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Clerk beaten with shovel leaves hospital
By CARRIE JOHNSON
© St. Petersburg Times, CRYSTAL RIVER -- Linda Varone was just barely clinging to life as she was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital last week. Authorities said her neighbor, Dennis A. Burke, beat her with a shovel so savagely that blood covered half her face. She could barely talk by the time Citrus County sheriff's deputies found her. In Burke's arrest report, a deputy noted it was "quite possible she could pass away at any time." The 53-year-old Crystal River resident spent days in critical condition, her heartbeat and breathing unstable. Then the unexpected occurred. On Monday, Varone's condition was upgraded to "serious." Her situation was still tenuous, but not as dire. On Wednesday, Varone, a tax deed clerk at the Citrus County Courthouse in Inverness, was released from the hospital. "It's just miraculous," said Clerk of the Circuit Court Betty Strifler. "We're all very pleased and very relieved." Linda Varone's husband, Frank, declined to be interviewed. He said his wife's health was still fragile and she needed time to recover. Burke also tried to kill Frank Varone the night of July 18, law officers have alleged. They say Burke pointed a pistol at Varone and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire. Frank Varone, 57, wrestled the gun away from Burke and held him down until sheriff's deputies arrived, the Sheriff's Office said. Burke lived with his mother around the corner from the Varones. Neighbors said they often saw Burke and Frank Varone together and believed them to be friends. Burke, 48, is being held without bail at the Citrus County jail on two counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon and one count each of armed burglary of a conveyance, armed burglary of a dwelling and grand theft. He has not been formally charged by the state attorney's office. Assistant State Attorney Lisa Herndon said charges should be filed within the next two weeks. Linda Varone has worked in the court clerk's office since August 1997, Strifler said. News of the injuries had cast a pall over the staff. But by Thursday, the dark cloud had lifted. "We're looking forward to her getting stronger and better every day," Strifler said.
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