Snorkeler Survives Gator Attack Candidate A.B
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Olympics: Franklin, Grevers win backstroke golds for U.S. /B1 TUESDAY TODAY CITRUS COUNTY & next morning HIGH 89 Expect storms and LOW showers. Localized flooding is possible. 78 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com JULY 31, 2012 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community 50¢ VOLUME 117 ISSUE 359 NEWS BRIEFS Snorkeler survives gator attack Candidate A.B. SIDIBE tor’s jaws. The alligator to Oak Hill Hospital in Her- forum 7 p.m. Staff Writer then closed its mouth nando County for treat- tonight around Hubbard’s head. ment. There were no Gator safety guidelines CHASSAHOWITZKA — Hubbard started jabbing reports of his medical con- The Citrus County Chronicle’s George Hubbard waded at the alligator’s throat with dition or if he was admitted The Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) candidate away from a wooden ramp his left arm, before break- to the hospital at press time. uses contracted nuisance alligator trappers through- forum is 7 p.m. today Sunday into the Chassahow- ing free and swimming back Hopkins Wilder, a Ho- out the state to remove alligators that have become a at the Citrus County itzka River and ran head across the river to the dock. mosassa resident, was one problem. If an alligator is 4 feet or longer and the com- Auditorium on U.S. 41 first into the wide open jaws “An alligator will bite and of the first people to arrive plaint meets other qualifying criteria, SNAP will issue south of Inverness, at of a 7-foot alligator. then automatically roll (with on the scene. a permit to a contracted nuisance alligator trapper the fairgrounds. Doors The 70-year-old man, of his prey),” FFWS Officer “He was bleeding pretty authorizing the removal of the animal. open at 6 p.m. Lithia in Hillsborough Jeff Summers said Monday. bad when I saw him,” he In 2010, SNAP received 13,047 nuisance alligator Candidates whose County, told Florida Fish “This gentleman is lucky.” said. complaints, resulting in the removal of 5,856 nuisance names are on the and Wildlife Services Hubbard received punc- Katie Lucas, spokes- alligators. Aug. 14 primary bal- officials he was snorkeling ture wounds to his arm and woman with Nature Coast See SNAP/ Page A2 lot will be speaking. when he ran into the alliga- head and was transported See GATOR/ Page A2 All candidates, in- cluding those not in the primary, were in- vited to be on hand to greet the public. For more informa- Dollar tion, call Mike Wright at 352-563-3228. Sugarmill Wear and tear General road closure Aug. 6 The Citrus County robbed road maintenance di- vision will be repair- ing part of W. Oak Suspect caught Park Boulevard in NANCY KENNEDY Sugarmill Woods Staff Writer from Monday, Aug. 6, to Monday, Aug. 20. INVERNESS — The Dol- The roadway on W. lar General store south of Oak Park Boulevard Inverness on U.S. 41 was between Corkwood the scene of an armed rob- Boulevard to W. Na- bery Monday morning. tivity Lane will be According to the Citrus County Sheriff ’s Office, closed to repair an Eliud Rodriguez II, 32, of area of the road that Dunnellon, entered the is prone to flooding. store wear- —From staff reports ing a white hockey- INSIDE style mask and blue HEALTH & LIFE: rubber gloves, wielding a knife. Eliud Accord- Rodriguez II ing to the MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle held on sheriff ’s of- Water management officials have delayed dredging of the Chassahowitzka River’s main spring until next year. $50,000 bond. fice report, he approached a store clerk and demanded money. The Residents worried about Chassahowitzka River water quality clerk handed him an undis- MIKE WRIGHT closed amount of cash from Staff Writer the register and Rodriguez fled, the report said. CHASSAHOWITZKA — It looks A nearby business owner so pristine, so calm and so beautiful. told a sheriff ’s detective that The Chassahowitzka River does- he recognized Rodriguez as n’t draw jet skis like Crystal River someone who had been in Distracted or commercial fishermen like the his business before, and had Cities ponder how to Homosassa River. seen him Monday walking keep distracted walkers Kayaks and canoes are just as along the side of Dollar Gen- from harm./Page C1 likely to head upstream as motor- eral putting on the white ized boats. The tree-lined shore, mask and blue gloves, ac- ASK THE EXPERTS: much of it owned by the govern- cording to the report. The ment, shows little sign of human witness also said he saw Ro- life but for a smattering of cabins a driguez leaving Dollar Gen- few miles from the headspring. eral, removing the mask and Skip Gandy lives in one of these gloves and leaving the scene houses, far from any road or elec- in a vehicle. tric pole. Solar rays from the sun About an hour after the provide the power he needs. His robbery occurred, Ro- airboat takes him where he wants driguez was arrested a to go. short distance from the Gandy — whose great-grandfa- scene, at 1009 Princeton St. ther is the name behind the Gandy MIKE WRIGHT/Chronicle in Inverness, after the wit- Bridge that crosses Tampa Bay — Brad Rimbey, left, and Skip Gandy are worried about the river’s health. ness positively identified discovered Chassahowitzka 25 Government inaction, they said, is making it worse. the suspect. years ago while taking photographs A second witness also re- of the area for the developers of springs along the river’s route and “The system is very complex. They ported seeing Rodriguez Sugarmill Woods. in tucked-away coves are clogged don’t understand the intricacies of enter a vehicle parked near Health & Life “The water was so clean,” Gandy with silt. Cypress trees closer to the the system.” her business and saw him Doctors Bennett, said. gulf are sinking into the river, the Catching much of their ire is the leave the area at the time of Gandhi, Grillo and To an outsider, the water still victims of erosion brought by salt Southwest Florida Water Manage- the robbery, according to Vascimini share their looks clean. But Gandy and his water. ment District, which is delaying for the report. expertise./Page C1 friend, Brad Rimbey, said looks are Rimbey, who has lived in Chassa- a second time a planned dredging Rodriguez was arrested deceiving. howitzka for six years but first went project in the main spring. on a charge of robbery with COMING UP Rimbey, an engineer who recon- on the river in the 1980s, said locals The district also last week re- a firearm or other danger- understand the river. Government leased revised minimum flows and TOMORROW: structs accident scenes for attor- ous weapon and taken to neys and insurance companies, bureaucrats, he said, do not. levels for the Chassahowitzka and the county jail. Forum lives on a feeder canal a quarter- “The water here is different than Homosassa rivers. The new report Bond was set at $50,000. Read what the mile from the headspring. in the main spring,” Rimbey said recommends setting the minimum Chronicle reporter Nancy candidates have to say He and Gandy said water quality recently while cruising at slow Kennedy can be reached at at the Chronicle’s has deteriorated. Once-thriving speed with Gandy, heading west. See RIVER/ Page A2 nkennedy@chronicle candidate forum. online.com or 352-564-2927. /Wednesday INDEX Comics . .C8 Report: Woman stabbed after fight over man Community . .C6 Crossword . .C7 A.B. SIDIBE Editorial . .A8 rested Heather Colleen O’Brien and Bidwell began ar- well was stabbed in the groin Entertainment . .B6 Staff Writer O’Brien, 932 E. Winetka St., guing and fighting in the bar and thigh areas. Horoscope . .B6 Hernando, on a charge of ag- before being ordered to leave. O’Brien told investigators Lottery Numbers . .B4 A bar fight early Monday be- gravated battery causing bodily The fight reportedly continued she was arguing with her ex- Lottery Payouts . .B6 tween two women, reportedly harm. outside and witnesses said boyfriend inside the bar and he Movies . .C8 over a boyfriend, led to a stab- According to the arrest re- they saw O’Brien run to her ve- spit in her face. Once outside, Obituaries . .A5 bing, according to the Citrus port, O’Brien and Bidwell hicle and grab something, go O’Brien claimed, her ex- Classifieds . .C9 County Sheriff ’s Office. began an argument via text back to the fight, and stab Bid- boyfriend punched her in the TV Listings . .C7 Ashley Bidwell, the recipient message and at some point well, who immediately face and she started fighting Heather of the knife wounds, was air- O’Brien decided to go confront slumped over. Bidwell report- with him. She said it was then O’Brien lifted to Shands hospital for Bidwell at T-Back’s Bar, at 4591 edly staggered back into the Bidwell got into the fray. charged with treatment. N. Carl G. Rose Boulevard. bar and called authorities. battery; bond Meanwhile, investigators ar- According to witnesses, According to the report, Bid- See ARREST/ Page A2 set at $5,000. A2 TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2012 CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE “Spring and summer months swim, exercise or drink are more dangerous for interac- in or near waters that State BRIEFS GATOR tion with alligators because they SNAP may contain alligators. Continued from Page A1 are more active,” Summers said. Continued from Page A1 ■ Never feed alliga- Court tosses part Hearing set in “There is no body of water in tors — it’s dangerous of anti-gang laws prison health care EMS, said her agency got the call Florida that doesn’t have the pos- Here are some tips and illegal.