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Cop Continued From Page 1A to-peer (P2P) transfers, federal officials said. Live Oak Police Chief Buddy Williams said he first became aware last Thursday, Oct. 22, when the FBI met with him at the police department to serve the search warrant. “That’s when the bomb was dropped,” Williams said. Kirby appeared in front of a judge Wednesday afternoon of this week for the first time, where the charges against him were announced. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, and a potential life term of supervision. In addition to the FBI, the case was investigated by local Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually ex-
Local Continued From Page 1A Parshley, for instance, who came from Ohio and established downtown Live Oak as it is today, Musgrove said. Aside from the street named after his family, Ohio Avenue was also named in his honor.
ploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. Kirby, who had served as an LOPD officer since Sept. 2, 2003, was suspended Oct. 22 following the search of his home. He was terminated from the LOPD Wednesday. Kirby is well-known in his North Florida community and worked frequently with youth, particularly as an athletics coach, Williams said. He has an estranged wife and children, around the ages of 12 and 15, the chief added. At an LOPD banquet in 2008, Kirby received the “Chief’s Award.” Williams added that there will be further investigation by the FBI regarding Kirby’s involvement with local youth. “It’s something that we all, right now, are just really having a hard time processing,” Williams said. “The only way to face something like this is head-on.” Kirby is currently being detained by U.S. Marshals until today, Oct. 30, when a judge will establish the conditions of his release, said William C. Daniels, public affairs officer, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida. Daniels said that Kirby will only be required to enter a plea after an indictment has been returned by a grand jury. The government, according to Daniels, has 30 days to get an indictment. “That will determine the next course of legal proceedings,” said Daniels.
He talked about the Helvenston family, whose name is still on the oldest business in Live Oak, Helvenston and Sons Insurance. And he also talked about Thomas Dowling. Dowling Park is named after Thomas Dowling, who also built the city’s first water works.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015
Haunted Happenings Get your tricks and your treats locally! Live Oak Oct. 31 Trick-or-treating, 6-9 p.m. Candy carnival at Festival Park, 6-9 p.m. Located at the corner of Pine Avenue SW and West Howard Street, sponsored by the Live Oak Police Department and city of Live Oak.
Look for Halloween Safety Tips, Page 13A Sheriffs Continued From Page 1A abstained and five could not be reached. Florida is one of only five states banning open carry, though the rules about it vary greatly from state to state. Suwannee County Sheriff Tony Cameron and Lafayette County Sheriff Brian Lamb both said they are waiting to see more refined versions of the bill. Cameron said that right now, his biggest concern was the financial penalty for law enforcement. To open a city like Live Oak up to a $100,000 lawsuit is not a reasonable response to a law enforcement officer doing their job in good faith, he said. “Law enforcement isn’t going out to violate somebody’s rights,” Cameron said. “They’re trying to keep people safe.” Sheriff Lamb said that bills like this change so much it is hard to keep track of the language in the early stages, so he is waiting for January or February when the text is more re-
fined before really making up his mind. “I just want to see some things addressed for the people,” Lamb said, mentioning the issue of whether private business owners could chose to disallow open carry on their property. “I don’t want to cause harm to my citizens, and most other sheriffs don’t either.” He has heard many different interpretations of the bill, he said. “I’m not one of those sheriffs that has an attorney and legal assistance to keep up with all the recent developments,” Lamb said. “I get calls about where I stand, but I have to work, I have to go be a sheriff.” Though a lot of sheriffs oppose the bill now, Lamb said many of them could support it eventually. “I’m probably going to be supporting it when it comes down to it,” he said, but clarifying he would have to wait to see a more finalized version first. Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter, as a board member of the sheriffs association, was involved in discussions with other
Branford Oct. 31 Fall festival at 3:30 p.m. at Branford High School courtyard. Sorghum maze open for non-scary at 5 p.m. and scary at 7 p.m. The entrance to the maze is at the Branford High School track. Parking is available at the gym, football field and high school. Trick-or-treating is 6-8 p.m.
board members about the bill. Sheriff Hunter clarified the FSA opposes the current version, but may change its stance after reading future versions. “I’m not in opposition to open carry,” he said. “But I’m opposed to the bill as currently written.” The FSA is working with lawmakers to address concerns, he said. “We just need to clean up some language,” Hunter added. “If we can get that changed, we may be looking at changing positions.” There are several issues, Hunter said. For instance, the bill introduces a $5,000 financial penalty for an individual law enforcement officer if he or she arrests someone suspected of an illegal firearm and is later found to have not had probable cause. The officer’s municipality or county could also be sued for $100,000. The language is also not clear enough, Hunter said. “We don’t need deputies to have to have attorneys to interpret the law,” he said. “It ought to be clear enough to a reasonable per-
son.” It seems that private business owners will not have the option to decide whether to allow guns on their property in the current version, he added. There is also no requirement a gun be holstered, Hunter said. For instance, even if somebody is walking around a neighborhood holding a gun, the police cannot do anything about it because the bill also requires officers to have probable cause before they can even ask to see a permit or else they might face the fine. Gaetz’s bill, HB163, though it had early support in the criminal justice subcommittee, still has to work its way through the legislature. Gaetz’s father, Republican State Sen. Don Gaetz, introduced a similar bill in the Florida Senate. The issue isn’t only being discussed in the state legislature, either. The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to weigh in on the matter by agreeing to review Norman v. State, a case that could challenge Florida’s open carry ban.
Area
Control Unit investigated the case. The State Attorney’s Office for the Third Judicial Circuit of Florida will prosecute the case. Attorney General Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes fraud involving providers that intentionally defraud the state's Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. Medicaid fraud essentially steals from Florida's taxpayers. Additionally, the MFCU investigates allegations of patient abuse, neglect, and exploitation in facilities receiving payments under the Medicaid program. From January 2011 to October 2015, Attorney General Bondi's MFCU has obtained more than $500 million in settlements and judgments.
Continued From Page 1A Women’s Center of Florida, performed and submitted claims for medically unnecessary procedures and billed for services not rendered. Mohan also allegedly prescribed medically unnecessary controlled substances to pregnant women by means of written orders or prescriptions. Mohan faces 11 counts of Medicaid provider fraud of $10,000 or less, a third degree felony, and six counts of delivery of a controlled substance, a second degree felony. If convicted, Mohan faces up to 145 years in prison, more than $136,000 in fines and restitution. Attorney General Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud
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