Keystone Heights man shows police homes he broke into

KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – Authorities have charged a Keystone Heights man with multiple counts of burglary and armed burglary following an investigation that dates back to May 2015.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office first arrested Nolan Robert Shaver, 26, on April 9 for one count of burglary. However, as the investigation continued, authorities added three counts of armed burglary, grand theft valued between $300 and $4,999, grand theft valued between $4,999 and $10,000, grand theft valued between $10,001-20,000 and two counts of burglary for allegedly breaking into at least three homes in Keystone Heights.

According to the police report, on May 8, 2015, Shaver stole approximately $20,000 in personal items from a home in the 5000 block of Acadia Street, including a computer, a crossbow, a gun safe with a rifle, coins and jewelry, a chain saw, a lawn mower and a television. Because he allegedly stole a weapon during the theft, according to state law, Shaver faces a charge of armed burglary in addition to grand theft and burglary charge.

According to the report, Shaver broke into another home in the same block of Acadia Street on July 21, 2015 and stole jewelry, as well a shotgun, which again added the charge of armed burglary to the grand theft charge he got for stealing the jewelry.

The third robbery, police said, occurred on March 7 this year and involved Shaver allegedly stealing three guns, ammunition, some knives, coins, jewelry, a bull whip and video game equipment. And again, since he stole a weapon, he was charged for both armed burglary and grand theft.

CCSO detectives enlisted Shaver’s help in identifying the homes he had burglarized. According to the report, officers took Shaver back to Keystone Heights from the Clay County Jail on April 14 and asked him to point out his break-ins during a “ride around.”

With the new evidence, CCSO gave Shaver the additional charges and increased his bond to $426,044. At press time, he remained in the county jail.

Two separate school bus crashes Monday

MIDDLEBURG – A chain reaction collision between three Clay County School District buses Monday led officials to transport students to a local hospital for minor injuries.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports that the crash took place April 18 around 4 p.m. at the intersection of County Road 220 and Blanding Boulevard.

“There were approximately 80 students on board the 3 school buses,” states the FHP report. “17 children were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries.”All three buses were heading north on Blanding when bus driver Lisa Spinek, 42, of Middleburg failed to stop, which caused a domino effect crash.

Spinek’s bus crashed into a bus driven by Amanda Masters, 27, of Middleburg. The crash caused Masters’ bus to crash into a bus driven by Veronica Burgess, 58, of Orange Park.

The second crash took place around 3:28 p.m. involving a 17-year-old driver who failed to yield as he was backing out of a driveway on Forest Meadow Lane. The driver’s 2000 BMW 740i struck the side of a school bus driven by Pamela Kelley, 60, of Middleburg.

FHP said there were nine passengers on the bus and no injuries.

Two drown in St. Johns River

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Multiple law enforcement agencies worked together last weekend to search for two men, police said, jumped from the pier in Green Cove Springs.

On April 17, Billy Joe Hammonds, 23, and Ahndray Edward Clay, 21, allegedly jumped from the pier around 6:30 p.m. Their bodies were recovered around midnight after Green Cove Springs Police Department and Florida Wi Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators took the lead in the case. They were found in the river at Spring Park about five-and-a-half hours after jumping in.

According to police, Clay was dared to jump into the river from the pagoda at the pier, but Clay had only one lung after an operation.

Police said Clay began to struggle while Hammonds was able to get to him, they both went under due to rough waters.

Emergency 911 calls came in just before 6:40 p.m., and rescue units arrived within minutes, police said. Dive teams from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office joined in the search along with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

The park has posted signed warning guests not to dive or swim into the river.

Cash reward offered in March cop car crash

JACKSONVILLE – First Coast Crime Stoppers is now offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the March 24 head-on collision with a Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Anyone with information regarding the case, is asked to call the Florida Highway Patrol at (904) 359-6572 or First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-8477.

CCSO Sgt. Matthew James Magish, 40, of Green Cove Springs, received minor injuries in the crash involving his Dodge Charger patrol car when the crash occurred at 8:22 p.m. that night

FHP said a Ford F-150 pickup was southbound in the left turn lane on Blanding Boulevard, attempting to turn left to go west onto County Road 218. Meanwhile, Magish was traveling southbound in the left travel lane on Blanding approaching CR-218 when the Ford turned left into the path of the police cruiser. Police said the right front of the Ford collided with the left front of the Dodge Charger.

Witnesses said the suspect driver exited his truck in the middle of the intersection immediately after the crash and checked his vehicle for damage and fled the scene. The only information on Ford is that it’s a dark-color extended cab pickup truck, with possibly a wrap-around bumper guard, and tan trim on the lower portion.