Madison County Sheriff Ben Stewart reports that the Bellville Bridge has been re-opened for travel.
Archive for March 2013
Caution: Many Roads Along River Remain Closed
Madison County Sheriff Ben Stewart reports that the Withlacoochee River is quickly receding. However, many roads remain closed and are impassable without hazards and serious risk of safety. Sheriff Stewart explains for those with properties located along the flooded areas that the Sheriff’s Office will continue to patrol these areas and monitor conditions by land and vessel. Sheriff Stewart cautions motorist to not drive on roads with what appears to have low levels of water across them considering the unobvious erosion of roadways concealed under the waters. The Sheriff’s Office is making attempts to accommodate those with interest of specific properties as time allows.
Sheriff Stewart further reports that even though the Withlacoochee is receding, the Suwannee River continues to rise and is expected to crest at Ellaville by Friday at 12:00 noon at 55 feet. This level should not require any road closure of Highway 90 at Ellaville and for comparison the river crest at Ellaville in 2009 was 63.8 feet. The River at Dowling Park is expected to crest at 47.4 feet with the crest in 2009 being at 54 feet.
The Sheriff’s Office may be contacted at 850-973-4001.
MADISON MAN ARRESTED FOR ARMED DRUG TRAFFICKING
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Johnny Curtis Bedgood, 46, of Madison, Florida, was arraigned today in federal court following his arrest on charges of drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
The three-count indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that on August 16, 2012, Bedgood possessed cocaine and more than 28 grams of crack cocaine with the intent to distribute. The indictment also charges that he possessed a .22 caliber revolver and a nine-millimeter pistol in furtherance of that offense. In addition, Bedgood is alleged to have possessed these firearms after conviction for a felony offense. The indictment was announced today by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Bedgood pled not guilty to the charges at his arraignment hearing before United States Magistrate Judge Charles A. Stampelos. Trial is scheduled for May 7, 2013, in U.S. District Court in Tallahassee.
If convicted, Bedgood faces a mandatory minimum term of ten years up to life in prison for the drug offense, a mandatory, consecutive term of five years in prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug offense, and a mandatory term of fifteen years in prison for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney Marsh credited the arrest to the joint efforts of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the United States Marshal’s Service, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael T. Simpson is prosecuting this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
