NSBNEWS.net: Volusia County / State

ORANGE CITY -- A 38-year-old Zephythills man died fronm an apparent drowning this morning at Blue Spring State Park while free diving, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.

Robert Jones was found at 10:22 a.m. under 10 feet of water and possibly had been under for up to 10 minutes, Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.

Jones was pulled out of the water and transported by EVAC ambulance to Florida Hospital Fish Memorial, Orange City, where he was pronounced dead at 11:33 a.m.

DAYTONA BEACH -- A man robbed the Bank of America branch on West International Speedway Boulevard earlier today by passing a note to a teller and implying he was armed, Daytona Beach police said.

The teller gave the robber a bag of money, but also included a dye pack that exploded shortly after he ran from the bank at 2:55 p.m. The robber droped the bag, but still kept some of the money as he fled the scene.

DAYTONA BEACH -- Members of the Volusia County Council; county staff; and mayors, commissioners and managers of the cities affected by the May flooding in Volusia County have been invited to an informational meeting at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, , at Volusia County Lifeguard Headquarters and Administration Center, 515 S. Atlantic Ave.

DELAND -- A 35-year-old DeLand motorcycle rider was killed midnight Wednesday when he ran off a curve while southbound at Old New York Avenue, near Grand Avenue, and struck a tree, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.

Michael St. George, who was not wearing a helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene, the highway patrol said.

DELTONA -- Sex crimes investigators with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office charged a 55-year-old man today with sexually battering a 4-year-old girl while staying with her in Deltona.

"In a conversation with the victim’s mother, the defendant -- Charles Roth -- admitted that he got carried away with the toddler, saying he was seduced by the pretty little girl," Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.

DELAND -- The special meeting of the Volusia County Council , scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday has been canceled.

The meeting was to be in training room one of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center, 123 W. Indiana Ave., for the purpose of providing an opportunity for the council to discuss proposals for the county’s telephone system solution.

The meeting has not yet been rescheduled.

President Obama’s declaration today of a major disaster in Florida is triggering the release of federal funds to help affected
residents recover from the recent rainfall event in Volusia County that began May 17. The assistance will be to individuals and households.
Public assistance has not been declared at this time, Shelley Szafraniec, a county spokeswoman.

To apply for assistance, residents must be a homeowner, renter or business owner in Volusia County with disaster-related damage or loss

DAYTONA BEACH -- Volusia County officials have now confirmed that a small twin-engine plane that crashed this morning at Daytona Beach International Airport resulted in one fatality and one critically injured person. The plane did not catch fire.

DAYTONA BEACH -- A small airplane crashed before 9 this morning , which resulted in at least one death aboard, according to preliminary reports.

The report of fatalities is not confirmed, said Shelley Szafraniec, a Volusia County spokeswoman.

There may be a second person trapped inside the twin-engine plane. Sheriff's deputies and emergency crews are on the scene. The airport is closed, but commercial traffic is being allowed to land and take off, Szafraniec said.

DAYTONA BEACH -- The body of a man found Tuesday in the Tomoka Landfill just west of Daytona Beach has been identified as that of 52-year-old Michael D. Bobo of Holly Hill.

Bobo had been reported missing to the Holly Hill Police Department by his roommate on April 29. Investigators haven't determined how the body ended up at the landfill. However, an autopsy revealed the man died of natural causes, according to the findings of an autopsy conducted Wednesday by the Volusia County Medical Examiner's Office.