THE NEWSCASTER
THE NEWSCASTER
PRESORTED
PLEASE
RECYCLE
STANDARD
US Postage
Paid
Deborah Russell - Editor
A Publication of
Wednesday July 20, 2016
Inglis, FL 34449
Tom Russell - Publisher
Newscaster Publishing
Permit No. 14
Sally Price - Historian
Please visit our website: thenewscaster.com
Mike Moore - Photojournalist
Community
Second Panther Kitten
Finds Home in Homosassa
Guest Article by Susan Strawbridge,
Park Services Specialist
Ellie Schiller Homosassa
Springs Wildlife State Park has wel-
comed a second endangered Florida
panther kitten. The kitten, now 7 to
8 months old, is named Sakata. He
weighs approximately 35 to 40 pounds.
He was found on Monday, Jan-
uary 18, 2016 by employees performing
routine field maintenance at the Sakata
Research Station in Fort Myers, Flori-
da. The male panther kitten was only 2
to 3 months old when found abandoned
and sleeping in one of the fields. Sakata
Research Station employees contacted
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission and the panther kitten was
taken to nearby Naples Zoo at Carib-
bean Gardens for temporary care until a
permanent home could be found for the
kitten. The Naples Zoo has a facility for
housing injured and orphaned panthers.
The kitten who originally was
designated as UCFP261, has been
named Sakata after the location where
Sakata has arrived, a second rescued Florida Panther Kitten at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Sakata is 8 months old.
he was rescued. The Research Station
Read full story in left column. Photo courtesy of Karen Parker, FWC.
allowed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
One killed and Brannen Bank robbery suspect in
and FWC access to the property to see
if the kitten s mother could be located.
two seriously
custody in Plant City
Their research concluded that the kitten
most likely became lost during a rare
encounter of two mothers with kittens
injured in
From The Citrus County Sheriff Dept.
crossing paths in the field and the kit-
closed amount of cash, walked out of the
ten attempted to leave with the wrong
bank and drove away. Bank surveillance
After months of investigative work,
mother. Unfortunately they did not find
Lecanto crash
video showed the female suspect wearing a
detectives with the Citrus County Sheriff's
the kitten's mother and therefore were
long purple dress and what appeared to be a
Office have zeroed in on a suspect they be-
not able to reunite them.
wig on her head.
lieve robbed the Floral City Brannen Bank
USFWS and the FWC worked
From the FHP
Bank employees told detectives
in March, 2015.
together to find a permanent home for
that the suspect apologized because she had
A Lecanto man was killed and two
On July 7, 2016, the local sheriff's
Sakata as it does for cats that for what-
thrown up in the bathroom before the rob-
Land O Lakes residents seriously injured in
office assisted the FBI with a search war-
ever reason could not survive in the
bery took place. Crime scene technicians
a traffic crash in Citrus County on July 13.
rant of the suspect s home in
wild. They decided that Ellie Schiller
lifted a finger print from a disinfectant spray
The crash occurred at 8:00 am in Lecanto,
Brooksville. Fourty-six year-
Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
in the restroom. They also lifted finger prints
in the northbound lane of County Rd. 491
old, Elizabeth Perkins, 3000
would be Sakata s new home. The park
(Lecanto Hwy.) at Hopkins Ln.
from a paper water cup used by the suspect.
Sand Crane Pass, was arrested
is currently home to Yuma, a two and a
According to the Florida Highway
The fingerprints were run through the Au-
for a bank robbery in Plant
half year old Florida Panther who was
Patrol, James Keith Hughes, 34 of Lecanto,
tomated Fingerprint Identification System
City. Charges against her for
also rescued as an orphan. Park has a
was driving a 2012 Nissan Altima, travel-
(AFIS), but no match was found. The paper
the March 2015 Citrus County
Perkins
large panther habitat.
ing south on County Rd. 491, south of Hop-
cup was forwarded to the Florida Depart-
bank robbery are forthcoming.
kins Ln. as Brian Blain Taylor, 57, Land O
ment of Law Enforcement (FDLE), where a
Shortly before 4:00 pm on March
Easier Than eBay
Lakes, FL was driving a 2005 Dodge pickup
female DNA profile was obtained.
24 of last year, the suspect, believed to be
You can now place classified ads at the
truck, traveling north on County Rd. 491.
In February, 2016, Plant City had
Perkins, walked into the Brannen Bank in
a similar bank robbery in which the sus-
For unknown reasons, the Altima, driven by
Floral City and spoke to employees about
Food Ranch Service Desk - 25 words/$12.
Mr. Hughes, entered the northbound lane of
pect went into the bank and talked with
opening an account. When she was in-
New deadline: Monday 12 noon at the Inglis
travel. To avoid the Altima, the pickup truck
the branch manager about financing a land
formed that the bank was closing, the sus-
Food Ranch service Desk. Cash or Check.
purchase. The following day, she returned
driven by Mr. Taylor traveled onto the out-
pect showed a firearm and placed bank
No refunds for early cancellations
Continued on page 4 - Fatal Crash
employees in the vault. She took an undis-
Continued on page 8 - Robbery Suspect