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ALACHUA ‒ A high-tech holiday celebration might bring to mind visions of smart devices, wireless knickknacks, and Bluetooth-connected gadgets with green and red flashing lasers. But for Mitch Glaeser, founder of San Felasco Tech City, Winterfest brings together all the typical trappings of a seasonal party—in a high-tech setting.

Sunday’s Winterfest marked the second year of the gathering, a relative newcome in area holiday celebrations. But considering that as recently as 2018, developers Mitch Glaeser and Rich Blaser were collaborating on the concept for San Felasco Tech City, it is a celebration destined to become a favorite for the high-tech community where work space for businesses is combined with living space and recreational areas.

The community is designed to reflect the needs of emerging tech industries in the Alachua 441 corridor, where much of the employee base is comprised of a younger tech savvy millennial generation. Demographically, this generation tends to prefer smaller more functional housing and fewer possessions for a more mobile lifestyle. They also prefer locations that put work, housing and recreational facilities in a central setting for less commuting, providing more family time for these younger workers with growing families.

The first phase of the proposed community was built in 2019 and now houses 47 companies in a 126,000 square-foot complex with an additional 88,000 square feet being built in the next year. Currently, the completed space houses only businesses, but housing for employees will be added in 2023.

“Last year we decided to host an event called Winterfest to celebrate the holidays and provide entertainment for the families of our tenants, especially with activities for children,” said Glaeser. “However, it is not an event only for our community but for anybody to bring their children. It was such success last year that we decided to hold it again this year on a larger scale.”

Winterfest is just one of many events held around a central promenade at Tech City. “We want this to be all inclusive for our community of businesses, to offer our tenants a place to gather and bring their families together,” said Glaeser. “Since our opening, we have hosted over 100 events in the promenade. It has also been used for 10 music videos and two movie sets.”

This year’s Winterfest welcomed people as they gathered around the promenade lined with booths offering games, treats and a visit from Santa for the children of the Tech City community and the surrounding area. In addition to the individual booths set up by tenant companies of Tech City, the City of Alachua provided a police car and a fire truck, complete with lights and sirens for the kids to explore. Bounce houses were also set up for the children as well as a food truck for the families.

There was a face painting booth, and free cotton candy, as well as various sweets at different tables. Children decorated cookies with colored icing at another booth. A tractor provided hayrides that circled the complex as well.

Tech City tenant Menadier Engineering stuck with an engineering theme by providing a game for children to design a Christmas tree constructed of green plastic cups. Ben Boukari, of Boukari Realty, emceed the event, providing music and free candy for the youngsters.

For the kids, among all the activities, the big event was a visit with Santa Claus provided by Citron Cleaning. Children were also excited by a visit with a costumed Elsa from the “Frozen” movie that was provided by BrittReneeCreative, a provider of a variety of costumed characters for events.

“We do this event for a chance for the community to get together and interact with their neighboring companies and provide events that provide ‘quality of life’ interaction,” said Glaeser. “San Felasco Tech City is more than just a conglomerate of businesses. It’s a community.”

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ALACHUA ‒ The Alachua Police Department is now an Accredited Law Enforcement Agency. Becoming an accredited agency is a long and arduous process that requires agencies to review all of their policies and operating procedures regularly to ensure that they are in line with the highest standards in policing.

Accreditation through the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation (CFA) requires that law enforcement agencies meet certain standards put forth by the Commission. These standards are much higher than what is generally required of law enforcement agencies in the state.

“We chose to seek accreditation through CFA because we want to provide the best service to the residents and visitors of this great city,” said APD Chief of Police Jesse Sandusky on Dec. 7 at a CFA business meeting in St. Augustine, Florida. Held three times annually, the business meeting is the setting for CFA to review and make decisions on law enforcement agencies that have applied for and meet the standards required to achieve accredited status.

An in-depth on-site agency assessment of APD by CFA approved assessors was completed in July 2022, and a full report was presented with a unanimous recommendation for full accreditation without conditions. At the full panel review on Dec. 7, the Commission reviewed the report presented to them by the team of assessors. Sandusky addressed the Commission and spoke about the agency, highlighting various programs and other aspects of the department.

In a unanimous vote, the Commission awarded the Alachua Police Department with its first-ever Accreditation.

“Achieving this status is a recognition of professional excellence and a very important milestone in our agency’s history,” said Sandusky. “I am proud to work alongside the men and women of the Alachua Police Department and we will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standard in policing.”

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Charlett Denise Wilson, 54, was arrested on Saturday, Dec. 17, and charged with child abuse without great bodily harm, a third-degree felony.

The director of the Deeper Purpose Community Church preschool contacted the High Springs Police Department on Friday afternoon to report an incident that occurred at the school. The incident was reportedly captured on video, and officers reviewed the video.

The video reportedly showed Wilson picking up a three-year-old child and spinning her around in the air before throwing her down on her mat. Wilson also allegedly hit the child in the face “numerous times” with a long hard plastic object.

Wilson was charged in two battery cases in 2002, but adjudication of guilt was withheld.

The bond amount in this case was set at $25,000 and Wilson bonded out of the jail on Sunday, Dec. 18, according to jail records.

Pastor Adam Joy of Deeper Purpose Community Church said that he had called the parents immediately after verifying on video that the teacher had harmed the child. He also immediately asked the teacher to leave the school. Joy added, “I want to make it abundantly clear, that what took place was absolutely unacceptable, will not be tolerated and what happened to the child should never happen to any child.”

Joy said the teacher has been fired and will never be employed there in the future and that a closed meeting will be held for parents the next day.

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HAWTHORNE ‒ Michael Vernon Garrett, 69, has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer after allegedly threatening to shoot deputies who responded to a report that he was suicidal.

The incident began earlier this year on March 25 when Garrett’s wife called 911 and reported that her husband was intoxicated and threatening to shoot himself.

Garrett was initially inside their house, but he came outside on the porch after deputies arrived. Deputies reported that Garrett did not comply with repeated commands to put down his handgun and made multiple statements that he wanted the deputies to shoot him. Garrett also allegedly made multiple threats to harm deputies if they did not shoot him. At one point he reportedly left the porch and approached deputies. He was then shot by a deputy and was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound in the abdomen.

Following an investigation, a sworn complaint was filed on Aug. 12, charging Garrett with aggravated assault on a deputy. A formal charge was filed on Nov. 8, and a warrant was issued by Judge Phillip Pena on Nov. 15 with a recommended bond of $25,000. Garrett was arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 22.

Garrett has no criminal history, and Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $10,000 with conditions that he surrender all his firearms and be fitted with a GPS monitor. Garrett has posted bond and has been released.

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HAWTHORNE ‒ A Hawthorne man has been arrested after allegedly shooting at members of a hunting club who were hunting on the property next to his home. Michael Dale Roberson, 44, was arrested Tuesday morning, Dec. 13, and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.

A member of the hunting club contacted a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officer and said that members of the club had been threatened, harassed and shot at by Roberson. Roberson lives with his mother. His father, who was an honorary member of the hunting club, died last year.

The hunting club member reportedly told the officer that in the last week of November, every time the club members hunted in the woods next to Roberson’s residence, Roberson monitored their VHF radio channel in his deceased father’s pickup truck. The member said Roberson has threatened over the radio to kill the hunters and their dogs if they come on or near his property. He also cursed at the hunters over the radio. The member also reported that multiple tree stands have been cut down by a power tool. Roberson reportedly owns a similar power tool.

Roberson has two felony convictions, one in Texas and one in Florida, both for firearm theft and is not permitted to possess firearms.

On the morning of Nov. 27, FWC officers observed Roberson’s residence and the adjacent hunting club property. As the hunting club members started arriving in the morning, an officer saw Roberson walking near the pickup truck, then Roberson reportedly began walking down the driveway toward the road with a pistol in a holster on his hip. As a hunter drove by, the officer heard a shot fired from a handgun from the wood line next to the roadway. He then reported that he heard a woman’s voice from the residence, telling Roberson to stop and come back to the house at which point Roberson walked back to the house.

Multiple club members reportedly told the officer that Roberson is disabled; they speculated that he may be having a mental health crisis. The hunters said they were concerned if Roberson continues to have access to firearms.

Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $100,000.

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ALACHUA COUNTY ‒ In High Springs, a Fort White man was killed in a crash on U.S. Highway 441 and Northwest 239^th Street on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at approximately 6:20 p.m. when the pickup truck he was driving was hit by oncoming traffic. The 71-year-old man driving the truck attempted to cross U.S. Hwy 441 from Northwest 239^th Street. His truck ended up in the path of an SUV driven by a 59-year-old High Springs woman.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), the front of the SUV collided into the left side of the pickup truck, ejecting the driver of the truck who was not belted in.

The Fort White man was pronounced deceased at the scene by High Springs Fire Rescue. The High Springs woman driving the SUV reported no injuries.

All lanes of traffic were blocked at that intersection and traffic was re-routed for approximately three and a half hours as first responders worked the scene and FHP conducted their investigation.

In Waldo, drivers were told to expect major delays near the city after all northbound lanes of U.S. 301 were closed on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies say traffic was being diverted onto Cole Street until lanes could be reopened. A wrecker carrying another semi-truck was forced to take evasive action to avoid a car that pulled out in front of it.

The car was crushed but both occupants were reported with no serious injuries. Deputies say the semi crossed into the northbound lanes.

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