VOLUME 6 ISSUE 31
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School Give Back Pg A9 AUGUST 1 - 7, 2025
Protecting seniors About $1 million is stolen every month from local victims of elder fraud. By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com
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n 82-year-old Ocala woman lost $7,300 in cryptocurrency in an internet and phonebased scam last year and nearly lost $160,000 in cash, which she had converted to gold for pickup
by the scammers. The gold theft plot was foiled by a well-placed tip and diligence by detectives from the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Homeland Security. The scam began with a computer hack and an on-screen message to call a number to
reach a technician to fix the hack, according to an arrest affidavit. Soon after the hack and “repair,” a “bank officer,” supposedly from a major bank, called and informed the victim that her bank account had been compromised and that funds from See Protecting seniors, page A6
Marion County is third in state for juvenile detention days
Local judicial system feels the strain of population growth and limited state funding By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. By contrast, juvenile detention stays statewide increased from 191,813 to 309,453.
arion County’s judicial system will likely see two new judges soon, one each in circuit and county court, but the system still faces mounting pressure as rapid population growth drives up court filings and state funding for critical support positions lags. At a budget workshop with the Marion County commissioners and court officials on July 17, leaders described a system stretched thin by a surge in cases and a lack of state-provided staff to support newly appointed judges. “The Legislature, the governor, approved 39 new judges and they’re all going to be appointed,” said Jeffrey Fueller, Court Administrator for the Fifth Judicial Circuit. “But they didn’t give us any case managers or staff to support the judges.” Even with the time involved for the state to set up judicial nominating committees and for the governor to review their recommendations, Fueller said he hoped the new judges would be in place during the 2025-26 budget year. Marion County has seen a dramatic increase in circuit court filings, with nearly 5,000 more cases than neighboring Lake County, despite similar rates of population
See Juvenile detention, page A2
See Judicial system, page A7
The Marion Regional Juvenile Detention Center is shown on Northwest 10th Street in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]
By Jennifer Hunt Murty
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arion County detains juveniles for more days than every other Florida county except for Duval
and Broward, despite having a smaller population. Some officials think the pace has been set to be first in the state. Detentions of Marion County juveniles at the Marion County Juvenile Detention
Center have quadrupled since 2022-23, and the cost to Marion County taxpayers for incarcerating juveniles has risen more than three times from $1.3 million annually to $4.3 million, according to data
A lifetime of service
Frank Rasbury spent decades serving his country and supporting his community. By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
I Frank Rasbury at the Rotary Arbor in Tuscawilla Park in Ocala. [Photo by Meagan Gumpert, MAVEN Photo + Film]
f anyone in Marion County ever needed a “go-to” guy, they very likely thought of Frank Rasbury. The tall and stately Rasbury, always armed with a bright smile, has long been a familiar figure throughout Ocala and Marion County. As a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, he was integral
to many area veterans’ groups. As a devoted community advocate and volunteer, he helped numerous organizations achieve success. Rasbury passed away on July 24, at the age of 97, in Ocala. He was born on March 6, 1928, in Buffalo, New York. After graduating from high school in 1946, he attended Los Angeles City College and the University of California at Los Angeles. He was a member of Kappa Alpha
Psi fraternity. He enlisted in the Army in 1951 and served for more than 20 years. He was in conflicts in Korea and Vietnam and earned a number of medals, including the Bronze Star. He had a civilian career in New York that included 11 years as executive director for the Nassau County Chapter of the American Red Cross. It was there that he was See Frank Rasbury, page A4
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