a large sum of cash and then meet the “official” outside. Once the senior hands over the cash, the stranger disappears with the money.
e. SWEEPSTAKES SCAM - The senior receives a call either from Canada or from another part of the USA. The caller explains that the senior has won a substantial prize, but to collect that price, the senior must first send a money order for up to $4,000 by express mail.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office urges the community to contact the Sheriff’s Office with any questions or concerns about an offer you may have received or suspicious solicitation phone calls.

Sheriff Mark Hunter swore Mrs. Rehberg in this morning at a ceremony attended by Mrs. Rehberg’s family and new coworkers. We would like to extend a warm welcome to Mrs. Rehberg.

Detectives served a search warrant at 247 NE Old Jacksonville Loop, Lake City, FL. Detectives located ingredients and paraphernalia consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine. Though the meth lab was not actively making methamphetamine at the moment the detectives arrived, enough materials were present to easily restart production. The home is located directly next door to a day care center. 

Two occupants of the home were arrested without incident and booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility.

The Columbia County Multi Jurisdictional Task Force is comprised of detectives from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Lake City Police Dept, Florida Dept of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Arrested:

Adam Lee Dicks, 6/07/1981
247 N.E. Old Jacksonville Loop, Lake City, FL
Charges: Possession of Methamphetamine with intent to Deliver within 1000 ft of a school or daycare center, Manufacture of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Bond: $56,000.00

David Ritch, 11/07/1971
231 S.E. Gator Ln, Lake City, FL
Charges: Possession of Narcotics without a prescription, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Bond: $6,000.00

Construction personnel from Columbia County had previously laid out the interior of the structure with tape on the floor to show the location of walls and doors. Sheriff Hunter and Mr. Brannon recommended that a few wall and door locations be relocated so that maximum use of the space will be utilized.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office will use the space as the new headquarters for the District 2 office. The District 2 Office will have space for the current office manager and two detectives that are assigned to District 2 on a full time basis. CCSO Patrol Deputies will also have a designated work space within the office. Ronnie Brannon will utilize a portion of the building for representatives of the Tax Collectors Office to better serve the citizens of Ft. White.

       Bill Sepko (L) with Sheriff Mark Hunter

Kenneth Whitehurst with Sheriff Mark Hunter

At approximately 5:45 pm, Sgt Chris Sharpe conducted a traffic stop on northbound Interstate 75. The red Honda Civic was stopped by Sgt Sharpe for speeding. Sgt Sharpe and Deputy Matt Grinstead received consent to search the vehicle for any contraband. Deputy Grinstead located a plastic storage container containing a white, crystalline type substance. Deputies believed the substance to be methamphetamine and a test on the substance confirmed that it was in fact methamphetamine. 

The driver and the only passenger in the vehicle were taken into custody without incident and transported to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office to be interviewed. It was learned that both men are from the Atlanta, Ga area and were returning from a trip to South Florida when they were stopped. 

The methamphetamine weighed approximately 1, 216 grams, nearly a kilogram of finished methamphetamine. The street value of the seized methamphetamine is estimated to be over $150,000.00. This is the largest methamphetamine seizure for the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in recent memory. 

The Interstate highway system is a conduit for narcotics traffickers, as this case shows. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is taking a proactive approach to aggressively patrol these highways to stem the flow of contraband into and out of the State of Florida.

Arrested:

Alan Chung Kuan Dam, 08/01/1981
6465 Chestnut Bend Drive, Norcross, GA
Charges: Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Sell, Trafficking in Methamphetamine
Bond: NONE

Jonathon A. Cardon, 04/02/1991
3044 Clipper Ct, Lawrenceville, GA
Charges: Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Sell, Trafficking in Methamphetamine
Bond: NONE

The body of an Alachua County fisherman was recovered from Lake Alto Tuesday morning, more than a day after he left home to go fishing alone.

Nathan William Scholtz, 27, left home around 6:30 a.m. Monday and told his mother he was headed to the lake southeast of Waldo, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.

Scholtz’s mother, Joann Scholtz, called the Sheriff’s Office at about 11:35 p.m. Monday to report that he was overdue to be back home.

“We found his green truck and boat trailer in the parking lot of the boat ramp,” said sheriff’s spokesman Art Forgey. “We had several deputies looking out over the lake from the shore line and Air 1 (helicopter) flew over the lake.”

Scholtz’s 2008, 15-foot-long Carolina Skiff boat was found along the lake’s northwest shoreline within about 30 minutes, according to Forgey.

At daylight Tuesday, divers from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office joined Alachua County divers and officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the search.

Columbia County divers recovered Scholtz’s body in about 12 feet of water at 10 a.m., according to FWC spokeswoman Karen Parker.

Parker said Scholtz’s death is being investigated as a boating death. Investigators at the scene said there were no obvious signs of foul play. Forgey said an autopsy would be performed to determine the cause of Scholtz’s death.

Deputy Sheriff Eric Peisel was investigating the theft of scrap metal from a construction site in northern Columbia County. Norfolk Southern Railroad is conducting railroad maintenance on the railroad trussels on U.S. 41 North at the Columbia County/Hamilton County line. The job foreman discovered that nearly 200 pounds of scrap metal and steel was stolen over the weekend from the construction site. The foreman provided Deputy Peisel with a description of the stolen metal.

Deputy Peisel continued the investigation by visiting various metals recyclers in Columbia County. Deputy Peisel found some of the stolen materials at two scrap yards. The scrap metal was verified to have belonged to Norfolk Southern.

Deputy Peisel determined that a Tarveine Scott was the person that sold the stolen material to the recyclers. Mr. Scott was located at his home in White Springs by officers with the White Springs Police Dept. Deputy Peisel took Mr. Scott into custody without incident. Scott was transported and booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility.

The value of the stolen materials is estimated to be over $5,000.00. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate this case to determine if Mr. Scott has been involved in previous thefts from this same construction site.

Arrested:

Tarveine Scott, 06/28/1961
16715 Branch St., White Springs, FL

Charges: Grand Theft, Dealing in Stolen Property.
Bond: $15,000.00