Local News Now

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- I was driving my son to his baseball game and we were chatting about various topics, his batting average (not so great), his FCAT Scores (awesome), his birthday that just passed (14, where did the freakin time go), his father (a subject for another day) and the weather.

At one point I really did not think he was paying any attention to me so I asked him if he was listening.

"Yes Mom, I heard you."

So I said, "So, what do you think?"

NSBNews.net video and photos by Henry Frederick / Oak Hill City Hall had a courtroom feel to it Monday night with Police Chief Diane Young and suspended Sgt. Manuel Perez airing their differences before the Personnel Board with a happy ending. Perez, was represented by attorney David Hood, former Ormond Beach mayor. Young is shown at left with Personnel Board member Jeff Bracy. The video has highlights from both sides. NSBNews.net was the only media outlet present.

OAK HILL -- Suspended Sgt. Manuel Perez is returning to the police force after an intense hearing Monday night before the city's Personnel Board where he and Chief Diane Young were able to iron out their differences.

Courtesy photo / Reckless gun play led to the Tuesday arrest of 20-year-old New Smyrna Beach resident Marcus White in his father's June 7 shooting death, a complete change of story over what he initially described as an accidental shooting, according to Sheriff's investigators.

SAMSULA -- Scared that an intruder was trying to break into his family's camper, 20-year-old Marcus White initially said he armed himself for protection with a pistol that accidentally discharged and killed his father earlier this month. But during a follow-up interview with Volusia County Sheriff's investigators, a different story emerged and the son was charged with manslaughter.

"White told investigators that he lied about a possible intruder and instead was playing with the gun out of curiosity when he inadvertently fired the fatal shot into his father's back," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.

"White told investigators that he lied about a possible intruder and instead was playing with the gun out of curiosity when he inadvertently fired the fatal shot into his father's back," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.

Based on the follow-up investigation and White's admission, the June 7 killing inside a camper in Samsula was determined to be the result of White's negligent handling of the gun, Davidson said. After consulting with prosecutors at the State Attorney's Office about the change of story, the decision was made to charge White with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, he added.

The shooting occurred in a rural area of the county, on Alligator Ranch Road off of State Road 415.

Courtesy photo / Joshua Lee Groves is being held without bond after his Tuesday warrant arrest by Holly Hill police accusing him of sexually molesting three children earlier this month.

HOLLY HILL -- A 30-year-old Magnolia Avenue man accused of sexually abusing three children in their Holly Hill home and while swimming in a neighbor's pool home, was arrested earlier today after police secured a warrant.

Although police investigators are not releasing details of Joshua Groves' association with the victims, they did say he was in a custodial position over the children -- ages 9, 11, and 12 -- during at least some of the assaults. The investigation determined that the crimes occurred at various times during the months of March, April, May and June, police said.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The sea surface temperatures around the surf and the adjacent inlet waters of Volusia County have been in the 80s. Menhaden and large mullet are holding in these waters as are some tarpon but there have been no reported catches of tarpon. Catches of bluefish, pompano, and sharks provided the most action in these waters.

It occurs to me that Governor Scott must be experiencing such traumatic doubts about his masculinity that he has to prove himself virile by bullying women.

Courtesy photo / Bloodshed in a Pierson home was not a suicide as first believed, but murder with a live-in girlfriend charged with shooting her boyfriend to death.

PIERSON -- Audra Anderson She initially claimed she had just woken up and wasn't sure what had happened, insisting that her boyfriend, 38-year-old Robert Wood, must have accidentally shot himself. But with Wood succumbing to his injury, Volusia County Sheriff's investigators further questioned her about the details of the shooting that occurred shortly before 9 a.m. Saturday morning at the couple's home on Buckles Road.

"Anderson told investigators several different stories, eventually admitting that she fired the fatal shot that killed Wood," agency spokesman Gary Davidson said.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- An on-duty officer behind the wheel of New Smyrna Beach Police Department's signature Dodge Charger on South Glencoe Road was issued a ticket Saturday after slamming into an eastbound State Road 44 motorist's car, wrecking both vehicles and injuring the other driver who was transported by ambulance to the hospital with minor injuries.

Likisha Slayton, 28, of Edgewater was released from Bert Fish Medical Center's emergency room later in the evening. Slayton was eastbound on S.R. 44 when she was T-boned by the cop car heading into the intersection from South Glencoe Road with the intention of turning right onto the main road from Glencoe. The Florida Highway Patrol issued police officer Mark Severance a ticket charging him with failing to yield the right of way at the stop sign on Glencoe. The FHP could not ascertain if he actually came to a complete stop and then proceeded into the intersection.

I am heartsick and outraged that another innocent child has drowned in a family swimming pool! Where were the parents?

Courtesy graphic / Rain could be the biggest weapon deployed by firefighters today in quelling the local wild fires, including the biggest -- the Maytown Road Fire that straddles Oak Hill and Osteen with 2,397 acres burned since June 13. That fire is 90 percent contained. Click on the attachment below to see the spate of wild fires across the Sunshine State.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The Volusia County Council has extended the declaration of local emergency for seven days.