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Police reports
By Times staff reports Bat-wielding driver jailed on chargesAn apparent case of road rage landed a 49-year-old Spring Hill man in the Hernando County Jail on Tuesday. Witnesses told deputies that Frederic William Heustic, of 17939 Good Hope Lane, got out of his Cadillac with a baseball bat at Forest Oaks Boulevard and Thunderbird Avenue and pounded on the rear bumper of a pickup truck driven by 24-year-old Danielle Ortiz. According to a sheriff's report, Heustic, who was carrying lumber in his trunk, was forced to stop quickly when Ortiz's truck stalled twice in front of him. Ortiz, whose 2-year-old son, Lucas, was in the truck with her, made an obscene gesture toward Heustic after he blew his horn when she stalled the first time, according to the report. Heustic told deputies he believed Ortiz had stopped in front of him intentionally. He was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon and jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail. Kmart sues county property appraiserKmart has joined a line of retailers challenging Hernando County over tangible property values. In a complaint filed Tuesday, Kmart sued the property appraiser, the tax collector and the executive director of the state Department of Revenue, saying its 2001 assessment is unfair. On March 5, the Florida Supreme Court is expected to hear a case involving Hernando County's property appraiser and Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart sued the appraiser's office, saying it overvalued furniture, fixtures and equipment in a 1997 assessment. The company lost its case in Circuit Court. Since Wal-Mart's action, county officials said other retailers have followed suit. As the companies argue unfair assessments, the county says it stands to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees. Nearby counties face similar situations and officials are awaiting the outcome of the Hernando case. Four charged in plan to beat up teenFour Spring Hill teens were arrested Tuesday after telling deputies they planned to lure another teen from his home and attack him in retaliation for a friend who was beaten up. Julie Casten, 15, of 7164 Logan St., Kenneth Dunham, 17, of 120 Fargo Court, Dylan Maxwell Sigler, 16, of 4095 Montano Ave., and Shawn Michael Young, 15, of 6307 Pinehurst Drive, were charged with conspiracy to commit aggravated battery on Donald Strickland, 16, of 4270 Surfside Court. Sigler, who was also charged with possession of a BB gun, was taken to a juvenile facility in Ocala. The others were released to their parents. According to a sheriff's report, the teens fled after Strickland brandished a BB gun that looked like a handgun. The report said the teens planned to attack Strickland because one of his friends had beat up a friend of theirs. Deputies investigate smashed auto windowsDeputies were investigating a rash of smashed vehicle windows early Tuesday in Spring Hill. The Hernando County Sheriff's Office took 18 reports in the area just north and south of Spring Hill Drive between Mariner Boulevard and Barclay Avenue. Lt. Joe Paez said the incidents appear to be related, but no suspects have been identified. He said the culprit likely used a baseball bat or tire iron to break the windows. "Someone had a full day yesterday," he said. "The same thing was done at each and every one."
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From today's Hernando Times |
