Hernando man arrested on firearm charges after numerous complaints from neighbors
Martinko's mugshot courtesy of CCSO.
Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCFR)
On September 20, 2024, 55 year-old Trent Patrick Martinko, of Hernando, Florida was arrested on numerous firearm charges by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office as the result of several complaints made to the agency.
According to the arrest report, shortly after 5:00 pm, a deputy arrived at a residence located in the 2000 clock of N Meadowview Terrace due to a report of a man in his sixties with salt and pepper-colored hair riding a lawn mower, shooting toward a cow field with a handgun.
When the deputy arrived at the location, they spoke with a second caller who stated that he'd returned home from the gas station, and while he was still seated inside his vehicle in his driveway, heard numerous gunshots, and saw Martinko, his neighbor, on his neighboring property with a gun, shooting from the southwest corner of the property. The witness stated that he didn't think too much of it because Martinko often shoots on his property, but when he heard additional shots being fired, a short time later, he'd contacted law enforcement.
Through the DAVID law enforcement database, the deputy learned that Trent Martinko, who matches the description of the shooter from one of the callers, lives at the residence. Martinko was later identified as the subject of the complaints.
At the intersection of E. Baynard Lane and N. Meadowview Terrace, a deputy observed that the stop sign for E. Baynard Lane traffic had approximately 15 holes in the back of the stop sign, consistent with being shot by a gun. Based on the indentions around the holes on the sign, it appeared that the projectiles came from the east of the sign, where Mr. Martinko resides.
Another neighbor told the deputy that Martinko often shoots near their residence although they have never seen an adequate backstop. This neighbor told the deputy, that prior to September 20, there was only one bullet hole in the stop sign, and now there were many.
At Martinko's locked front entry gate - which is in a straight line due east of the stop sign - the deputy observed handgun casings lying in Martinko's grass driveway, behind his gate.
The woman who made the initial complaint told the deputy, that before she contacted law enforcement, she'd been driving, and as she turned south onto N. Meadowview Terrace from E. Baynard Lane, she'd seen Martinko standing in his front yard, holding a black handgun that was pointed to the west, and as she'd passed him, he'd lowered the gun. After she passed by, she told the deputy, Martinko raised the gun, and she could hear numerous gunshots.
Another call for service was received, west of the location of the initial incident, reporting that the window of a closed business, located at 2018 N. Florida Avenue in Hernando, had been shattered. The caller told dispatch they had reviewed the video surveillance, and numerous gunshots could be heard as the glass window shattered.
The deputy responded to the business, reviewed the video, inspected the location, and determined that the window had been shattered from a gunshot. A Crime Scene Specialist located a fired bullet in the business that appeared to be from a 9mm caliber gun. The report stated that Martinko's gun was a 9mm Sig Sauer handgun.
The deputy and the Crime Scene Specialist went to Martinko's property, and this time found the gate open. They walked onto the property and collected the shell casings located behind the gate. While the officers were collecting the shell casings, Mr. Martinko walked outside, from the back of his residence, and when the deputy announced themselves as, "Sheriff's Office," Martinko walked back inside the residence.
Approximately 20 minutes after the law enforcement personnel left the area, the agency received yet another call for service, with a complaint of shots being fired at the N. Meadowview Terrace residence, and a car then speeding away from the residence.
The deputy traveled back to the location, accompanied by numerous deputies and the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team. A perimeter was set up around the residence, and it was announced over the Public Address (PA) system for Martinko to exit the residence. Martinko walked out of the residence and was taken into custody.
He was transported to the Citrus County Detention Facility in Lecanto, Florida, charged with one count of shooting into an unoccupied building (no bond), one count of criminal mischief of $200 or more but less than $1,000 ($1,000 bond), two counts of discharging a firearm across a roadway ($2,000 bond), and one count of discharging a firearm in a residential area ($1,000 bond).