One dog dies, another missing in Spring Hill house fire
SPRING HILL — One dog was killed and a second remained unaccounted for after a house fire Aug. 12 in Spring Hill, Hernando County Fire Rescue said.
Crews were called just after 7 p.m. to the 14000 block of Sullivan Street and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the rear of the home, according to the agency. Firefighters brought the blaze under control within 30 minutes of the first engine’s arrival.
No injuries were reported. The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents, and the cause remains under investigation, Fire Rescue said.
Joint enforcement operation results in 12 apprehensions
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Intelligence Unit arrested 12 people during a joint enforcement operation Aug. 12 with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol, the sheriff’s office said.
All 12 were determined to be in the country without legal permission, according to the agency. One was arrested on a charge of driving without a valid driver’s license and taken to the Hernando County Detention Center. The remaining 11 were turned over to federal immigration authorities for processing.
Sex offender accused of hiding online accounts
SPRING HILL — A registered sexual offender was arrested Aug. 13 on three counts of failing to report internet identifiers, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said.
Benjamin Roman, 61, was being held without bond, the agency said.
Roman was adjudicated guilty in New York in 2011 of first-degree sexual abuse — contact by forcible compulsion, a conviction that required him to register as a sexual offender in Florida, according to the sheriff’s office.
A detective assisted Probation and Parole with scene security Aug. 5 during a compliance check at Roman’s home on Carrin Road in Spring Hill, the agency said. An officer examined Roman’s phone and found several unreported internet accounts in active use.
A review of Roman’s profile in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Sexual Offender and Predator System turned up no record of those accounts, the sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff’s Office reports
Editor’s note: Under Marsy’s Law, specific details are withheld in incidents classified as crimes to protect information that could identify a victim.
Deputies responded to:
• Aggravated assault — District 2, Zone 1: Deputies investigated a reported domestic disturbance involving a man and a relative, the sheriff’s office said. The dispute escalated to a threat involving a weapon, and the man barricaded himself inside a residence. Deputies entered the home and took him into custody without further incident. A weapon was recovered.
• Agency assist, wrong-way DUI crash — District 1, Zone 2: A deputy responded to a single-vehicle crash after a driver traveling the wrong way on a major highway struck a traffic sign, according to the agency. The deputy reached the driver as he tried to spin his tires and flee and removed him from the truck. Florida Highway Patrol troopers conducted field sobriety tests and took the driver into custody on a charge of DUI with property damage.
• Written threats to kill — District 2, Zone 7: Deputies responded to a report of threatening communications between people who knew one another, the sheriff’s office said. A suspect was taken into custody and transported for processing.
• Aggravated battery: Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance between two people traveling in a vehicle, the agency said. During an argument, one produced an edged weapon and struck a passenger, causing an injury. The victim got out of the vehicle and called for medical help. The suspect fled but was found a short time later and detained without incident. The weapon was recovered.
• Felony domestic battery — District 2, Zone 2: Deputies responded to a physical altercation between acquaintances and found injuries consistent with the victim’s account, the sheriff’s office said. A suspect was taken into custody on an enhanced felony battery charge and transported to the county jail.
• Resisting law enforcement, felon in possession of ammunition: Deputies serving an arrest warrant at a residence caught a man who fled, the agency said. He had an active felony warrant and, as a convicted felon, was found with ammunition. He was taken into custody without further incident.
• Felony trespass on a construction site: Deputies responded to a residential construction area early one morning after a witness reported people entering houses under construction, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies stopped two people who admitted entering the posted property to look for materials. Both were arrested on charges of felony trespass on a designated construction site.