Oak Hill

Courtesy photos / Devon Ramsey and Katie Gravitz, both 18 of Oak Hill, are accused of the burglary of a New Smyrna Beach-area residence with help from Jennifer Jones, a roommate of that home who is accused of being an accomplice and planning the crime.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A burglary caper at a mobile home park near New Smyrna Beach was foiled late Saturday afternoon by a neighbor with a gun who decided to take matters into his own hands, a Volusia County Sheriff's spokesman said.

The neighbor chased down the fleeing suspects and detained them for responding deputies. After deputies sorted everything out, they discovered that the break-in was an inside job planned by the victim's roommate, Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.

PIERSON -- Firefighters from four agencies continued to make progress Sunday on three brush fires that started in West Volusia the day before.

The Pierson fire, near the intersection Bell Fountaine Avenue and Carruthers Lane, grew to 243 acres and is 80 percent contained. Volusia County Fire Services was assisted by the Firewalkers, a multi-agency team of firefighters who specialize in brush fires, in this rural fire.

OAK HILL -- Mayor Mary Lee Cook has apologized to Henry Frederick, editor/publisher and founder of NSBNews.net for the illegal actions of Commissioner Ron Engele in having him removed from the previous meeting, adding all of the commissioners, including herself are "guilty" for having allowed it to happen in the first place.

Photo by Sera Frederick / Police Chief Diane Young has been dogged by a host of problems since she became the city's top cop in March 2010, including two sergeants suspended under her command.

OAK HILL -- Before she became a cop, by her own admission, Diane Young snorted cocaine 100 times and smoked marijuana. She also took quaaludes, commonly referred to as "ludes," according to results of a lie detector test she took as part of her hiring process.

The embattled police chief, beset by a host of corruption allegations by rogue cops under her command for more than a year, admitted to the cocaine and marijuana usage in writing on her application with the city eight years ago. But she left off her use of quaaludes, a highly addictive drug similar to barbiturates, known for its euphoric effects.

The discovery of the third drug was made last month by then-Mayor Darla Lauer who abruptly resigned, saying initially in a resignation letter to the city that it was because of her pending move to Alaska where her husband, an air traffic controller, has a new job. But Lauer told NSBNews.net moments after her e-mailed resignation she was "fed up with the corruption under the command of an inept chief" she never wanted in the first place because of her sordid drug history.

Photos by Sera Frederick / Manuel Perez is the second Oak Hill sergeant to be placed on administrative leave under embattled Police Chief Diane Young. Perez claims Young has threatened to cut off his pay. Please click the attachment to read his allegations.

OAK HILL -- Suspended Sgt. Manuel Perez put the city on notice in writing Tuesday that he is suing Police Chief Diane Young and the municipality, claiming sexual harassment, racial discrimination and other job-related issues.

OAK HILL -- I’ve been reading with interest the fiasco that Oak Hill has become. What puzzles me most is why the city doesn’t find it necessary to do background checks on all its employees.

Oak Hill Cops: Cocaine, Corruption & Chaos

OAK HILL -- Corruption allegations continue unabated in the Oak Hill police force with yet another sergeant suspended with pay -- this time accused of stealing gas from the city pump.

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Courtesy photo / Mayor Darla Lauer, in a running battle with embattled Police Chief Diane Young, an admitted cocaine user whom the mayor didn't want on the force to begin with, stepped down Wednesday as the city's first publicly-elected mayor.

OAK HILL -- In this small riverfront city beset by corruption in the police force and recent revelations that its clerk/administrator was convicted of DUI before taking the job, Mayor Darla Lauer abruptly resigned today.

VolusiaNews.net and NSBNews.net provide Volusia County with 24 / 7 Internet newspaper coverage for a 21st-century world. 

OAK HILL -- Like a perp being led to jail in front of TV camera crews, City Clerk/Administrator Laura Goodearly used a sheet of paper to try and hide her face from NSBNews.net's video camera during discussion tonight over her request for a pay raise that was tabled by the City Commission after learning she has a DUI conviction.

VolusiaNews.net and NSBNews.net provide Volusia County with 24 / 7 Internet newspaper coverage for a 21st-century world. 

Editor's Note: This is a developing story

Courtesy photo / Oak Hill City Clerk/Administrator Laura Goodearly's name is listed with a clerk of a different venue: The Duval Clerk of the Court where she is listed in the criminal records for driving under the influence. Click the attachment below for full details on her adjudication of guilt to drunk driving. 

OAK HILL -- Scandal at City Hall is not limited to the police department. NSBNews.net has learned that City Clerk/Administrator Laura Goodearly is a convicted criminal. And she's seeking a raise at tonight's City Commission meeting.