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Girls tennis honor: Labrador crowned top player /B1 THURSDAY CITRUS COUNTY TODAY & Friday morning HIGH Partly cloudy. A slight 86 chance of showers. LOW North winds 5 mph. 59 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com MAY 10, 2012 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOLUME 117 ISSUE 277 NEWS BRIEFS Brain cancer doesn’t deter dreams Pacemaker finds its Artist’s spirit to create remains alive despite debilitating disease way home NANCY KENNEDY colored pencils. dreams or his identity. Bob Logan, so he returned The mysterious Staff Writer He would capture the sun He’s an artist. Jamie to Bolton Landing, where disappearance of a as it sets or rises; draw to Stemler is an artist. his father lives, and started pacemaker and de- FLORAL CITY — If brain perfection the face and ■■■ his first T-shirt business — fibrillator from a table cancer hadn’t made speak- curves of a beautiful Stemler grew up in at the Citrus Hills In- ing so difficult, Jamie Stem- woman. Bolton Landing, in upstate See CANCER/ Page A2 formation Fiesta last ler would tell you that his For most of his 43 years, New York, and came to Cit- week has been dream is to go to Costa Rica Stemler has lived for art. rus County in 1985. He grad- Jamie Stemler, 43, lives and draw. solved — sort of. It’s who he is, what he was uated from Citrus High one day at a time with brain He would love nothing Citrus Memorial created to do. School in 1987 and then cancer. He enjoys painting more than to work six Even as brain cancer — went to St. John’s Commu- hospital received the on his parents’ porch. months out of the year and glioblastoma multiforme — nity College in Palatka for a Stemler was diagnosed last devices by mail on then spend the next six has taken away his skills year. year with glioblastoma Monday, said Millie months in the sun, on the and continues to erode his But he wanted to experi- multiforme, Stage 4 cancer. King, president of beach, just him and a set of life, it hasn’t taken away his ence life, said his stepfather Special to the Chronicle Mended Hearts of Citrus County Chap- ter 367. The pack- age was sent anonymously, King said. Gun The pacemaker and defibrillator were Man guilty in drug case on display at the Mended Hearts table during the informa- range tion fiesta at Citrus Hills Golf and Coun- try Club. Someone took the devices, ei- hits ther thinking they were free or with an- other intention in mind. target Mended Hearts volunteers said the display devices were donated by the man- ufacturer and worth- Commission less as they did not include the required approves equipment to function. sport-shooting “On behalf of Mended Hearts of recreation area Citrus County, we CHRIS VAN ORMER want you to know how very thankful we Staff Writer are for this good Dozen of shooting enthu- deed and it also siasts turned out Tuesday gives us a renewed for the final public hearing faith in humanity,” to approve a gun and King wrote in an archery range in Lecanto. email to the Chroni- MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle “I have never seen an ap- cle. “We hope the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office Detective Juan Santiago explains his sketch Wednesday morning in Circuit Court plication receive as much person(s) returning Judge Richard “Ric” Howard’s courtroom. Santiago arrested Travis McCourt in 2009 for possession of a controlled public support as this one,” them will visit us for substance and other drug-related offenses. Clark Stillwell told the Cit- one of our meetings, rus County Board of County which (are) held on Commissioners (BOCC). the second Friday of Faces up to 60 years in prison if tagged a habitual offender Stillwell represented Ron each month in the and Michele Goodenow, old brick historic Cit- Court as the possessor and distrib- who will build the $1.1 mil- A.B. SIDIBE rus High School, utor of the drugs. lion project comprising an Prosecutor Paul Norville laid out Gulf room, at Staff Writer indoor archery range, a trap the events of that September night 10 a.m.” and skeet field, a pistol INVERNESS — A man accused before jurors and ended his case by range and a rifle range on a — Mike Wright/staff writer of being a drug dealer and toting a asking jurors who goes to a conven- 30-acre site off County Road “pharmacy” was convicted by a jury ience store at night to pick up a 490 opposite the junction Wednesday in Circuit Judge INSIDE wad of cash for remodeling work? with South Rock Crusher Richard “Ric” Howard’s courtroom. Meanwhile, defense attorney Road in Lecanto. Approval SPORTS HONORS: In a protracted case that seems Eric Evilsizer tried to cast doubt on of the plan would change Last call to have turned on the propriety of a ownership of the drug-laden black zoning of the property from black lunchbox or mobile phar- Monday is the last day bag and even suggested it was a low density residential with to buy tickets to the macy of a drug pusher, Travis Jack lunchbox with sandwich bags in it. mobile homes allowed to in- annual Chronicle sports McCourt, 46, of N. Arkansas Ter- Evilsizer also had to bat down a dustrial. The site is in two banquet./Page B1 race, Hernando, was found guilty confession reportedly made by Mc- connected sections, one on seven of eight drug charges by Court within earshot of another of- part having been a mine ENTERTAINMENT: an all-female jury. ficer to the main prosecution and another for timber. McCourt was arrested and witness and author of the bust, Cit- After a discussion, the charged Sept. 18, 2009, with felony rus County Sheriff ’s Office Detec- BOCC unanimously ap- possession of a controlled sub- Travis McCourt listens to testimony tive Juan Santiago. proved the project. stance (methamphetamine), pos- Wednesday morning. During testimony, Santiago told Only one person re- session of a controlled substance jurors he was sitting in an un- mained discontent. Linda (oxycodone, Oxycontin, Soma, ous felony convictions, and the marked vehicle in front Cumber- Boutwell spoke again, as methadone, alprazolam and hy- prosecution is seeking to tag him as land Farms store in Citrus Springs she had at the previous drocodone), selling/manufactur- a habitual offender. Without the when McCourt drove up in an In- public hearing in January, ing/dealing/possessing a controlled tag, McCourt would still face up to trepid and parked on one side of to say her home is in the fir- substance with intent to sell/manu- 30 years in prison. him, then another vehicle driven ing line of the proposed Racy reading facture/deliver and possession of Sentencing is set for June 13. by Shelly Carbonara pulled up on shooting range. She said the drug paraphernalia. For the most The prosecution came out of the the other side of him. In the pas- project was 6 feet from her Book deemed too serious felony of trafficking in oxy- gates resolute in its assertion that senger seat of Carbonara’s vehicle steamy for some property. codone, McCourt faces up 60 years the chronology of events and evi- libraries./Page B6 “Fifteen of the (range) po- in prison because he has 22 previ- dence would land in the lap of Mc- See TRIAL/ Page A2 sitions are shooting directly COMING UP at my property,” Boutwell TOMORROW: said. “I am worried about the safety and well-being of Airports my family.” New projects are Ron Goodenow pre- providing plenty of Bus driver quits after alcohol test sented the project to show hangar space at both that he had taken training county airports./Friday in gun range safety and MIKE WRIGHT District officials immedi- porting middle and high A supervisor met with the gone to extra lengths in de- Staff Writer ately suspended the driver school students. The driver and told him she sign safety. Goodenow said INDEX without pay and were to Chronicle is withholding wanted him to undergo an the project not only fol- INVERNESS — A Citrus alcohol screening. A com- begin termination pro- Comics . .C6 his name because he is not lowed National Rifle Asso- County school bus driver ceedings when he re- Community . .C4 being charged with a pany contracted with the ciation and state of Florida resigned Monday after signed, Himmel said. Crossword . .C5 crime. county conducted two onsite standards but went above being tested Friday morn- Officials also conducted Editorial . .A10 Human Resources Di- alcohol tests and the driver and beyond them with ing on suspicions that he an alcohol screening on an- Entertainment . .B6 rector Jeff Davis said the failed both, Himmel said. height of berms and netting. was under the influence of other school bus driver Horoscope . .B6 district’s transportation of- She declined to release Supporters of the project alcohol, Superintendent of who the man said had been Lottery Numbers . .B4 fice received an anony- the man’s blood-alcohol said the county needed a Schools Sandra “Sam” drinking with him Thurs- Lottery Payouts . .B6 mous call Friday morning content. gun range. Bud High of the Himmel said. day night. That test, how- Movies . .C6 saying a driver who was re- A driver is considered Citrus County Shooting The man, who did not ever, showed no alcohol in Obituaries . .A6 porting to work “had had a drunk on Florida roads Club said his shooters have Classifieds . .C7 drive his bus route Friday, the driver’s system, Davis long night” of drinking.

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