PAGE 3 - February 25, 2009
The Newscaster/Nature Coast News
Two crimes reported almost simultaneously
Fire Danger - Continued from page 1
Within 16 minutes of time, a shooting and a stabbing were reported early in the
tation for burning during a burn ban. At least two of the fires last Wednesday were started by
morning of Feb. 11 in Inverness, on opposite sides of the city.
the careless discarding of cigarettes. Morabito warned people to use caution with cigarettes
The shooting victim was Edward A. Paturzo, 54, of 2727 E. Mercury St., who was
and pay attention when parking on high dead grass while the ban is in affect. "Fires caused by
treated for his injury at Citrus Memorial Hospital in Inverness. He told authorities that he'd
cigarettes are usually very, limited, but the grass is very dead and dry on the road shoulders
heard a noise in his backyard, just before 4:40 a.m., and went outside to investigate. Although
right now," he said. He said catalytic converters from cars cause more fires than cigarettes do.
he told authorities he didn’t see his assailant, he knew he’d suffered a gunshot wound to his
“They can set the grass on fire when driving over a dry, grassy area."
left shoulder. Mr. Paturzo was transported to Citrus Memorial Hospital for treatment.
A coordinated effort by a number of agencies Tuesday (last week) halted a
Just before 5:00 a.m., Michael D. Murphy, 32, of 5920 E. Aloha St., Inverness, stumbled
wildfire off Grover Cleveland Blvd. (Homosassa) that could have been disastrous had it
into an all-night, downtown restaurant on U.S. Highway 41. He had been slashed in the neck
gotten out of control in the residential area. Citrus County firefighters, the Sheriff’s Office and
and wrist with a knife, or some type of cutting instrument. He was airlifted to St. Joseph’s
state Forestry personnel joined resources to attack a fire that threatened homes in the area
Hospital in Tampa Bay for treatment and later released. He told authorities that he’d been the
around West Tortoise Lane and West Country Club Drive. Two sheds were lost and three
victim of a robbery on the Withlacoochee State Trail, in the vicinity of the Mossy Oak Mobile
homes had some exterior structural damage, but no homes were lost and no one was injured.
Home Park. Detectives spoke with a man who also may have been involved in the stabbing.
Fire officials believed the fire started when a squirrel shorted a high power electric line and fell
They are not releasing his identification at this time, but are calling him a person of interest.
into the dry grass in flames, starting a field on fire shortly before 1 p.m.
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies, detectives and crime scene technicians all
The wind pushed the fire into adjacent areas and the fire was between 30 to 40 acres
responded to the two locations and interviewed possible witnesses, collected evidence and
at its height before being knocked down by firefighters. The firefighters were aided by the
processed the scenes.
sheriff’s helicopter, which scooped water from a pond and dropped it on the flames. A state
At this time, there doesn’t appear to be anything linking the two crimes, however,
Forestry spotter plane circled overhead, directing the crews to the flames. Sheriff’s deputies
the investigations are in their early stages. Anyone with information about either of these
blocked off roads and went house to house alerting residents in threatened areas. No evacu-
crimes is asked to call 911 or 352-726-1121, right away.
ations were needed. Fire crews were called in from all stations of the county, including the
Crystal River Volunteer Fire Department, to keep the wildfire from getting out of control.
Art in the Park Not Just A Fine Art Show
Hernando County units were called in for mutual aid to standby to cover for the units at the
fire, should that have been necessary. Officials agreed after the fire was deemed no longer a
“Art in the Park” is a fine art show and sale conducted by local art groups amidst the
threat around 2:30 p.m. that the aggressive, coordinated effort had paid off in containing the
beautiful background of Rainbow Springs State Park. The event is Saturday, February 28th
fire. Citrus Fire Chief Larry Morabito, himself working on a crew protecting a house, said the
and Sunday, March 1st, running both days from 9 am till 4 pm with the following weekend as
fire underscores the reason for the current burn ban in the county. He said the ground and
a rain date if needed.
organic matter are extremely dry and a spark can be whipped up into a wildfire instantly. A little
These talented artists represent the Citrus Watercolor Club, The Ocala Art Group
rain can unfortunately mislead people into thinking it’s not so dangerous, he said. Because of
and Gallery East and the Ocala Digital Art Masters. Live musical entertainment will be pro-
the long-term drought and extremely dry conditions, he said, the fire danger is very high and
vided both days by George Koper and “Kelly’s Music” from 11 am to 3 pm. Donated original
a few showers won’t change that. He urged residents to abide by the burn ban and be
works of art will be up for grabs with winning tickets be drawn on Sunday at 4 p.m.
extremely cautious.
Rainbow Springs State Park is located four miles north of Dunnellon on US 41 (The
The weather forecast is predicating some rainfall on Thursday; however, that is
Desoto Trail), admission to the Park is still only $1 per person. “Art in the Park” is presented
expected to have little impact on the drought conditions. Chief Morabito cautioned all resi-
by Rainbow Springs State Park and the Friends of Rainbow Springs State Park (FORS) with
dents to be extremely careful when outdoors. “No one should burn anything during this burn
the help of our dedicated volunteers. For additional information, please call (352) 465-8555.
ban,” he said. “I don’t want to see anyone injured or killed or their home destroyed because
e-mail your news to: newscast@atlantic.net
of a brush fire that could have been prevented by the use of caution.”
River Lodge R.V. Resor t
Ri
PUBLIC NOTICE TOWN OF YANKEETOWN
NOW OPEN
Per Florida Statute 101.591 (1), immediately following the certification of each election,
Foss Gro Pa
13790 W. Foss Grove Path
the local board responsible for certify the election shall conduct a manual audit of the
voting system used in randomly selected precincts.
Inglis Florida
Inglis, Florida 34449
at U.S. Hwy. 19, just north of the Barge Canal
Notice is hereby given that an audit on the February 24, 2009 Election is scheduled for:
March 3, 2009 at 1:00 pm
For Information Call 352-447-2900
For
Inglis / Yankeetown Lions Club
Large Lots • New 20/30/50 AMP Electrical Service
22 59th Street Yankeetown, Florida 34498
Rentals: Daily-$30 • Weekly-$200 • Monthly-$350
Includes Electric
All Interested Persons May Observe
A.B.A.
Hair Port
Coastal
at Plaza 40
A/C & Heating,Inc.
Carting
Shopping Center
“Your Electric Bill Reduction Specialists”
“Your
Hwy. 40E, Inglis
Roll-Off Container Service
• 100% Financing
• Commercial
(352) 212-0405
Contractors/Homeowners
• Visa & MasterCard
Refrigeration
10-20-30 yd.
Call for Appointment
• 30 Years Experience
• Residential
Walk-Ins Welcome
Dumpsters
• Commercial
Lamar & Big John
Ask Us About
Construction Debris
• Mobile Homes
Ultra Violet Air Filtering
Yard Waste
Removes nearly 100%
of germs & dust
Family Salon
Reduce Sickness & Allergies
Men • Women • Kids
Family Owned & Operated
Perms • Color • Hi-Lites
Locally Owned & Operated
Starting at $45
Licensed & Insured
352-447-3040
Licensed & Insured
Womens Cuts - $12
352-465-5020
Clipper Cuts - $8
License #CACO 57707