Update On The Fatal Crash Last Saturday

 

Sergeant Ron Malone, the officer who was injured in the head-on collision, was discharged from the Intensive Care Unit. However, he will remain in the hospital for further treatment, and he has a long recovery journey ahead of him.

OPD officers were working a crash scene at the intersection of S Pine Ave. and SW 17th St. An oncoming driver sped through the intersection and struck a parked patrol vehicle and a pedestrian. Sadly, the pedestrian passed away at the hospital due to substantial injuries.

The driver fled the scene, prompting a police pursuit along SE Maricamp Rd. Sergeant Malone was parked in the grass median in front of HCA Urgent Care and was preparing to deploy stop sticks. The hit-and-run driver collided head-on with the officer's patrol car while the officer was inside, and yes, it appeared to be intentional.

Sergeant Malone sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital. The hit-and-run driver was also taken to the hospital where he later died.

This is an absolute tragedy. Our hearts break for a family who is now mourning the loss of a loved one, all because of one person's reckless actions that also endangered the lives of our officers. Please keep our injured officer in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

 

Foodie Alert! New Ocala Restaurant!

 

A brand new restaurant opens in the Historic North Magnolia Downtown district of Ocala!

The Depot on Magnolia is in Ocala’s historic train depot. The owners are the ones who painted the fascinating murals on the walls, and while it can be a bit overwhelming at first, there is so much to see and enjoy in this perfect little cafe that you will love sitting there and enjoying the experience. They serve Lunch on Tues-Saturday and are open for dinner as well on Friday and Saturday.

My husband and I stopped out and had some wraps and sandwiches, we tried their soups and even splurged on dessert!

This is real food folks! There are no perfect machine-cut carrots in the chicken soup, there is real lobster in the lobster bisque. The key lime pie is mouth puckering and the hummingbird cake melts in your mouth.

If you want real, home-cooked food by someone who loves flavors and textures, this is the place to go. I can’t say enough about the food that we had today, it was just that good!