Six juveniles charged after fight at Spring Hill McDonald’s
Six juveniles charged in connection with a Sept. 25 fight at the McDonald’s at Mariner and Northcliffe boulevards in Spring Hill, Sheriff Al Nienhuis said.
The fight broke out about noon on a half-day for students, when the restaurant was crowded, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Each was charged with misdemeanor battery and a felony count of participating in an affray or riot, the agency said.
The investigation is ongoing, Nienhuis said.
Two sexual predators arrested for reporting violations
Two registered sexual predators were arrested Oct. 2 on charges of failing to comply with Florida’s registration requirements after detectives served a search warrant at a Brooksville home, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s detectives, backed by the agency’s SWAT team and Special Victims Unit and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, served the warrant at 6233 Secret Place.
Jonnie Russell Barker, 59, was adjudicated guilty in Hernando County in 1997 of sexual battery on a child by an adult, a conviction that led to his designation as a sexual predator. He was taken to the Hernando County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond.
Ronda Charlene Hawkins, 45, was adjudicated guilty in Hernando County in 2025 of soliciting, possessing, controlling or intentionally viewing child pornography, a conviction that also resulted in a sexual predator designation.
The investigation is ongoing and includes extracting and analyzing data from smartphones seized during the search, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Spring Hill motorcyclist killed in Mariner Boulevard crash
A 24-year-old Spring Hill man died after his motorcycle struck a car turning in front of him on Mariner Boulevard, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The man was riding a Kawasaki south on Mariner at high speed about 8:20 p.m. Oct. 13, according to FHP. A Nissan Sentra driven by a 41-year-old Port Richey man was heading east on Lola Drive and turned left at the intersection into the motorcycle’s path.
The motorcyclist died at the scene.
Fire Rescue logs 3,644 calls in September
BROOKSVILLE — Hernando County Fire Rescue answered 3,644 calls for service in September, according to the department’s monthly statistics.
Crews made 2,236 patient transports and responded to 37 brush, vehicle and structure fires. The department estimates firefighters saved $4.64 million in property.
Engine 12 was the busiest engine, with 310 runs. Rescue 10 led all rescue units, with 311.
Man killed in Spring Hill deputy shooting identified
SPRING HILL — The man who died in a shooting involving a Hernando County sheriff’s deputy Oct. 3 on Lori Drive has been identified as Kevin Joe Monday, 59, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Monday died at the scene.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is conducting an independent investigation. The Sheriff’s Office has released no other details, including what led to the shooting.
Deputies make 4 arrests, find 5 missing people over weekend
BROOKSVILLE — Hernando County sheriff’s deputies arrested four people and found five missing people safe over the previous weekend, according to the Sheriff’s Office’s weekly briefing.
Among the cases:
A deputy pulled over a vehicle for an equipment violation, and the driver got out and ran. Deputies and K-9 teams set up a perimeter, found him hiding in a wooded area and took him into custody. The Sheriff’s Office listed the case as resisting law enforcement.
A man accused of injuring someone in a domestic fight ran into nearby woods before deputies arrived. Deputies found him and charged him with felony battery.
Deputies responding to a fight between two people who knew each other at a business said one took property from the other by force. After a search with a K-9 team and a drone, deputies found the suspect with the property and made an arrest on a robbery charge.
A Springstead High School student was arrested and taken to the juvenile detention center after a fight with another student on campus. The school resource deputy determined which student was the aggressor.
A runaway juvenile trying to leave the state was found at a regional airport before boarding, with help from airport police, and reunited with family.
Another runaway who fled on foot after an argument was found unharmed nearby after a search by deputies, K-9 teams and drone operators, and returned to his guardian.
Deputies found three missing adults: a woman with a medical condition who had walked away from a home, found nearby in good health; a person who left a home after a disagreement, found safe in a neighboring jurisdiction; and a person who walked away from a medical facility, found at a home in Spring Hill.
The Sheriff’s Office cited Marsy’s Law, the state’s 2018 victims’ rights amendment, in withholding details of incidents classified as crimes.