Man already in jail accused in shooting

Police say he shot the owner of Boyett's Grove twice in the chest on April 25.

By LOGAN NEILL and JOEL ANDERSON, Times Staff Writer
Published January 23, 2008

Detective Tom Banks talks with Kathy Oleson on Tuesday after an arrest was made in the near fatal shooting of her husband, Jim, during a robbery at Boyett's Grove and Citrus Attraction in Spring Lake. Two accomplices remain at large.
	[Maurice Rivenbark | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT Elijah Montgomery, 23 faces five counts, including attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated assault with a firearm and two counts of robbery with a firearm.

SPRING LAKE - With police hard on his heels, Elijah Montgomery ran through an Orlando neighborhood in June, dropping a pistol and his driver's license. When officers finally caught up with him, the evidence he tossed aside helped solve a mystery nearly 70 miles away in rural Hernando County.

Montgomery, a 23-year-old Orlando man with an extensive criminal history, is accused of being one of three robbers who hit the Boyett's Grove and Citrus Attraction on April 25.

Montgomery, police say, is the triggerman who shot owner Jim Oleson twice in the chest with a large-caliber handgun, the same pistol that police picked up on that Orlando street.

Why Montgomery was in Spring Lake that day and the names of his two alleged accomplices, who wore Halloween masks during the attack on the roadside attraction, remain mysteries.

With the two assailants still at large, Kathy Oleson was reluctant on Tuesday to relax entirely.

"It's a relief," she said. "I know it's far from over, but it's a start. My husband and I and all of our neighbors can rest easier."

Still, Mrs. Oleson was so wary of the suspects still at large that she refused to allow her photo to be taken for the newspaper.

The Olesons' ordeal began when three bandits burst into the attraction at 4355 Spring Lake Highway on a quiet afternoon on April 25. While the two masked men held a customer down and searched the store, the gunman first destroyed the phones and then grabbed Mrs. Oleson by the hair.

Montgomery, police say, dragged Mrs. Oleson around the store demanding money and threatening to kill her. When they stepped into a back room, they came upon Jim Oleson working on a computer. He stood up, and the gunman fired two shots into his chest.

The suspects then fled the store, eluding a massive police search in a late-1980s white Mercedes sedan.

Jim Oleson, 59, spent several weeks in intensive care at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa fighting for his life and buoyed by the best wishes of family and a community of friends established over the 40 years the couple has run Boyett's Grove.

With the help of teams of volunteers who cared for the attraction's zoo animals and held fundraising barbecues to defray expenses, Boyett's survived being closed for nearly three months.

On July 1, the attraction reopened. Only 10 days before, on June 21, police were booking Montgomery into an Orlando jail after he allegedly pointed a gun at a woman.

Forensic tests by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement matched the pistol to a shell casing recovered by Hernando sheriff's technicians at Boyett's Grove.

In December, the Olesons picked Montgomery out of a lineup at the Orange County jail.

Hernando sheriff's officials announced Tuesday that Montgomery faces five counts here, including attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated assault with a firearm and two counts of robbery with a firearm.

"We can place him at the scene, we have the gun in his hand," said sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Black. "We have the guy."

Montgomery is being held without bail in Orlando. He won't face charges in Hernando until his case in Orange County has been resolved.

"We have a hold on him as soon as he's released," Black said. "He's not going anywhere."

Montgomery, who goes by the street name of "Money," has had previous arrests for possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, selling cocaine, sexual assault and multiple sex offenses against children.

He faces seven charges stemming from his June 21 arrest including aggravated assault, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, discharging a firearm in public, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and carrying a concealed firearm.

Black would not go into details about what brought Montgomery to Hernando County other than to say that he has ties here. "This case still isn't over with," she reiterated. "The investigation continues and will continue until all those responsible for this crime are behind bars."

As for the Olesons, they are trying to get their lives back to normal.

"Jim Oleson comes for an hour or so whenever he feels up to it," said Mrs. Oleson, 56. "Just having him around is a blessing to me."

She gets emotional when she talks about the outpouring of concern during her family's time of need. And while the going has been tough, the couple never considered giving up the business.

"Jim and I feel exactly the same," she said. "No one can stop you from doing what you love to do. This is our business. This is who we are."

Times researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. Joel Anderson can be reached at joelanderson@sptimes.com or 754-6120. Logan Neill can be reached at lneill@sptimes.com or 848-1436.

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Who to call

Anyone with information regarding this case should call the Sheriff's Office at (352) 754-6830. Calls can be made anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (866) 990-TIPS (8477). A $1,000 reward has been offered in the case.

[Last modified January 22, 2008, 21:30:18]