Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 NHL: Lightning host Islanders in pivotal Game 5 /B1 TUESDAY TODAY C I T R U S C O U N T Y & next morning HIGH 89 Humid with LOW showers, storms. 76 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com JUNE 22, 2021 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community $1 VOL. 126 ISSUE 258 NEWS BRIEFS Sex cases end with prison Court drops mask-wearing Two men plead guilty to molestation; woman gets probation in DUI case for courthouses Mask-wearing is no B U S T E R attempted lewd him to 15 years. between July 2015 and July its main office in Inver- longer required for in- THOMPSON and lascivious mo- Benson must 2018 inside his home, start- ness, out of contact with person hearings at court- Staff writer lestation on a child also serve 10 years ing when the child was students. houses across the state. younger than 12 of sex-offender around 9 years old. Benson’s last day inter- Bryar John-Dalton Ben- years old, and an probation after Before he was hired in acting with students was A Florida Supreme son, a Hernando Elemen- original charge of he’s released, and August 2019 by the Citrus March 9, during spring Court order by Chief Jus- tary School lewd and lascivi- must register as a County School District, break and when cam- tice Charles Canady al- paraprofessional and ous molestation of sexual predator according to prior re- puses were closed by lowed chief judges to drop teacher’s aide, agreed to a child between 12 Bryar for the rest of his ports, Benson worked for COVID-19. the face-covering and spend 15 years in state and 16 years old. Benson life. a Crystal River preschool School district spokes- social-distancing require- prison for illicitly touch- Per Benson’s plea agree- Citrus County Sheriff ’s and then the YMCA, over- woman Lindsay Blair said ments for courthouses in ing a boy inside his Her- ment with prosecutors, Cit- Office authorities arrested seeing after-school pro- Benson resigned May 14, their circuit, starting Mon- nando home. rus County Circuit Court Benson on May 15, 2020, grams and camps. 2020, “during termination day, June 21. Chief judges Benson pleaded no con- Judge Richard “Ric” How- after investigations dating When Benson was ar- proceedings.” must rescind the require- test Monday, June 21, to a ard ordered the 23-year- back to May 14 revealed rested, the school district ments by Aug. 2. modified charge of old guilty and sentenced Benson molested the boy reassigned him to work at See COURT/Page A2 Judges may still con- duct remote hearings for certain court proceedings, under Canady’s order. Fifth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Daniel B. Merritt, who covers Cit- rus, Hernando, Lake, Two decades of creative fun Marion and Sumter coun- ties, adopted Canady’s SALSA order. Canady’s order will introduces young also the end the suspen- sion of speedy trials. De- fendants arrested before minds to the arts March 14, 2020, and ju- HANNAH SACHEWICZ veniles will have their Staff writer speedy trial rights re- stored Oct. 4; defendants or 20 years, Summer Arts arrested afterward will be at Lecanto School of the granted speedy trial FArts (SALSA) camp has Jan. 3, 2022. been a creative outlet for Citrus County’s children. New circuit This year, students made ev- judge to take erything from papier-mâché doughnuts and ice cream cones bench in Citrus to hand-dyed scarves. At the end Citrus County will wel- of the week, students get to bring come the governor’s re- home each of their fun camp cent judgeship pick to its creations. courthouse. SALSA is sponsored by Le- After Gov. Ron DeSan- canto High School (LHS) and hosted by Lecanto Middle tis ap- School (LMS). pointed “The proceeds go back into him June building our art program,” Lee 11 to be a Partin, SALSA coordinator, said. circuit With the camp fees, the LHS art judge on program is able to purchase ma- Florida’s Joel terials that otherwise might not Fifth Cir- Fritton be within budget. cuit, which This year, from 8:30 a.m. to covers Citrus and four 1:30 p.m. June 14 to 18, students neighboring counties, from kindergarten through Joel D. Fritton was or- eighth grade rotated from class- dered to handle family room to classroom at LMS to complete various projects. Stu- law cases — adoptions, dents are grouped based upon marriage dissolutions, in- grade level. junctions, etc. — in the Camp projects encourage stu- county, starting July 1. dents to think outside of the box. According to administra- For example, students were in- tive orders, Fritton will take structed to make bugs by putting over the docket of Judge together pieces of paper. Rather Peter Brigham, who’s been than allowing them to use scis- on a local bench since sors, students had to rip the February 2017. paper. Since 2013, Fritton, of “You have to think a little dif- Spring Hill, has been the ferent,” Partin said. “Their Hernando County Sheriff’s brains are going a million miles an hour.” Office attorney. He previ- ously was an assistant See CAMP/Page A8 state attorney in the Sixth Nine-year-old Lorelai Heath uses Judicial Circuit. Fritton ap- colorful chalk to draw a rainbow plied for the circuit judge- Thursday, June 17, as she and ship after it was vacated in others take part in the Summer April by the retirement of Arts at Lecanto School of Arts, Judge Edward Scott. SALSA, camp. The theme for the chalk-art project, given to campers Drive-thru food by the instructor, is Summer is giveaway at Among Us. The popular art camp celebrates its 20th year this fairgrounds summer. Beginning at 9 a.m. MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle Wednesday, June 23, the public can receive food at the Citrus County fair- grounds at 3600 S. Flor- ida Ave, Inverness — drive-thru only. County may ask state to Crystal River Monetary donations are needed to continue feeding Citrus County residents. Please con- slow boat traffic on river kicks off charrette sider donating through the New Church Without MIKE WRIGHT in that section of the river “Maybe that will help Feedback will help develop Walls (www.newchurch Staff writer has increased to the point settle things down there a withoutwalls.com), that it’s dangerous for hu- little bit,” he said. Citrus County commis- mans and manatees to Kinnard’s proposal has Citrus United Way sioners will consider ask- have 25 mph speed zones support in Homosassa, city’s 50-year master plan (www.citrusunitedway. ing state officials to in the summer months. civic club president Terry B U S T E R sketch the city’s destiny org), Community Food extend the year-round Kinnard said recent Green said. THOMPSON over the next 50 years. Bank of Citrus County slow speed zone on the complaints about boaters “It’s significant to a lot Staff writer Roughly 160 people (www.communityfood Homosassa River be- disturbing riverfront of our friends who live on attended the two-hour bankofcitruscounty.org) or tween Monkey Island and property owners with the Homosassa,” he said. Crystal River opened launch of the Crystal We Care (www.wecare Marker 7. loud music and disruptive “We’ve been to their its ears to the public for River Community foodpantry.org). Commissioner Jeff Kin- behavior are helping to a weeklong and inten- — From staff reports nard said boating traffic fuel the plan. See COUNTY/Page A8 sive workshop to help See CITY/Page A5 Classifieds . .B7 Crossword . .B10 INDEX Health . A11, A12 Obituaries . A6 Comics . .B6 Editorial. A9 Lottery Numbers . .B3 TV Listings. .B5 Horoscope . A4 Entertainment . A4 Lottery Payouts . .B3 A2 TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2021 CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE office’s Internet Crimes hour after the crash, ac- Against Children Unit and cording to her arrest re- COURT High-Tech Crimes Unit port, Holovacko blew a Continued from Page A1 traced productions of 0.138% and 0.144% in child pornography back to blood alcohol content re- Before his conviction, Grisales’ address. sults on a Breathalyzer at Benson had no criminal Authorities were follow- the county jail. Florida’s record and no disciplinary ing up on a July tip from legal BAC limit is 0.08%. history with the school the National Center for Assistant State Attorney district. Missing and Exploited Blake Shore told the Chron- Benson was originally Children. icle Holovacko’s plea offer arrested under a charge of During a search of Gri- was based “on the strengths lewd and lascivious moles- sales’ home, investigators and weaknesses of her tation on a child younger matched objects inside of case,” and would allow Ho- than 12, which carries a it to those seen in the il- lovacko to pay off the sentence of up to life in licit videos dispersed. $102,768 owed to the other prison. Diaz told Howard the driver in restitution and During negotiations 4-year-old girl said Gri- civil settlement payments. with Benson’s lawyer, sales abused her between I Carlos Antonio Hal- Latasha is originally from CT, Charles Vaughn, Assistant five and six times while lowell, the 19-year-old ac- has lived in Florida for 17 years, State Attorney Kevin recording the acts each cused of murdering his and a resident of Citrus County Davis reduced the charge time. adoptive mother in their for 7 years. She has 20 years of to a first-degree felony. Also in court on Inverness home, is ready experience in the field of mental health and intellectual disabilities.