Press Releases

April 24, 2025

Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Detectives asked Levy County Detectives for assistance in a property crimes investigation earlier this morning. MCSO detectives met with LCSO detectives and identified a location in Bronson where stolen property may be hidden. MCSO also had a home in Marion Oaks under surveillance and knew these two locations were connected. LCSO detectives knew the location in Levy County was frequented by Partain and conveyed that information to MCSO. It was possible Partain could be at either.

MCSO and LCSO detectives responded to two homes in separate counties. Partain was found inside the suspect home in Marion County. Partain offered MCSO detectives his own brother’s name as identification in a final ditch effort to elude capture.

Warrants for Partain for escape, battery on law enforcement, resisting arrest and theft were secured yesterday with a bond of $900,000.00. This is in addition to warrants from Flagler County and the Williston Police Department that were already in existence before Monday’s escape.

The deputies involved in Tuesday’s incident are extremely relieved that Partain is off the streets. Quoted as saying, “I hope these two days of freedom were worth the new felony charges and long prison sentence he faces.”

Levy County Sheriff McCallum and Marion County Sheriff Woods are proud of the cooperation and collaboration between the two offices and the detectives involved that led to this successful apprehension. Agency cooperation is key to solving crimes and apprehending fugitives. This is a perfect example of how well law enforcement work together for a common cause, keeping our citizens safe.   

April 3, 2025

The Levy County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of domestic violence on February 12, 2025 at 1:00 a.m. on NE 147 Court. The victim reported to responding deputies a dispute with Oscar Cruz-Baldo (7/18/85) of Williston, who appeared to be intoxicated, occurred earlier that night. The victim was punched in the face during the argument and had injuries consistent with these statements. Cruz-Baldo was also accused of repeatedly hitting and kicking a dog, causing injury to the animal which was attempting to defend the victim.  Cruz-Baldo fled prior to law enforcement arrival and could not be located by deputies on scene during the investigation.

Deputies remained in the area searching for Cruz-Baldo for some hours after this initial report. At 4:00 a.m. the victim called 911 reporting Cruz-Baldo returned to the property and was armed with a short barreled shotgun. Cruz-Baldo was threatening the victim with the gun and demanding the gate be unlocked and give him a cell phone. In fear, the gate was unlocked and Cruz-Baldo left the property. Deputies once again were unable to locate him.

Shortly after 8:00 a.m. the LCSO received information that Cruz-Baldo was at a nearby farm. Deputies responded, located Cruz-Baldo and took him into custody. Cruz-Baldo was cooperative with deputies and disclosed the location where he had hidden the gun. Cruz-Baldo was arrested for aggravated assault with a firearm, domestic battery and animal cruelty.

The Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) adopted this case due to Cruz-Baldo being an illegal alien in the United States who possessed a firearm while committing a felony. A Federal Grand Jury was presented this case and issued a “True Bill” for the indictment. As a result a federal warrant was issued for Cruz-Baldo on March 26, 2025. The warrant has since been executed and Cruz-Baldo will be held in custody at the Levy County Detention Facility until trial.

April 1, 2025

Deputy Patrick Lockett arrested Timothy Sparks (3/25/87) of Fanning Springs on January 1, 2025 for drug possession after being stopped for speeding. Sparks was one of the first arrests of 2025 and was released from the Levy County Detention Facility after posting bond. 

On March 18^th the LCSO Ag Unit Detective was notified by Levy County Animal Services of multiple complaints involving animal abuse at the home of Timothy Sparks. The Ag Detective responded to the home the morning of March 19^th and found a dog lying in the driveway. The detective wrote in his report that the appearance of the dog was “alarming.” He described the condition of the dog was a score of 1 out of 9, or in layman’s terms near death. The detective made multiple attempts to contact the owner but no one would come to the door, even though he could hear people taking inside and was on scene for over 30 minutes.

Based on the animal’s condition he contacted Animal Service to come seize the dog. The detective noted that the dog had little hair, was malnourished, a severe rash covered her body, she appeared dehydrated and fleas could be seen crawling all over her. The dog was immediately taken to Animal Services for treatment by a Veterinarian. 

The Ag Detective continued to investigate and obtained statements that Sparks was seen hitting and kicking the dog. One witness reported seeing Sparks shoot at the dog. However, the Vet reported the dog’s condition was far worse than expected. The Veterinarian’s report reflected multiple parasitic infestations, bacterial infection, yeast infection and evidence of starvation. The dog’s bowels only contained pine cone debris; evidence the dog was eating indigestible matter to stave off her hunger pangs. The dog was treated surgically to remove afterbirth that was not naturally expelled after delivering puppies. During surgery the Vet located and removed four shotgun buckshot pellets from the dog’s abdomen.   

Deputies were alerted that Sparks needed to be located and arrested for animal cruelty based on this investigation. Deputy Lockett, already familiar with Sparks, began searching. He located Sparks in March 30, 2025 slumped over the steering wheel of his running truck in the parking lot of a convenience store in Fanning Springs. Sparks was taken into custody. During this arrest additional drug evidence was seized resulting in more drug charges.

Sparks is being held in the Levy County Detention Facility having been charge with a litany of felony criminal violations. His bond has been set at $130,000.00 on the newest charges. His previous bond was surrendered requiring him to remain in custody with no bond from his previous arrest.  

March 28, 2025

On June 5, 2024 Ag Detective Gary Garboski responded to a report of animal neglect to assist the Levy County Animal Services Department. A concerned citizen contacted Animal Services in March of 2024 reporting Pedro Perez (1/31/86) was not caring for multiple dogs on the property where he resided in Morriston. Animal Services made multiple attempts and issued notices to Perez ordering him to comply with statutory requirements to care for the dogs. Perez ignored all orders and the condition of the dogs deteriorated.

Detective Garboski’s investigation led to ten (10) dogs being seized from the property and criminal charges being filed. He wrote in his report, “The def was given several warnings and ample time to correct the living conditions for these animals and refused causing their condition to deteriorate to unhealthy, malnourished condition over time.” “…the veterinarians’ assessment accompanied by time lapse between warnings and living conditions not improving. With no compliance and overall inhumane treatment of these animals the def is charged with animal neglect. No reasonable and prudent person would consider this a sanitary healthy environment for any animal.”

The criminal trial concluded on March 25, 2025 with a Levy County Jury finding Perez guilty on all 10 counts of animal neglect. He was immediately remanded into the custody of the Levy County Detention Facility upon issuance of the verdict. Perez was sentenced by Levy County Judge Bustamante on March 28, 2025 to 180 days in the Levy County Detention Facility followed by one year of probation and restitution of $32,000.00.

All of the seized dogs were taken to the Levy County Animal Services facility where they received the much needed veterinary treatment they deserved and were ultimately re-homed.  

March 26, 2025

On March 21, 2025 LCSO Detectives were investigating a child abuse complaint in the Bronson area. Detectives spoke to person with one leg who identified himself as “Rusty Eddy”. Detectives determined “Rusty Eddy” was an alias for John Russell Eddy Jr., who has been a registered sexual offender in the state of Florida since 2010.

The investigation revealed Russell Eddy Jr. had been living at the location where the child abuse was reported for a month. He was not a suspect of child abuse but could have been a potential witness. Detectives discovered Eddy had not reported a change of address as a condition of his sexual offender registration requirements. He previously registered as a transient sex offender in Alachua County in Grace Market Place. He was required to report to Alachua County in February but failed to comply. He was designated as an absconded offender from that location.

On March 24, 2025 LCSO Detectives returned to the property and made contact John Russell Eddy Jr. where he was taken into custody. Eddy’s evasion skills are a little “Rusty” therefore he has been charged with one (1) count of failure to register address change. His bond has been set at $50,000.00.

March 26, 2025

A woman walked into a local emergency room in Marion County with her two year old child Friday, March 21, 2025. The mother explained to medical staff that her child was “acting crazy” swinging her arms erratically, bouncing off the walls and had not slept all night. An immediate medical examination determined the child was exhibiting symptoms commonly seen in adults who are “tweaking.” Lab reports confirmed the child was suffering from an acute intoxication due to an exposure to methamphetamines or other stimulant. Additional testing was performed and the child also tested positive for exposure to opiates. Medical staff immediately contacted law enforcement to investigate. Local law enforcement responded and determined the child and mother lived in Levy County and contacted the LCSO to continue the investigation.

Levy County Sheriff’s Detectives teamed with Child Protective Investigators with the Department of Children and Family Services to investigate. Detectives learned the mother, identified as Debra Scott (7/27/95), only recently moved to Bronson with her paramour and her child into a home known for prior narcotic activity. Other individuals were roommates at this same location. The mother admitted to Detectives that she recently used methamphetamines.

The investigation determined the mother began seeing symptoms in her child some 12 hours prior to taking the child to the hospital. She did not call 911 but instead contacted a friend for a ride to a hospital well away from where she was living. She knowingly put her child at risk and failed to protect the child from dangerous drugs while using dangerous drugs herself. A warrant for her arrest was issued on Monday, March 24, 2025. Scott was located in Gilchrist County on March 25, 2025 and with the assistance of the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office she was taken into custody. She was booked into the Gilchrist County Jail and will be transferred to Levy County after her first appearance.

March 25, 2025

Sheriff Bobby McCallum along with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announces the end of a lengthy investigation that resulted in the arrest of former Levy County Sheriff’s Office Finance Director Nicole Gore. Ms. Gore was suspected of embezzling funds for almost six (6) months before discrepancies were identified and verified. Sheriff McCallum requested the FDLE conduct the investigation for transparency. The investigation concluded Ms. Gore embezzled approximately $23,000 dollars.

Ms. Gore was terminated by Sheriff McCallum on January 6, 2025. She was initially hired as the assistant finance director in 2015 and was promoted to finance director in 2019.

Ms. Gore turned herself in at the Levy County Detention Facility on March 24, 2025 after the warrant for her arrest was secured by investigators from FDLE. Her bond was set at $40,000.00.

“I want to express my appreciation to the FDLE and the State Attorney’s Office for their assistance in this investigation. I want to ensure my citizens that I will hold my employees accountable. Theft will not be tolerated and as a recipient of the public funds that were stolen I will request prosecution to the fullest extent and full restitution.” said Sheriff McCallum.

March 17, 2025

Detectives from the Levy County Sheriff’s Office and Probation Officers from the Florida Department of Probation and Parole conducted a joint investigation on March 14^th that resulted in the arrest of a register sex offender, Michael Allan Lakosky (10/30/92) of Fanning Springs. This arrest marks the second arrest in as many months of Lakosky. Laksoky was arrested in February for possession of a controlled substance and released from custody on March 5^th after being sentenced to probation.

Lakosky was convicted of sexually based crimes from an investigation and arrest in Dixie County. He was designated a sex offender by the State of Florida based on this conviction. As such, he is required to register all social media, cell phones, email addresses, etc. to the local sheriff’s office. Probation Officers noticed phone numbers and email addresses he provided to them did not match what was provided to the Sex Offender Registration Division at the LCSO.

The investigation highlighted the collaboration between local law enforcement and state agencies in tracking and apprehending individuals who violate the requirements of sex offender registration or pose a threat to the community. These types of investigations are crucial in ensuring that offenders adhere to the conditions set in law for sex offenders, and help keep the community safe. The arrest also serves as a reminder of the ongoing vigilance required in monitoring registered sex offenders.

Lakosky was charged with Sex Offender Violation Fail to Register as Required (6 Counts): Bond $150,000 and Violation of Probation (2 Counts): No Bond and is being held in the Levy County Detention Center.

March 17, 2025

Levy County Sheriff’s Detectives along with members from the United States Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force apprehended Charles A. Parris (6/27/71), a fugitive from North Carolina, in Williston late Friday afternoon. Parris was wanted by North Carolina for a string of bomb threats targeting Lowes and Walmart. Additional warrants had also been issued for Parris for possession of obscene materials stemming from a different investigation in North Carolina.

Parris was transported to the Levy County Detention Center where he is being held with no bond pending his extradition to North Carolina.

March 12, 2025

On March 11^th our School Resource Deputy (not named) was made aware a student was caught using their cell phone during school. The phone was taken from the student and school staff members discovered the student was using SnapChat to communicate with another person. The content of the conversation was sexually charged. The School Resource Deputy reviewed the SnapChat messages and saw where the other party identified themselves as a 46 year old man.

Our School Resource Deputy contacted Corporal Mike McNeil with the Criminal Investigations Division and asked him to investigate this incident further. Corporal McNeil used multiple investigative techniques to identify the owner of the SnapChat profile. This profile owner was found to be in the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections as a sentenced inmate (15 year sentence) and therefore excluded as a viable suspect.

The investigation gained momentum when Corporal McNeil was able to identify the location of the device sending these chat messages was in Chiefland. Detectives converged on this location and found Todd Joseph “TJ” Thompson (7/17/78) inside of a derelict truck parked at the back of a property in the Manatee Farms subdivision. Thompson did not immediately exit the vehicle when ordered and began making suspicious movements. Detectives feared he was destroying evidence and quickly removed him from the vehicle.

Thompson was convicted of 1^st Degree Sexual Assault in Arkansas in 2004 and designated as a sexual offender. He moved to Florida and registered as a sex offender with the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office as required by Florida law. In 2024 Thompson failed to register and fled Gilchrist County. A warrant for his arrest was issued shortly after he absconded. Thompson has been evading capture since the warrant was issued.

Detectives learned Thompson used an internet name belonging to someone else to conceal his online identity. He purchased a cell phone from an unidentified person on the street. This phone allowed Thompson unfettered access to the internet and access to this incarcerated individuals social media profiles, including SnapChat. He used this phone and SnapChat profile to begin chatting with the student.

The investigation is still on-going and detectives believe other victims may be discovered. We are asking anyone who has information on Thompson and his on-line activity to contact Corporal Mike McNeil at 352-486-5111 ext. 240.

Thompson was arrested and has been booked into the Levy County Detention Facility. He has been charged with the following crimes. His bond has been set at $1.3 million dollars on these newest charges. The bond assigned to the warrant for absconding from Gilchrist County is set at $300,000.00.

F.S.S. 847.0135 (3a) – Obscene Communication Use of a Electronic Device to Seduce or Solicit a Child
F.S.S. 847.0138 (2) – Transmission of Harmful Material to a Child
F.S.S. 934.215 – Use of a Two Way Communication Device to Facilitate a Felony
F.S.S. 893.13 (6a) – Possession of a Controlled Substance 
F.S.S. 943.0435 (9a) – Sex Offender Fail to Comply with Registration
F.S.S. 943.0435 (4e1 – Sex Offender Fail to Register Internet Identifier (SnapChat) 
F.S.S. 943.0435 (4)(E)2 – Sex Offender Fail to Register Phone Number Change

“We are all too familiar with sexual predators and how they exploit the internet to find new victims. This is a classic example of how quickly our children can become the victim of a heinous crime at the hands of a sexual predator. Thompson thought he was hiding his identity by using a phone belonging to a state inmate. Thankfully the quick thinking of our Levy County school officials and my School Resource Deputy we were able to protect this child. Words cannot explain how proud I am of all involved in this case, most especially our Detectives, who worked feverously to locate and apprehend this dangerous criminal and put him exactly where he belongs, in jail,” said Sheriff McCallum.