DeBary

The death of an Apopka man found eight days ago floating in Lake Monroe near the park in DeBary as shown here was determined to be the result of a suicide.

DEBARY -- A body found floating in Lake Monroe on Sept. 29, has been identified as 42-year-old Jin Tak Han of Apopka.

His death was the result of drowning and has been determined to be a suicide, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.

A passerby at Lake Monroe Park in DeBary spotted the body and notified a park employee.

The employee flagged down an off-duty deputy, who launched a boat into the river and retrieved the body and brought it to shore. An autopsy confirmed the death was the result of suicide, Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.

TAMPA -- The 2012 Republican National Convention was my second as a delegate. Four years ago, I went under the McCain/Palin ticket. I was excited but not nearly as much as this time with Romney-Ryan.

Headline Surfer photo by Henry Frederick /  Rich Gailey (at left), a candidate for the district 5 seat on the Volusia County representing greater Deltona, criss crosses with Volusia County Sheriff's candidate Wendell Bradford (shown in the inset as well) in front of the Gateway Center for the Arts in DeBary following a candidates' forum held there Tuesday evening.

DEBARY -- The city's signature event, "freedom and Volunteers," needs your help. The Community Partnership Program is planning the extravanza July 4th event.

The CPP will meet 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, at the Gateway Center for the Arts, 880 N. Highway 17-92, DeBary, to discuss the planning and coordination for this special event.

DEBARY -- A wife's oncern about her husband's whereabouts when he failed to return to their DeBary home Thursday night after a trip to Orlando, had a happy ending early this morning.

The alert was issued for Albert Kaplan, who drove off from the couple's home on Madera Road in DeBary at 2 p.m. Five hours later, his wife said someone in the Orlando area called to tell her that he had come across Kaplan and had given him directions on how to get back to his house.

DEBARY -- A 72-year-old DeBary man was driving back from Orlando Thursday, but never made it home and now Volusia County deputies are asking the public to let them know if they see him, agency spokesman Gary Davidson said just before midnight.

Albert Kaplan drove off from his home on Madera Road in DeBary at 2 p.m.

"Five hours later, his wife said someone in the Orlando area called to tell her that he had come across Kaplan and had given him directions on how to get back to his house," Davidson said.

The wife then His wife then called the Sheriff's Office at 8:14 p.m. asking for help in locating him to make sure he got home. Because Kaplan suffers from dementia and other medical ailments, the Sheriff's Office launched a Silver Alert through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to assist in the search for Kaplan. Area hospitals also were contacted.

DEBARY -- Scott Marlowe, author of “The Cryptid Creatures of Florida,” will discuss sea serpent sightings in Florida at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at DeBary Hall Historic Site, 201 Sunrise Blvd.

Marlowe is a cryptozoologist - a person who searches for animals whose existence has not been proven - and is known for his efforts to document sightings of bigfoot-like creatures known in Florida as the skunk ape. He has traveled the world for more than 30 years collecting and analyzing accounts of strange animal encounters and legends. He studied at Polk Community College and Rollins College and taught an online course called “Cryptids in Myth, Legend and Folklore” at Florida Keys Community College last fall.

The comment shown in this snippet from the Volusia County Sheriff's arrest report was made by accused killer Jesus Morales as he was being taken into custody Monday in the gunshot slaying of former girlfriend Heidi Lynn Shelmire at the DeBary Burger King. 

DEBARY -- No court order was going to keep Jesus Morales from gunning down his former girlfriend, Heidi Lynn Shelmire, whom authorities said he shot in cold blood Monday morning at the Burger King where she worked, uttering to a deputy after his capture in nearby woods: "I've been picturing in my mind for six months about blowing that bitch's head off."