Cops Corner

Stuart Alan Olsen 1954-2021

Stuart Alan Olsen 67, of Ormond Beach, Florida passed away peacefully on October 20th, 2021 at Hospice Care in Edgewater, Florida. He was born in Escanaba, Michigan on January 27th, 1954. The son of Trygve and Helen (Crebo) Olsen.

Stuart was a carpenter and handy man for many years in Ormond Beach, running his business Ole’s Carpentry. He was always willing to help and always a pleasure to be around. His positivity was contagious. He will be dearly missed by many.

He enjoyed surf fishing, (all types of fishing), woodworking, spending time with Family & Friends and chasing the Sunrise & Sunsets.

He is survived by his niece, Susie Mathewson of Lewiston, MI; nephew, Jerry Ford of Lewiston, MI; niece, Rhonda Ramirez of Norway/ Houston, TX.; granddaughter, Savannah Dunavent of Port Orange, FL, one great niece, three great nephews and two great, great nieces.

Stuart is also survived by many amazing friends. Special thanks to Stuart’s Dear friends, Gary & Eileen Willwerth of Ormond Beach, FL, Kim & Jim Scott of Port Orange, Florida and Dave Richter of Clitherall, MN.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Trygve & Helen Olsen; sisters, Barb Ford and Virginia Olsen, and son, Eric Dunavent.

He was always willing to help and always a pleasure to be around.

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CORNER Man charged

FEB. 19 WIELDING A WEAPON 6:25 a.m. — 100 block of with murder after failed murdersuicide plot Interchange Boulevard Aggravated assault with a An Ormond Beach man deadly weapon. A 37-year-old charged with second degree Ormond Beach man was ar- murder after he shot his girlrested after he tried to attack friend in the head at a Holly Hill his ex-girlfriend and her new shooting range in October 2021 boyfriend with a tire iron fol- was extradited from New York lowing a verbal altercation. to Florida on Feb. 24.

According to his arrest According to his arrest rereport, the man claimed that port, 23-year-old Alec Almanhe had found meth in his ex’s zar and his girlfriend, Ayadilis purse when she arrived at his Chalas, were at the Hot Shots home earlier that morning. Shooting Range in Holly Hill She left the home, and the on Oct. 7, when Almanzar put man tried to follow her in his a gun to both of their heads car. He then called police, while in an embrace and fired. and an officer advised him to Holly Hill Police reported that return to his home and not look for his ex. As soon as the man hung up the call with police, he spotted her and her new BIZ BUZZ boyfriend, and began to follow them. He pulled into a gas DSC RECEIVES station in the 1600 block of West Granada Boulevard and they began to yell at each $532,000 THROUGH STATE other, police report. The man GRANT then parked, grabbed the tire iron and approached the Daytona State College is excouple, but was intercepted cited to partner with the Florida and disarmed by a bystander. Department of Education as

He was taken to jail. the recipient of $532,000 in funding through the Open Door WRONG CAR Grant Programs. 5:49 p.m. — 1400 block of Launched by Gov. Ron Hand Avenue DeSantis, the Open Door Vandalism. Upon leaving her Grant Program is a $35 million workplace, a Daytona Beach statewide investment toward woman found her car vandal- creating an industry-driven ized in the parking lot. supply of credentialed work-

The woman told police ers for in-demand occupations she believed the perpetra- through career, technical and tor was a disgruntled former adult education programs. employee who had been fired At Daytona State Colthe previous day. The woman lege, firefighting and law said the employee claimed he enforcement programs are would return to the work- included in this grant. Students place, and believed that he who enroll in these programs mistook her vehicle for that may be eligible for this new of one of the managers with funding that could pay for some whom he was upset. or all of their tuition.

She wished to pursue To be eligible for the Open charges. Door Grant, students must be enrolled in courses and training at DSC that will be completed in 12 months or less. Program funds can be used for the cost of tuition, fees, examinations, books, and materials to a student enrolled in an eligible program. Eligible students must also be Florida residents, be unemployed, underemployed or furloughed, and must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

For more information about this opportunity, please contact DSC’s Financial Aid Office at FinancialAid@DaytonaState. edu or 386-506-3015.

the pair kissed and spoke to each other prior to Almanzar firing the shot, which killed Chalas on the scene and resulted in Almanzar’s hospitalization.

During the shooting investigation, Ormond Beach Police were conducting a wellbeing check at the couple’s home after family members were alarmed by Chalas’ social media post, in which she thanked people who had checked up on her and said “you don’t have to worry about us anymore, we are going to a safe place away from this world.”

Almanzar was released from the hospital on Dec. 15. A warrant was issued on Dec. 23. He is being held with no bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail.

Gas prices up after Russian invasion of Ukraine

Florida gas prices increased 4 cents last week and more pump price hikes could be on the way. Crude oil prices surged in overnight trading, amid growing concerns that the Russia invasion of Ukraine could impact global crude supplies.

Russia is the third-largest oil producing country in the world and the crude oil market was already tight before this conflict began. Oil prices quickly shot up Sunday night, Feb. 27, when international trading began. At the time of this writing, the U.S. price of oil was trading above $96 per barrel - an increase of nearly $5/b (5%) from Friday’s closing price of $91.59.

RE/MAX SIGNATURE EARNS TOP REGIONAL AWARD

RE/MAX Signature was presented with the Brokerage of the Year Award for the state of Florida. This award is presented to one brokerage in each state and recognizes the office as a collective whole, on behalf of all the associates, for demonstrating extraordinary commitment and loyalty to their fellow RE/ MAX associates, employees and clients.

“It’s a tremendous honor for our office to receive this prestigious award,” said Walter Borgen, RE/MAX signature broker and owner.

Borgen opened RE/MAX Signature in 2005 and has since grown the brokerage to three locations and over 100 associates.

RE/MAX Signature has three locations to serve the area: Daytona Beach Shores, Ormond Beach and Port Orange. Call 386-236-0760 or visit searchdaytonarealestate.com.

SEND YOUR BUSINESS NEWS

Is your business doing something new? Or have you spotted a new business opening up? Send information to jarleene@ ormondbeachobserver. com.

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Julie Hewitt as Lady Diamond, explains the importance of looking at the tree through the round game piece to see the clue.

The Ormond Beach Historical Society’s Mardi Gras Murder Mystery event on Saturday, Feb. 26, became one of the organization’s biggest fundraisers.

Gordon Campbell as Royal Flush, gives his guests a peek at the riddle. Fredericka Gray, Cycily Thomas, Zoe Thomas, and Tanice Robinson heard about the Mardi Gras Murder Mystery on the radio. Above: Lyndi Khanna and Nikki Gazzoli attempt to list the planets to answer their riddle for Madam Tarot. Left: Kris Smith, known as Laramie Lockhart at the Mardi Gras MurderåMystery, welcomes people to bribe her for clues.

Mystery at Rowallan MICHELE MEYERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER The Ormond Beach Historical Society welcomed amateur sleuths to its first Mardi Gras Murder Mystery on Saturday, Feb. 26. The event was a sold-out affair with 100 tickets purchased online at $100 per person. So far, it has been one of its biggest fundraisers, along with the group’s annual Oktoberfest. As an active member, Catherine Root was interested in supporting the historical society by hosting a gala event at her home. She and her husband, ophthalmologist Timothy Root, purchased the Rowallan house in 2019, and it has been included in the society’s annual virtual Tour of Homes the past two years. The idea of having a murder mystery party was exciting to the members of the Historical Society, and they began to plan for the event beginning in July 2021. Root led the decorating charge in the summer and began to purchase the materials necessary to create a Mardi Gras-style atmosphere in her home. PreparaJacqueline and Michael St. John tions were put on hold during the holidays due to the annual Virtual Tour of Homes, but decorating for the event commenced Jan. 1. “I hope that this was an inaugural murder mystery, but that will be up to the Roots,” said Joy Brown, who serves on the society’s board of directors. “I think it was very well received. I haven’t heard anything negative. Not just positive reviews but absolutely glowing. The only suggestions I heard was that this needs to be an annual event.” The game itself was created by Dr. Root, who understood the imporCourtesy photo by Shirley James tance of upscaling it for 100 particiTim and Catherine Root host the Mardi Gras Murder Mystery at their histori- pants and creating a more socially Shane and Michelle Mariano share the space with Zoltar cal Rowallan home. interactive environment. He came up with a social card game interspersed with escape room type puzzles. His background in publishing and graphic design enabled him to do most of the artwork and design of the mystery. Root currently practices at the Tomoka Eye Associates. He does online teaching and is a cartoonist who writes and illustrates books on ophthalmology for medical students. Bill Watson is the CEO of the Tomoka Eye Associates and appreciates Root’s creativity. “Anything that Tim Root does is cool,” Watson said. “Let me tell you, he’s a genius. We do all kinds of fun stuff together. Our whole group is like that. We all just like to laugh and have fun.” Each participant was given a packet, which included playing and action cards. Playing cards could be exchanged with fellow gamers by following the directions on the action cards. The pseudo detectives, with cards in tow, moved between eight themed rooms manned by characters named Madam Tarot, Lady Diamond, Rita Ridler, Voodoo Mama, Laramie Lockheart, Mississippi Jones, Dr. Peeper and Royal Flush. This allowed them to work toward a conclusion by process of elimination. Participant Cheryl Sullivan, a senior development manager for the American Cancer Society, was excited with the murder mystery game concept for a possible ACS fundraising event. “We are always looking for neat ideas and new things to do,” she said. “We’ve all done the golf tournaments and 5Ks. This is definitely a consideration.” Root anticipates hosting more events in the future. “We are just happy to live in a historic home like this,” he said. “There have been many wonderful families that lived here before us and we wanted to keep the spirit of the place alive. Hopefully, we’ll have many more gatherings in the future.”