Volusia News Now

Headline Surfer video and photos / Though drug-sniffing dog Buddy has retired due to health issues, he still gets to see his former human partner Bruce Holcomb at home. 

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- New Smyrna Beach k9 cop Buddy took a bite out of crime many times over in his four years of service with canine partner Bruce Holcomb. 

But Buddy had to be retired last month and soon Holcomb will get a new four-legged partner.

Photos for Headline Surfer / The NSB Sand Art Festival and Seaside Fiesta  are just two of the myriad New Smyrna beachweeks activities that have proven successful as a tourism interest.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Whether it's local sculptor Rich Varano's beautiful sand castle, teens riding the surf or huge crowds jamming Flagler Avenue for a fiesta, the inaugural New Smyrna beachweeks has proven to be a monumental success. All that's needed to complete the tourism-driven event is fireworks and those are coming July 4th, in Edgewater, and for the first time in a longtime, New Smyrna Beach.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Community College Week, one of the nation’s leading publications focusing on higher education institutions that offer two-year associate degrees, has named Daytona State College among its list of Top 100 Associate Degree Producers.

Daytona State ranked 35th nationally in awarding the two-year associate degree, among some 5,000 public and private institutions. In addition, the college ranked 9th in the awarding of associate of science degrees in communication technologies, 19th in liberal arts and science degree awards, 45th in associate degree in nursing graduates, and 77th in the awarding of one-year college and vocational credit certificates.

DELAND -- The Volusia County Grand Jury returned an Indictment earlier today against against Brian McLane that accuses him of first-degree murder, a capital felony, in relation to the death of his Edgewater roommate on June 3.

The defendant and the victim, 71-year-old Richard Carton, were roommates in a mobile home. The victim was found dead of asphyxiation and/or suffocation.

McLane's indictment paves the way for the office of State Attorney R.J. Larizza to consider whether it will seek the death penalty at trial. LaRizza's office does not comment until a decision has beenmade inhouse whether to seek the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Deputy returned fire in defensive mode, but gunman wasn't struck and instead died from self-inflicted shotgun blast

Headline Surfer locator / After keeping deputies and a SWAT team at bay for several hours in the 2700 block of Ranch Road near Lake Helen, a man who had been fighting with his girlfriend while drinking, turned a shotgun on himself and fired one round. The man, whose name has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at 3:08 a.m. at Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City after being rushed into the ER a little more than an hour earlier. He had been drinking and got into a fight with his girlfriend who suffered minor injuries.

LAKE HELEN -- An armed man who threatened his girlfriend Monday night and then kept responding Volusia County Sheriff's deputies at bay for more than four hours has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, an agency spokesman said.

Defense counsel: 'This is a sad case,' adding the accused is 'no murderer'

SANFORD -- The Zimmerman trial got underway this morning at 9:01 with a pleasant "good morning" from the judge.

The pleasantries ended there in one of the most anticipated high profile trials since O.J. Simpson, with the prosecutor using the accused murder George Zimmerman's profanity-laced statement in a 9-1-1 call before pulling the trigger:  (Expletive punks) -- these (expletives) always get away."

No details released on circumstances of crash or the vehicle involved

Headline Surfer locator / Steven Pindar was airlifted to Halifax Hospital in Daytona Beach after smashing up his vehicle Sunday night. Circumstances of the crash were not released by police.

Editor's Note: Ignore Facebook message. Video posted on our YouTube channel.
OAK HILL -- The students, faculty and staff at Burns Science and Technology Charter School had quite the year -- from students talking to a NASA astronaut via ham radio to the cheerleading squad winning competitions to a student winning a national poster contest. 

Besides $8,050 in missing or stolen cash, more than 900 other items unaccounted for include guns, ammo, drugs, electronics, jewelry & automobiles

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- While City Manager Pam Brangaccio was fully aware that more than 900 items were missing from the police department's evidence room well before an after-hours press release last month, Headline Surfer has learned she entered into a secret agreement back in October with then-Police Chief Ron Pagano that had him retire at year's end, only to continue to pocket more than $67,000 he didn't even earn.