Latest news with #LeonCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘A long 10 months': Man arrested in Tallahassee after crash that killed 7-year-old Jacksonville girl
Leon County deputies arrested the driver Florida Highway Patrol says is responsible for the July 2024 crash in Jacksonville that killed 7-year-old Serenity Holland. The Leon County Sheriff's Office says Quintarrius Donald was arrested in Tallahassee on Thursday. He's now facing two charges in Duval County: vehicular homicide and driving with a suspended license. The sheriff's office says he's had two previous charges in Leon County: driving without a license and driving under the influence. The arrest was made 10 months after Florida Highway Patrol says the crash happened as Holland's mom was driving her and Serenity on the Buckman Bridge. The crash report says Donald hit the back of their car going 95 miles per hour, 30 miles per hour over the speed limit. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Holland's sister tells Action News Jax seeing an arrest made so many months after the crash hasn't taken any of the pain from Serenity's death away, but is helping the family heal. 'It's just been like a long 10 months for me and my family,' said Shawndell McGriff, Serenity's sister. 'There were definitely times where I didn't think he would get arrested.' Florida law says vehicular homicides are second-degree felonies, which carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years. Donald hasn't yet been convicted, but McGriff is planning to push state lawmakers to write a new law creating harsher sentences for drivers who are convicted in similar crashes. 'Life is so precious and it's like they give people a few years for killing someone in a car accident,' McGriff said, 'I want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else.' Donald was taken to the Leon County jail after his arrest. Action News Jax is working to learn when he will be brought back to Duval County to go before a judge for the charges against him. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
LCSO: Rickards student arrested for Instagram mass shooting threat
Just days before the end of the school year, a student at Rickards High School was arrested May 19 after allegedly posting a video on Instagram threatening a mass shooting at the school, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office. A tip about the video was received on May 15. The student, whose identity has not been released due to their juvenile status, has been charged with Written or Electronic Threats to Kill or Conduct a Mass Shooting. The student was taken into custody and transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center. 'The Leon County Sheriff's Office, in coordination with Leon County Schools, treats all threats toward schools with the highest level of concern,' the agency said in a statement. 'We remain committed to investigating any potential threats and ensuring the safety of students and staff.' Authorities emphasized that all threats are taken seriously, regardless of their perceived credibility, and urged parents and guardians to speak with their children about the severe consequences of making such statements — even as jokes. The Sheriff's Office also reminded the community about the availability of the FortifyFL app, which allows students and residents to anonymously report suspicious activity. Tips can also be made by calling 850-922-KIDS. The arrest is the second at Rickards in less than two weeks. A 17-year-old student was arrested and charged with battery on a school official on May 7. The teen was involved in a verbal altercation in the school's courtyard which prompted school staff to intervene, including a security guard and administrator. The student refused to go to the front office when instructed by the administrator. After the administrator attempted to escort her, the student resisted and began to punch the school official in the face repeatedly, according to LCSO. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: LCSO: Rickards student arrested for Instagram mass shooting threat
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
LCSO: Clash over Chromebook ends in battery charge for Rickards High School teen
After arguing over the return of a laptop, a Rickards High School senior has been arrested on a charge of battery on a school official, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office. It marks the second assault arrest at the school this month, and the second arrest of a Rickards student in a week. The student, scheduled to participate in the school's graduation ceremony at 7 p.m. May 21, was instead taken to the Leon County Detention Facility. Superintendent Rocky Hanna said he had no knowledge of the arrest when asked about it by a reporter around 5 p.m., just as he was leaving a graduation ceremony at Raa Middle School. The 18-year-old student was in a dispute with a school staff member regarding the return of one of the school's Chromebooks, the laptop computers students use to complete school assignments, according to the Sheriff's Office. When told to leave, the student refused, physically blocked the doorway and allegedly struck the employee in the chest multiple times. Under state law, battery on a school official is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. Days earlier, on May 19, a Rickards student was arrested by the Leon County Sheriff's Office after allegedly posting a video on Instagram threatening a mass shooting at the 65-year-old high school. On May 7, a 17-year-old Rickards student was arrested for battery on a school official after she allegedly punched an employee in the face multiple times. Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@ Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Rickards rocked by arrests: Third student charged in last few weeks
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
LCSO: Rickards student arrested for Instagram mass shooting threat
Just days before the end of the school year, a student at Rickards High School was arrested May 19 after allegedly posting a video on Instagram threatening a mass shooting at the school, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office. A tip about the video was received on May 15. The student, whose identity has not been released due to their juvenile status, has been charged with Written or Electronic Threats to Kill or Conduct a Mass Shooting. The student was taken into custody and transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center. 'The Leon County Sheriff's Office, in coordination with Leon County Schools, treats all threats toward schools with the highest level of concern,' the agency said in a statement. 'We remain committed to investigating any potential threats and ensuring the safety of students and staff.' Authorities emphasized that all threats are taken seriously, regardless of their perceived credibility, and urged parents and guardians to speak with their children about the severe consequences of making such statements — even as jokes. The Sheriff's Office also reminded the community about the availability of the FortifyFL app, which allows students and residents to anonymously report suspicious activity. Tips can also be made by calling 850-922-KIDS. The arrest is the second at Rickards in less than two weeks. A 17-year-old student was arrested and charged with battery on a school official on May 7. The teen was involved in a verbal altercation in the school's courtyard which prompted school staff to intervene, including a security guard and administrator. The student refused to go to the front office when instructed by the administrator. After the administrator attempted to escort her, the student resisted and began to punch the school official in the face repeatedly, according to LCSO. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: LCSO: Rickards student arrested for Instagram mass shooting threat
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Florida State shooting suspect released from hospital, faces 2 first-degree murder charges
May 12 (UPI) -- The 20-year-old Florida State University student accused of killing two in an April campus shooting has been released from a hospital in Tallahassee and is now a jail inmate. Phoenix Ikner is facing two charges of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder in the attack on the campus on April 17, according to the Tallahassee Police Department. The suspect's court hearing is set for Tuesday morning, when the arrest report is scheduled to be released. He was released from an undisclosed hospital for treatment and surgery on his jaw after being shot by police, authorities said in a news release. He was first taken to Leon County Detention Facility and then transferred to the Wakulla County Detention Facility. "Ikner's transfer to another facility is standard protocol, due to him being the stepson of a Leon County Sheriff's Office deputy," the Leon County Sheriff's Office said in a separate news release. His booking photo was released on Monday. A handgun used in the shootings is believed to belong to his stepmother, Jessica Ikner, a county sheriff's office school resource officer, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said. Officials said the weapon is her former service weapon. She has been with the Leon County Sheriff's Office for 18 years and is on personal leave. He had invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not answer investigators' questions, and no motive has been given, police said. Robert Morales, a university dining coordinator, and Tiru Chabba, an executive for food service vendor Aramark, died, according to family members and attorneys for the families. Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said there doesn't appear to be a connection to any of the victims. The suspect was a "longstanding" member of the LCSO Youth Advisory Council and was involved the office's trainings, the sheriff said. "In any case, especially one of this magnitude, the Tallahassee Police Department has the highest commitment to justice, transparency, and the safety of our community," Revell said in the release. "We are grateful for the work of our detectives, officers, medical personnel, and partner agencies who helped bring us to this point." Classes resumed on campus four days after the attack.
