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ALACHUA ‒ Alvin Harley Crews, 51, of Macclenny, and Ronnie Ryan Padgett, 18, of Glen St. Mary, were arrested on Sunday, Sept. 4, after allegedly stealing a passenger van from a residence along U.S. Highway 441 in Alachua. They were also charged with possession of drug equipment, and Crews was charged with cocaine possession.

At about 12:21 a.m. an Alachua Police Department officer was traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 441 in Alachua when he saw a van traveling 77 mph in a 55-mph zone. The officer conducted a traffic stop and saw Padgett get out of the driver’s side of the van after it crashed into a concrete barrier. Padgett reportedly admitted he didn’t have a driver’s license and that he had marijuana in his pocket and was placed in handcuffs. The officer reported finding a glass pipe stuffed with a Brillo pad and a smoked “blunt” in Padgett’s pockets.

The officer discovered that the van had been stolen from a residence along Highway 441.

Post Miranda, Padgett reportedly said that the glass pipe was not his and that he had no idea what it was used for. He also reportedly said that the van belonged to his mother’s friend Brian, who dropped it off for the pair to use after Padgett’s vehicle had become disabled on Highway 441. Padgett reportedly said he was taking the van to get gas for his own vehicle.

The officer discovered that Padgett’s driver’s license has been suspended since December 2021; Padgett reportedly said he was only driving because his passenger, Crews, was too tired to drive.

Crews appeared to be sleeping at the time of the traffic stop and the officer woke him and asked him to exit the vehicle. The officer reported that he then asked Crews if there was anything illegal in the van or on his person. Crews responded that there was not. The officer wrote that he next asked Crews what was in his pockets, and Crews reportedly replied, “That’s a good question,” and began emptying his pockets. The officer reported that Crews removed a glass pipe and a container with 20.8 grams of crack cocaine from his pockets.

Crews was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, cocaine possession and possession of drug equipment. He is being held without bail, pending first appearance.

Padgett has been charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, driving without a valid license (second or subsequent offense) and possession of drug equipment. He is being held on $27,500 bail.

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ALACHUA ‒ Quintin Xavier Cote, 22, of High Springs, was arrested and charged with petit theft and felony fraud after allegedly entering inflated values for coupons and pocketing the cash while working as a cashier.

Cote has worked at the Circle K near Interstate75 in Alachua since April and is accused of taking cash from the register using inflated values for coupons 22 times in August.

Cote allegedly stole $2,225 using this scheme. He is also accused of taking $201 from the register. The store’s surveillance video reportedly captured all of the transactions.

Cote has no criminal history and was released on his own recognizance.

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HIGH SPRINGS – The City of High Springs is ratcheting up the future of its parks and recreation program. On Aug. 25 the High Springs Commission approved a is $141,605 proposal for a Parks, Trails and Recreation Master Plan from GAI Consultants Inc.'s Community Solutions Group (CSG).

High Springs currently does not have a master plan for future parks and recreation needs as the city grows. The plan is designed to ensure the city has adequate capacity in the parks system to provide a high level of service to residents.

Commissioner Ross Ambrose supported the proposal saying that the City has expended funds in the past without the help of a clear plan. He also said he wanted the Parks and Recreation Board to be included in the process, which he was told would be the case.

According to the proposal, the plan will help High Springs establish a long-range vision, assess current and future recreation needs, provide strategies to fill gaps and reduce redundancies within the park system, promote new ideas, while also building and deepening existing partnerships and alliances.

The plan proposes a number of benefits including improved transparency and community support for Parks Department projects, programming and offerings. Also, GAI will identify new opportunities for future development and help to align and prioritize capital improvement projects.

Payments will be due to GAI in four lump sum installments based on project phase. Project initiation is $10,339, existing conditions analysis is $62,347, master plan development is $29,368 and a strategy and recommendations report is $37,551. The time-frame to complete the project is estimated to be 12 months. City Manager Ashley Stathatos said that funds to pay for the plan development have already been included in the FY 2022-23 budget.

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NEWBERRY ‒ The newest Episcopal Children’s Services (ECS) Head Start Child Care Partner (CCP) center opened its doors on Aug. 29 to Newberry residents.  I Rise Performing Kids Academy is currently enrolling for Head Start services for children and families in southwest Alachua County.

I Rise Performing Kids Academy held an open house on Friday, Aug. 26, to allow families to tour the center, learn about the program and enroll their children.  A parent attending the open house was eager to get her son enrolled at the center as the location of I Rise Performing Kids Academy is closer to home and better for her daily activities:

“Every child deserves a strong start in life.  Expanding our services throughout Alachua County allows us to continue serving the children and families who are most vulnerable and in need of our programs,” said Chief Executive Officer Connie Stophel.  “The ongoing expansion of our services is a result of our ability to continually meet and exceed the rigorous Head Start Performance Standards for program design, development and delivery.”

For the past 25 years, ECS has comprehensive Head Start and Early Head Start services to children, birth to five, pregnant women and their families.  The Head Start program is designed to meet the needs of three- and four-year-olds in a classroom setting through the whole child approach, helping children grow intellectually, emotionally and socially.

I Rise Performing Kids Academy, located at 24621 Doc Karelas Drive, Newberry, is open weekdays from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. and is led by center manager, Jasmine Moore.  Call 352-660-2013 for more information or log on to www.ecs4kids.org to learn more.

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LEVY COUNTY ‒ A 61-year-old High Springs resident is in serious condition following a crash at U.S. 27 Alt. at County Road 345. The incident occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 11:30 a.m.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a freightliner box truck driven by the High Springs man was traveling northbound on County Road 345, approaching the intersection of U.S. 27 Alt. The freightliner traveled into the intersection on U.S. 27 Alt. in front of a Buick Sport Utility Vehicle, which was driven by a 71-year-old Bronson man who was traveling northbound on U.S. 27 Alt. The Buick SUV collided with the Freightliner at the intersection.

The driver of the SUV succumbed to his fatal injuries on the scene. It is unknown whether either driver was wearing their seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Another Levy County crash occurred on Saturday, Sept. 3, at 4:40 a.m. At that time a 31-year-old High Springs man was involved in a crash on State Road 24 and Southwest 3^rd Street. He was traveling east on State Road 24 when the front of his 2013 BMW collided with the rear of a bicycle.

The bicyclist was traveling east on State Road 24 on a black bicycle. When the BMW collided with the bicycle, the rider, a 63-year-old Gainesville woman, was ejected and came to a final rest on the south shoulder of State Road 24 where she was pronounced deceased on the scene.

The driver and sole occupant of the SUV was not injured in the collision.

The names of the individuals involved in both accidents were not released by the Florida Highway Patrol.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ While it is a little early to tell, a unique new exhibit that opened at the Good News Arts Gallery in High Springs may be showcasing the works of a future Picasso or Van Gogh. Instead of featuring an established artist, this exhibit introduced the art work compilation of students who attended the Good News Arts Summer Arts Camp from June 6 to July 22. The exhibit featured the art work of nearly 100 students who attended the High Springs camp.

The Summer Arts Camp was created by Jessica Caldas, director and owner of Good News Arts Gallery. The gallery, in conjunction with the City of High Springs Parks and Recreation Department, established the camp to introduce students in K-12 to a variety of artistic mediums while working with a group of their peers. Each week a different medium was chosen to expose the students to a variety of art and dance.

“We had 130 kids register for the camp and a weekly attendance of 80-100. But the project was a group effort by a lot of people and organizations,” Caldas said. “Since our gallery is fairly small, we needed a bigger space for the multiple classes and the City of High Springs loaned us the old school building at the High Springs Museum.”

Caldas said the Children’s Trust of Alachua County covered much of the funding by creating scholarships to help keep costs down. Enrollment/registration fees for all families was $5 per child and the camp was free for youth who lived in Alachua County and whose family is at or below 200 percent of the 2020 federal poverty threshold, or a child with an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) or with family receiving SNAP benefits. For youth whose families did not meet these requirements, the camp cost $93 per week including lunch and snacks.

The local Winn Dixie helped fill the gap on food and snacks for meals during the camp. The High Springs Fire Department organized a water playday and helped with field trips as well. The High Springs Police Department worked to provide School Resource Officers (SROs) for the children's safety and ran special programming like boxing and breathing exercises as well as accompanying the students on class field trips.

All the supplies were provided by organization as well as individuals and patrons who supported the program. “We received support and funding from all over the community including Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, Satchel's Pizza, The Great Outdoors, The Pink Flamingo, The Barber Group, East End Eatery, The High Springs Woman's Club, Deeper Purpose Community Church, Kona Ice and others,” said Caldas. “We could not have accomplished this program without all the support to provide our community children an opportunity to explore their creative side.”

All classes were taught by volunteer local artists and Counselors and Artists in Training (CAITs), which was staffed by high school students. The program was not just about encouraging kids to learn about art and express their creativity, the experience included an exhibit for students to showcase their work and gain confidence in their abilities.

On Saturday, Aug. 6, the gallery held the opening reception to display the students’ work. Young artists brought their parents to the gallery to proudly show off their art. The exhibit will remain up until Aug. 20 at the Good News Arts Gallery located at 18555 Main Street in High Springs. The gallery is open on Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. as well as some Wednesdays and Thursdays.

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