VOLUME 7 ISSUE 18
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Marion County Children’s Alliance awards Page A8
April 24 - 30 2026
Challengers join Marion County School Board races By Jamie Berube jamie@ocalagazette.com
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our newcomers have filed as challengers in the 2026 Marion County School Board election, running for Districts 3, 4 and 5. The nonpartisan races will be decided in the Aug. 18, 2026, primary and Nov. 3 general
elections, with the qualifying deadline set for June 12. These are four-year terms and board members receive an annual salary of $50,000, which equates to the salary of a starting teacher. Incumbents Sarah James (District 5, current board chair) and Rev. Eric Cummings (District 3) are seeking re-election, while the District 4 seat remains open.
The three most recently active challengers have begun raising funds, according to the latest reports on the Marion County Supervisor of Elections website (votemarion.gov).
JEFFREY “JEFF” BREWER (DISTRICT 4)
A retired 20-year Marion County teacher who specialized in
special education, Brewer taught at Lake Weir High School, Greenway Elementary, Howard Middle School, Oakcrest Elementary, Meadowbrook Academy and the Juvenile Detention Center. A Marion County resident for more than 25 years and the owner of Jeff’s Best LLC, he has been married to his wife, Lynda, for 22 years. See School Board races, page A9
Plan ahead to visit Rainbow Springs State Park By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
Mental health misfires F
Altom’s mother, Belinda Altom, said her son began struggling mentally after his father died in 2016 while Zachary was still serving in the military. She said Zachary had relied on his father for encouragement during military exercises and while coping with anxiety. Altom also suffered knee injuries from jumping out of helicopters during his service. After leaving the Army, he received disability benefits related to those injuries.
or those who are used to just paying a small admission fee and then simply walking through the gates at Rainbow Springs State Park to enjoy some swimming, hiking, seeing the waterfalls or having a picnic, you won’t be able to do that after April 29. Beginning that day, all visitors to Rainbow Springs State Park, including Florida State Parks annual passholders, pedestrians and cyclists, must have a reservation to enter the park’s main entrance, also known as the headsprings/ swimming entrance, at 19158 SW 81st Place Road, Dunnellon. According to information on the Florida State Parks website, the dayuse reservation program is designed to streamline entry to the park, which will alleviate congestion and enhance the visitor experience. The only other current Florida State Parks day-use reservation program is at Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka. Nationally, some of the sites managed by the National Park Service require an entrance pass and visitors also may need a reservation at a few high-traffic sites. Advanced day-use reservations for Rainbow Springs State Park can be made starting April 22. Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance. Same-day reservations may be made until the reservation limit has been met. A separate reservation must be made for each day. The park entry fee will be collected online at the time of reservation. Annual passholders can select “Annual Passholder” as their payment option. Visitors will need their day-use reservation receipt, either digital or in print. Annual passholders will need both their day-use reservation receipt and their annual pass.
See Mental health, page A2
See State Park, page A4
Veteran’s arrest and treatment at jail highlight care lapses at county detention center. By Jennifer Hunt jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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n the night of Jan. 2, 2025, Zachary Altom stood outside a hotel in Ocala staring blankly, unable to respond to police questions. The 29-year-old U.S. Army veteran had come to the Hilton Garden Inn hoping to rent a room after becoming homeless. Temperatures were expected to drop below freezing that night. Minutes later, Altom was on the ground in handcuffs, arrested after a confrontation with police. More than a year later, Altom’s case has come to highlight the challenges faced by people with severe mental illness who enter the criminal justice system, particularly those waiting for treatment while housed in local jails.
ARREST AT OCALA HOTEL
According to police reports and body camera footage reviewed by the “Gazette,” when Ocala Police Department officers responded to a call the night of Jan. 2, 2025, about a suspicious person outside the hotel, they encountered Altom. Body camera footage shows Altom staring blankly and appearing disoriented. Officers attempted to speak with him, but he did not respond to questions. When Altom extended his arms and moved toward an officer, the officers tackled him to the ground and placed him in a restraint device. Altom was arrested on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, depriving an officer of a means of protection and resisting without violence. Court records reviewed by the “Gazette” show Altom had no prior criminal history before the arrest. The officers are shown on the body camera footage discussing whether Altom should be transported to The Vines Hospital, a psychiatric facility, or to the jail. The footage does not clearly show which officer ultimately made the
At left, Zachary Altom’s face when he was arrested on Jan. 2, 2025, by officers with the Ocala Police Department while he appeared to be in psychosis and, at right, his booking photo after allegedly being beaten by Marion County jail detention staff within minutes of being delivered to the jail.
decision to take him to the Marion County Jail. The video also shows the officers commenting on Altom being a veteran. They also noted he had been transported by EMS to a hospital the previous day and he still had medical records on his person.
INTAKE AT THE JAIL
After Altom was transported to the Marion County Jail, body camera footage from the OPD officers appears to show Marion County Sheriff ’s Office detention deputies striking Altom after he was taken behind the booking area doors. Altom was wearing a protective helmet when he arrived at the jail. The footage also shows Altom did not sustain any injuries during his interaction with the OPD officers. In his booking photo, however, there are cuts and bruising on Altom’s face. Written jail reports reviewed by the
“Gazette” describe detention deputies using pepper spray and taking Altom to the ground. Audible strikes to a body can be heard on the body camera footage, but the reports do not mention them.
FAMILY DESCRIBES MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES
Recap of findings from the “Ocala Gazette”s investigation into the Marion County Jail By Jennifer Hunt jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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ver the past several years, the “Ocala Gazette” has examined reports of unusual deaths, negligent medical care and questionable use-of-force incidents at the Marion County Jail. These news stories are the result of careful examinations of public records, court filings, inmate medical records, jail incident reports and interviews
with inmates’ families and government officials. In response to new questions about how this investigation has come about, the “Gazette” has compiled this recap to better explain the process and thoroughness of our reporting. Rather than address the concerns raised by the news reporting, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods has been making the rounds on local radio stations and at public meetings and through his agency’s social media channels telling the public to
discount the “Gazette’’ findings. While Woods has repeatedly and publicly denigrated the “Gazette’s” reporting, he has yet to specify any factual errors in any of the news stories or ask for any corrections. Instead, he merely derides as sensationalism the conclusions drawn from the records reviewed by the newspaper. The sheriff and Major Charles McIntosh, who oversees the jail, have denied repeated requests for interviews to understand what changes are being made at the jail
to address concerns raised by the “Gazette.”
THE BEGINNING
The reporting began with the November 2022 death of Scott Whitley, a man diagnosed with schizophrenia who died while in custody at the jail. The District 5 Medical Examiner ruled Whitley’s death a homicide; no one, however, has been charged. After the Marion County Sheriff’s Office denied access to records related to the incident, the “Gazette” filed suit
to obtain the public records. A judge outside Marion County later ruled the records should be released for review. What “Gazette” reporters learned during that reporting influenced further inquiries over the last few years, which have expanded to include other deaths and medical conditions inside the jail. Here is some of what has been uncovered: The MCSO omitted or misstated critical facts and details in their reports of Whitley’s death. See Recap , page A3
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Mandatory burn ban.................... A3 FTBOA awards............................. A6 MCCA Spring Soiree................... A8 Tribute 25 raffle............................ B1 Calendar......................................... B6
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