75 Cents The Sweetest Strawberries this side of Heaven KEEP INFORMED @ Bradford County Bradford County Telegraph Facebook page Bradford County Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management elegraph 904-966-6336 TUSPS 062-700 — Starke, Florida Thursday, August 29, 2019 140th Year, 4th Issue Two shootings, one murder Questions follow violent crimes in Starke Community BY MARK J. CRAWFORD reported a disturbance and multiple Telegraph Editor gunshots in the area. Starke police officer Donna Banach Two people were shot in Starke last spoke to the victim at Shands Starke week and one of them died, and while News Regional Medical Center, and the no one has been charged in the murder, victim was not fully cooperative. a teenager and an accomplice were She wouldn’t identify the location arrested in connection with the initial of the trailer where she was shot and shooting as well as other crimes. would not say if she was driven to the A call for prayer The name of the first victim was not location or drove there herself. She released, but she was transferred from You are invited to join in a said she did not know either of the the hospital in Starke to Gainesville Community Day of Prayer on men who attacked her, saying only where she underwent surgery after Thursday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m. at the that they were younger black men being shot three times on Sunday, RJE ballfield on Old Lawtey Road in wearing masks. Aug. 18. Starke’s Reno/District 2 community. When police later spoke with her Early Wednesday morning, Aug. Come together and pray for the following her surgery for injuries 20, 46-year-old Franklin Williams Reno community, our youth and the that included gunshot wounds to her was shot and killed. Bradford County community as a lower abdomen and right leg —one Suspects 16-year-old Taqee H. whole. of which shattered her femur — she Muhammad and 19-year-old Dejuan remembered being shot and dragged Tyshawn Jefferson were arrested later across the road, and then waking up in that day. the hospital. The timeline between the two The female friend who transported Be free from shootings and the perception of Muhammad Jefferson the victim to the hospital was also inaction raised questions in the drugs reluctant to cooperate, making up a community, and law enforcement story about being called to the victim’s Drug Addicts Anonymous meets on officials from the Bradford County home and finding her lying wounded Fridays at 7 p.m. at The Church of God Sheriff’s Office, Starke Police in her driveway. This was inconsistent by Faith Community and Learning Department as well as Starke city with what law enforcement observed Center, 721 Old Lawtey Road in commissioners responded to those and at the victim’s home, including the Starke, which is at the corner of State other concerns during a community victim’s vehicle, which had not been Road 16 and Old Lawtey Road. meeting Monday night. moved, and no evidence she could For more information, go to daausa. The community wanted to know have been found lying near it. Police org or call 904-449-1826. why Starke police waited to act on Detective Robert Starling, who spoke a home search warrant, potentially to her in the emergency room, also allowing a suspect the opportunity to found no record on the friend’s phone continue endangering the public. that the victim had called her. RJE reunion this Sgt. Hannah Haas, who had been What happened? on the scene at the victim’s home, weekend spoke to the friend and convinced her The first shooting on Aug. 18 The RJE Alumni will be celebrating to cooperate. After being transported involved a woman who told police she 110 years this weekend. Every other to the police department, the friend went to the trailer at 942 Old Lawtey year this celebration takes place before admitted in a recorded interview to Road to purchase crack cocaine. It Bradford and Union county SWAT teams and the Starke Police Labor Day. was between the hours of 2 and 3 a.m., Department cooperated on the warrant search of this residence on Please note schedule and other and a call to dispatch around 2:44 a.m. Old Lawtey Road that led to arrests connected with a shooting in changes, including cancellation of the Starke. See SHOOTINGS, 2A Friday night Country Hoedown. On Saturday, Aug. 31, the banquet begins with a social hour at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Held at the Gov. Charley E. Johns Conference Three die in Tuesday morning crash Center, the banquet is semiformal/ dressy, and tickets are $35. They must be purchased in advance by calling BY MARK J. CRAWFORD 904-964-8156. Telegraph Editor On Sunday, Sept. 1, at 1:30 p.m. the alumni will gather at the Starke Three people are dead, including a mother and son, following an Church of God by Faith on the corner early morning collision on State Road 100 on Tuesday. of S.R. 16 and Old Lawtey Road. Deceased are 35-year-old Laura Wilbert and 16-year-old Minister Cecil Williams, formerly of Christian Okrasinski, both of Starke, and 53-year-old Kevin Booth Lawtey and a member of the Class of of Keystone Heights. 1967, will be the messenger. A Florida Highway Patrol report offered only a few details on the On Monday, Sept. 2, at 8 a.m., a crash, which took place around 6:51 a.m. Aug. 27 at the intersection The crash group of alumni will depart from the of S.R. 100 and Southeast 109th Street, also known as Meng Dairy happened at RJE gymnasium for a five-day Eastern Road. S.R. 100 at Caribbean cruise. According to the report, Booth’s vehicle, a 2005 Ford F250, was Meng Dairy Anyone who attended RJE or traveling west in the eastbound travel lane of S.R. 100. Wilbert and Road. who has a family member or friends her son in her 2012 Ford Fiesta were headed east in that lane, and who attended the school is welcome Booth collided with them, causing both vehicles to roll over. to celebrate the reunion. For more information, please contact President Glory Jackson at 904-964-8357. Start of Parenting classes a new offered in Starke Bradford County residents trained streak? by the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Gainesville are offering a Bradford High School series of parenting classes in Starke ended a 10-game losing for the first time. NAMI Basics is for streak to Baker County, parents or caregivers of children or defeating the visiting teens with mental illnesses, feelings or Wildcats 27-24 to open the behaviors, including rage, depression, regular season on Aug. 23. anxiety, self-harm, substance abuse, The Tornadoes’ last win in etc. the series was in 2005 by a The classes — which will be held score of 20-18. Baker won on Thursdays from Sept. 19 to Oct. the following 10 games by 24 at Answers Health and Resource an average score of 28-9. Facility, 512 W. Weldon St. — are free, but you must preregister by Bradford now leads the calling 352-335-7770 or emailing overall series 41-23-1. See [email protected]. the Regional News section Austin Lovell (left) gets a hug from Brian Tomlinson, As the final seconds wind down, Jackson Smith for more. the third-year head coach who was facing Baker (left) and Adontae Balfour start the celebration. County for the first time. Weekly deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. • Phone 904-964-6305 • Fax 904-964-8628 [email protected] • www.StarkeJournal.com • 2A Bradford County Telegraph • Thursday, August 29, 2019 Starke Commissioner Janice Mortimer poses a question to law enforcement during the community meeting that was held at the RJE Center on Monday. SHOOTINGS Continued from 1A driving the victim to purchase crack cocaine, and she identified the location as 942 Old Lawtey Road. She circled the block during the attempted drug buy, Carolyn Spooner, former Starke mayor and commissioner, flanked by Commissioner she said, and transported the Shannon Smith, Sheriff Gordon Smith and Mayor Danny Nugent, says there are victim to the hospital after she pockets of problems that everyone knows about that are not being addressed. was shot. Later that morning, Detective Starling went to 942 Old Lawtey ‘We’ve got to take back our community.’ — Janice Mortimer Road and tried to make contact with the homeowner. While waiting for a response, he noticed the cafeteria of the RJE Center enforcement, knows it, but it she and her family had been a spent shell casing in the dirt. Aug. 26. seems like nothing is ever done victimized repeatedly said While Starling was drafting Questions about the timeline about it. she felt abandoned by law a request for a search warrant, and response from law Mortimer opened the meeting enforcement and now felt it was the homeowner came out and enforcement were among the insisting that calm heads prevail, up to her to defend herself. She spoke to him. The homeowner first asked, and Mortimer read and they did, but that didn’t said individuals have been acting said he knew nothing about an them on behalf of residents who prevent community members out and even flaunting their altercation or shooting on his wished to remain anonymous. from calling out law enforcement firearms on social media. property and consented to allow They wanted to know when the for a perceived lack of presence “They gave you fair warning Starling to search the grounds.
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