Blessing box in Baker County allows people to give and take anonymously
Davis recently created a blessing box in the city. โThe givers just really want to give that are able to, and the ones who needed have benefited immensely from the blessing box,โ Davis said. On Sunday, Davis and her mother went to refill the box that was empty that morning. They say they are very gracious with the box and encourage people to take what they need. The blessing box is located at 1014 W. Macclenny Ave.
12 ducks shot to death outside Macclenny nursing home
MACCLENNY, Fla. โ Residents of Macclenny are upset about a dozen ducks shot to death. According to Rivera, the pond outside the Macclenny Nursing and Rehab Center was a perfect place for Skirt, while Felicia was brought to another duck pond. According to a Sheriffโs Office incident report, 12 ducks were killed. The Sheriffโs Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating the incident. Anyone with any information on the shooting is asked to call the Sheriffโs Office at 904-259-2231 or the FWC at 1-888-404-3922.
Man arrested in 2016 Walgreens robbery
MACCLENNY, Fla. โ A man was arrested in connection with a 2016 robbery at the Walgreens in Macclenny, the Baker County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday. Brad Curtis Stewart, 23, of Sanderson, was being held in the Baker County jail on $250,000 as of Wednesday. On June 11, 2016, according to the Sheriff's Office, two masked people went into the Walgreens on South Sixth Street and demanded money from the store clerk. Over the last month, detectives with the Sheriff's Office began to review the previously closed case and examine the evidence. The Sheriff's Office said the investigation is ongoing and more information will be released as the case develops.
Tow truck driver named Miracle credited with woman's rescue
MACCLENNY, Fla. โ A Baker County tow truck driver working the graveyard shift is being credited for possibly saving an elderly womanโs life. "I went about a mile down the road and I was like, 'This doesn't look right,'" he recalled. SLIDESHOW: Tow truck driver rescues woman trapped in carWhen he opened the car's door, he found a 77-year-old woman seated inside. As Miracle learned, the unnamed woman's vehicle had veered off the road after an apparent mishap with her medication. Based on how well the woods hid the car, Miracle doesn't think it's likely he would have noticed it without the flashing lights.
Loved ones march, seek answers in man's shooting death
MACCLENNY, Fla. โ Loved ones of DJ Broadus and their supporters marched in Macclenny, demanding answers in the 31-year-old's death. That message is directed at investigators, pressuring them to get answers in the man's untimely death. "DJ was, you can see, loved by a lot of people, loved by me, his sister, his brother, his friends. He was the one that kept all the stories going in the family," said Broadus' mother, Delmesha Swain. Broadus' loved ones and advocates say the person who was questioned has ties to a prominent Baker County family, and think that may have protected him from being arrested.
Macclenny mom warns of men following women, children at Walmart
MACCLENNY, Fla. โ A Baker County mother is warning all parents about suspicious men following women and children at a popular store. The woman said once she walked to a different section of the store, she noticed one of the men following her. The woman said as she walking out into the parking lot with a Walmart employee, she saw the same man following her -- standing 10 feet from her car. News4Jax called the Sheriff's Office to see whether security video would be released, but has not yet heard back. Walmart sent News4Jax the following statement: โAfter a thorough examination of the video, we cannot verify this customerโs accounts of the events.โ
Macclenny woman warns of strange man who tried to lure her into woods
MACCLENNY, Fla. โ A Macclenny woman on Monday warned people in her community about a strange man who she said tried to lure her into the woods. She said she saw a strange man Friday while she was on her way to the Quick-N-Handy store on North Sixth Street. Inside the store, Robinson said, she was getting a fountain drink when the strange man started talking to her. She said she drove away as fast as she could and called the Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 904-259-2231.
Mother of autistic boy, her boyfriend charged with manslaughter
MACCLENNY, Fla. โ Baker County prosecutors have upgraded the charges against a Baker County mother and her boyfriend in the death of a 4-year-old autistic boy to manslaughter. Heather Stevenson's son, Chance Vanderpool, died in November, after her boyfriend, Jonathan Todd Register, reported finding Chance not breathing the morning of Nov. 22 and told deputies he performed CPR until paramedics arrived. The boy died at the Ed Frazier Hospital. Stevenson, 33, and Register, 30, had previously been charged with aggravated child abuse and child neglect in connection with her 2-year-old son. Deputies continued to investigate how Chance died.
Macclenny McDonald's manager accused of attacking customers
MACCLENNY, Fla. โ The manager of the McDonald's in Macclenny was arrested after he attacked several customers, including a teenage boy, inside the fast-food restaurant, the Baker County Sheriff's Office said. Rafiel Morgan, 40, is charged with child abuse, battery and disorderly conduct. Deputies were called Sunday night to the McDonald's on Sixth Street, just north of Interstate 10, after receiving a report of a fight. There was an argument between a customer and employees, during which Morgan attacked several customers, including a 15-year-old boy who received serious facial injuries, according to deputies. Morgan drove off before deputies arrived, but was taken into custody Monday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, the Sheriff's Office said.
Mother of autistic boy who died last year charged with abuse, neglect
MACCLENNY, Fla. โ A Baker County woman whose 4-year-old autistic son died last year has been charged with aggravated child abuse and child neglect in connection with her 2-year-old son. Heather Stevenson's son, Chance Vanderpool, died in November. Chance died at Ed Frasier Memorial Hospital. Register was later charged with aggravated child abuse and aggravated battery in connection to the younger boy's injuries. Deputies continued to investigate how Chance died.
Family protests woman's treatment at mental facility
MACCLENNY, Fla. โ The family of a woman being treated at a local mental hospital says sheโs being abused and needs help. Thatโs why her family and others protested outside the facility where Ben Aharon has been since July, after spending time at another mental health facility in Central Florida. But the spokesperson did say the hospital and all state mental health treatment facilities take the care of their residents extremely seriously. DCF officials said any allegations of abuse reported to the Florida Abuse Hotline, even at a state facility like Northeast Florida State Hospital, are thoroughly investigated. Ben Aharon's family, though, said it plans to keep fighting.