Student Makes Hoax Call Triggering Lockdown

***UPDATED at 9 pm April 23*** Student Makes Hoax Call Triggering Lockdown On Wednesday, April 23, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office responded to Columbia High School due to a 911 call from an unknown person indicating another student had brought a weapon into the school. The 911 call triggered emergency procedures by the school and…

Two New Members Join CCSO

On Wednesday, April 23, in a ceremony attended by Sheriff’s Office personnel, Sheriff Mark Hunter swore in two new members. Charity Payne was sworn in as School Crossing Guard and Terry Libbert was sworn in as a volunteer with the Citizen Service Unit.

Annual Crime Report Released

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has released the annual crime report. The statistics are from a reporting period of January 2013 to December 2013. The report shows an overall increase of 5.1% in the crime index for Columbia County from the previous year. The unincorporated county area had a 4.4% increase due to…

Sheriff Presents Distinguished Service Award

On Monday, April 21, Sheriff Mark Hunter presented the Distinguished Service Award to Mr. Zimmie Petty for 30 years of service and support to the Florida Sheriff’s Association. We would like to extend our most sincere appreciation to Mr. Petty for his unwavering support for our Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs these many years.    …

Fort White Burglars Arrested

On Thursday, April 17, detectives from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office arrested two people suspected of a string of burglaries in Fort White and High Springs. The ongoing investigation began in mid-March when a residence on SW Boulder Glen in Fort White was burglarized. During the initial report, deputies noted that a suspicious vehicle had…