VOLUME 7 ISSUE 4
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Catch the Ocala Polo Club in action. Pg B1 JANUARY 16 - 22, 2026
Trial by fire station: when public safety officials and media forget due process
The legacy of Ocala Stud
By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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he recent violent hazing incident involving firefighters at Marion County Fire Rescue Station 21 is more than a local crime story — it is a high-profile example of the breakdown of due process in the court of public opinion. When public safety officials and the media converge to create a definitive narrative before a case is tried, they risk convicting individuals based on incomplete, and potentially misleading, evidence. The swift condemnation surrounding the hazing events of Nov. 16, fueled by official statements and selectively released images, created a public certainty that the evidence struggles to support. The story presented to the public was one of clear-cut assault, but a closer look at initial witness accounts reveals a more ambiguous and complicated reality. This review explores the official narrative, including contradictory evidence that was overlooked, and highlights the need for greater responsibility from the institutions charged with protecting public safety and rights.
THE OFFICIAL NARRATIVE VS. A COMPLICATED REALITY The four MCFR workers who have been arrested in connection with the incident are paramedic Kaylee K. Bradley, 25, charged with felony robbery and principal/accessory to robbery. Firefighter/EMT Tate Trauthwein, 19; EMT Edward Kenny III, 22; and firefighter/EMT Seth Day, 22, a firefighter/EMT, have all been charged with felony robbery by MCSO. The arrest affidavit states the victim was working at the station as a “floater” on Nov. 16 to fill a vacancy when a series of minor disputes led to the victim being held down while he was beaten with his own belt and had his cellphone and other belongings taken- then waterboarded. See Process page A9
Ocala Stud is celebrating 70 years as a leader in the thoroughbred industry. David, Michael and Joe O’Farrell, left to right, are shown on the track at the farm in Ocala. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette file photo]
The oldest active Florida thoroughbred operation turns 70. By JoAnn Guidry Special to the Ocala Gazette
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all it a milestone purchase in Florida thoroughbred industry history. On Jan. 16, 1956, Maryland horseman Joe O’Farrell and his brother, Tom, were part of a nine-person syndicate headed by Bruce Campbell that paid $700,000 for 800 acres of what had been Ocala-based Dickey Stables. Included in the deal were the farm’s 16 broodmares, two of which were Noodle Soup and Iltis. Those two broodmares would play key roles in the newly christened Ocala Stud’s quick start to historic success. That May, Needles, out of Noodle Soup, became the first Florida-bred to win the Kentucky Derby. Bred by William Leach, who had owned Dickey Stables, and raced by D & H Stable, the son of Ponder finished second in the Preakness Stakes and won the Belmont Stakes. In 1955, Needles had become the North American champion 2-year-old male and the first Floridabred to be named a national champion. When Needles was named the 1956 North American champion 3-year-old male, the spotlight shone brightly on Ocala as a
viable thoroughbred industry center. At the time of Needles’ Kentucky Derby win, there were only four thoroughbred farms in the Ocala area. But that was soon to change as the Ocala farm rush was on. Joe O’Farrell, in his role as the Ocala Stud’s managing partner, wasted little time in taking advantage of Ocala’s newlyfound fame. With Needles’ dam Noodle Soup as a centerpiece, he quickly built up a broodmare band and filled the training barns with young horses. The stallion barn was soon anchored by Rough’n Tumble, who had stood at the O’Farrells’ Maryland farm. By Free For All out of Roused, by Bull Dog, Rough’n Tumble would go on to become one of the foundation stallions of the Florida thoroughbred industry. With 14 crops of racing age, Rough’n Tumble had lifetime progeny earnings of $6.2 million, siring 24 stakes winners and 20 stakesplaced runners. Among his stakes winners were Florida-bred national champions My Dear Girl and Dr. Fager. While waiting for the first Ocala Studbred crop, O’Farrell took a proactive approach on another front. On Feb. 25, 1957, he staged the first-ever 2-year-olds in training sale in the Hialeah Park paddock. Conducted by Fasig-Tipton, a total of 37
head sold, with most of them coming from the Ocala Stud consignment. Included in that latter group was Maryland-bred Ragtime Cowboy, by Rough’n Tumble, who went on to win the 1958 L.E. Stoddard Jr. Steeplechase Stakes. That victory earned the O-Farrell Brothers-bred Ragtime Cowboy the distinction of becoming the first stakes-winning graduate of a juvenile sale. The majority of the horses in that initial Ocala Stud consignment had been Maryland-breds brought to Florida from the previous O’Farrell farm. But in1958, the first juvenile crop of horses foaled and raised at Ocala Stud were sold at public auction. That crop went on to record a national best mark of 12 winners which won 27 races. Part of that Ocala Stud consignment included Wedlock, by Rough’n Tumble, who sold for $4.500. Wedlock became the first registered Floridabred filly to win a classic race when she won the 1959 Kentucky Oaks. Just that quickly, Ocala Stud’s reputation as a leading juvenile consignor was established. O’Farrell would go on to become one of the founding members of the Florida Breeders’ See Ocala Stud, page A6
DEP approves air permit for creosote-treated railroad ties The permit would allow for a grinding and shredding operation near the Rainbow River. By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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ore than five weeks after residents were told the mountains of creosote-treated railroad ties stored along a CSX rail line would be removed
from Dunnellon, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has approved an air construction permit authorizing those same ties to be shredded and ground on site — despite widespread public opposition. The permit approval became public days after aerial photographs
showed rail cars actively being loaded with the treated ties. At approximately 5 p.m. Jan. 12, aerial images taken by local resident Bryce Hale show roughly half of the rail cars at the site had been filled. At approximately 5 p.m. Jan. 12, this aerial image shows roughly half of the rail cars at the
See Railroad, page A2 site had been filled with creosote-treated railroad ties. [Photo by Bryce Hale]
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INSIDE:
Ocala water plan .......................... A4 Safer Routes to School ................ A8 Veterans memorial ...................... B2 Horse Fever ................................... B4 Calendar ........................................ B6
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