On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Columbia County Circuit Judge Melissa Olin sentenced 49-year-old John Leonard Bowen, Jr. to life in prison after finding him guilty of Second-Degree Murder in the death of 18-year-old Coyoete Kathren Cheyenne Turner. Bowen also pled to a charge of Tampering with Evidence and received anContinue Reading
A Lake City man with multiple prior felony convictions was arrested Monday evening, June 9, 2025, after allegedly battering two individuals and being found in possession of a concealed firearm. At approximately 8:49 p.m., Lake City Police Department officers responded to a report of a battery involving multiple individuals onContinue Reading
A Friday morning 911 call from a concerned citizen led to the arrest of a California man and the seizure of over 45 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop on US-441. At approximately 8:14 a.m. on June 6, 2025, deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office responded to aContinue Reading
Deondre Shykur Clayton, 30, of Lake City, was arrested Wednesday, May 28, 2025, after a disturbance led to charges of child abuse and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Lake City Police Department officers responded to an apartment on SW Windsong Circle around 8:45 P.M. regarding a domesticContinue Reading
A 39-year-old Lake City man was arrested Wednesday afternoon after discharging a firearm inside his room at the Baymont Inn and Suites, causing significant property damage. On May 28, 2025, at approximately 2:23 p.m., officers from the Lake City Police Department responded to the hotel at 3598 W US HighwayContinue Reading
A Lake City man has been arrested and another is facing charges following a disturbance in a wooded area that escalated into an attack involving a machete and a knife on Monday, May 19. Lake City Police Department officers were at the Five Below store at 209 NW Hutton DriveContinue Reading
A swift response to a FLOCK gunshot detection alert and subsequent collaboration between the Lake City Police Department and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office resulted in the arrest of a suspect following a shooting incident on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. At approximately 2:27 P.M., Lake City Police officers were dispatchedContinue Reading
The Lake City Police Department successfully collected 26 pounds of unwanted prescription medications from community members during the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 26, 2025. The national initiative offers a safe, convenient, and anonymous method for individuals to dispose of unused, unwanted,Continue Reading
A 29-year-old Live Oak woman, Chelsea Ann Hester, has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies after an investigation revealed she exploited a 68-year-old resident while working as a receptionist at Lake Montgomery Health and Rehabilitation Center. On Monday, April 7, 2025, the Lake City Police Department responded to theContinue Reading
A 25-year-old man, Justin Le’on Claridy, has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a Lake City Police Department officer during a community Easter Celebration on Sunday, April 20, 2025. The incident occurred at approximately 8:06 P.M. at the Annie Mattox Recreation Center on NE Center Avenue, where officersContinue Reading