Operation Take Control results in 14 arrests for domestic violence and family crimes
Citrus County Sheriff's Office
Citrus County, Florida - Each October, as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) joins forces with agencies nationwide to participate in the Annual National Family Violence Apprehension Detail. As a result of its October 2024 detail, 14 people in Citrus County were arrested for domestic violence-related offenses.
The National Apprehension Detail, founded by the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office in Oregon, calls for agencies across the United States to participate in serving outstanding family violence warrants. Warrants are served for all types of family-related crimes, including domestic violence, interfering with a person making a 9-1-1 call, violations of injunctions and pretrial release agreements, non-payment of child support, child abuse crimes, elder abuse crimes, and any other types of family violence.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 10 million adults experience domestic violence annually in the United States. Regretfully, many of these incident's deal with repeat offenders.
"Domestic violence poses a serious threat to the safety and well-being of individuals, often leading to physical, emotional, and psychological harm," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "Here at the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, we understand that combating domestic violence is essential for creating safe, supportive, and thriving communities. Domestic violence can often be a recurring issue within families and communities, therefore, we never remain passive. The Behavioral Health Unit diligently works to reduce domestic violence across the county and stop the cycle of abuse."
This effort resulted in the arrests of the following 14 suspects in Citrus County:
• Melissa Rose Barnes, 59, of Crystal River, FL, was charged with domestic battery; bond was set at none.
• Isaiah Malik Dunaway, 20, of Beverly Hills, FL, was charged with felony battery by strangulation with significant injury; bond was set at none.
• Dakota James Edsall-Lee, 24, of Hernando, FL, was arrested on a warrant for failure to pay child support; the cash purge was set at $1,696.
• Kierra H. Gaiter, 25, of an unstated location of residence within Florida, was charged with domestic battery; bond was set at none.
• Joshua Gibbs, 40, of Lecanto, FL, was arrested on a warrant for failure to pay child support; cash purge was set at $1,070.
• Brent Richard Hansen, 58, of Inverness, FL, was charged with felony battery of a person 65 years of age or older; bond was set at none.
• Lydia Rebecca Hertz, 33, of Inverness, FL, was charged with lewd and lascivious battery of a person between the ages of 12 and 16 years of age; bond was et at none.
• Johny Lopez, 41, of Inverness, FL, was arrested on four warrants for failure to pay child support, with a total cash purge of $2,677. He was also charged with driving with a suspended license and fleeing and eluding, with a total bond of $1,500.
• Gavin MacDonald, 26, of an unstated location of residence within Florida, was charged with committing domestic battery in Pasco County, Florida, which violated his probation for a previous battery charge in Citrus County, Florida.
• Michael Martinis, 46, of Inverness, FL, was charged with violation of probation for the original charge of battery of a person 65 years of age or older.
• David Gene Miller, Jr., 38, of Springfield, Oregon, was charged with domestic battery, and resisting an officer without violence.
• Amber Peterson, 35, of Inglis, FL, was arrested on a warrant for failure to pay child support, with a cash purge set at $2,696.
• Roxanna Marie Reinhold, 38, of Hernando, FL, was arrested on a warrant for failure to pay child support, with a cash purge set at $879.
• Peter Matthew Vazquez, 43, of Homosassa, FL, was charged with domestic battery; bond was set at none.
Even though National Domestic Violence Awareness Month is ending, the CCSO's fight against domestic violence is still ongoing. If you or someone you know is experiencing signs of domestic abuse, you can file a report by calling (352) 249-2790.
If you want to speak with a domestic violence advocate about help that is available, please contact the Citrus County Abuse Shelter Association (CASA) at (352) 344-8111. CASA empowers victims of domestic violence to become independent.