AROUND LEVY COUNTY


2 March 27, 2008


Beware of travel-related scams


 With spring break here and families
planning for summer vacations, you
need to be wary of the various scams
and fraud that could be associated
with vacation packages and other
travel-related services. I encourage
consumers to report travel-related fraud,
particularly issues related to improperly
disclosed surcharges, misleading
advertisements or problems associated
with timeshares. Complaints about
travel-related issues ranked third last
year among the categories of complaints
reported to the Attorney General's Office.
 Florida is well-known for its allure
to travelers, from both within the state
and other locations, and we must protect


our citizens and our guests. Royal
Caribbean Cruise Lines and Celebrity Cruises agreed
to refund $21 million to consumers nationwide who
were charged the fuel surcharge after they had booked
their cruise. The two cruise'lines are commended for
their willingness to take actions to resolve this matter in
their customers' best interest. The settlements will serve
as a model for the rest of the cruise line industry. It is
expected that the other companies will follow suit.
 Other common travel-related problems are
associated with vacation timeshares, which give
consumers the right to use a vacation home for a
limited, preplanned period. Victims of unscrupulous
timeshare sales companies are often contacted either
over the phone or are mailed a postcard asking
the victim to call a toll-free phone number. Before
consumers decide to either purchase or resell a
timeshare, you need to consider the following tips:


 Be wary of the hard sales pitch.
 When it comes to purchasing a new
 timeshare, the salesperson may give
 the impression that the papers have to
 be signed that same day. Consumers
 should remember that they always have
 the right to leave the sales office and
 come back later.
 Always read contracts to
 determine what cancellation rights you
 have after the papers are signed. Before
 buying a timeshare, consumers should
 consider whether they will want to
SH ERIFF'S return to the same vacation spot each year.
 Be wary oftoo-good-to-be-true
 CORNER claims when it comes to resale. The
S H E R I FF J 0 H N NY S M I T H company's salespeople are likely to claim


 that the market in the area where the resort
is located is "hot" and that they are being overwhelmed
with buyer requests for that resort. In some cases,
the salespeople may even claim they have a buyer
Waiting in the wings who wants to buy the timeshare.
Consumers should be skeptical of these types of claims.
 Question up-front fees. Most resale companies
require consumers to pay a $300-500 advance listing
fee before the sale of the timeshare can take place. In a
typical real estate transaction, the fee is paid from the
proceeds of the sale at the time of the sale.
 Consider other options when it comes to resale.
Consumers may want to try selling their timeshares "by
owner" by placing advertisements in a newsletter or
magazine read by potential timeshare buyers.


Sting, from Page 1


Douglas.
 "I asked her why she would buy drugs with her child
in the car," Douglas said. "She told me her child didn't
see anything. It really disgusts me; you put those kids in
a drug area and what message does that send?"
 Lt. Evan Sullivan, spokesman for the Sheriff's
Office, said they were unable to round up every drug
dea duled for9 ast. In this age of cell phcqa tn,
textmssaging Sullian said, word spreads fast after the
first arrest. ;
 "Once you pick up people, the phones ring," Sullivan
said. "If you don't get them all in the first hour or so, you
won't get them today."
 Sullivan said the Sheriff's Office has an extremely
active drug unit. He said the drug unit has more informants
than any other department in the sheriff's office.
 In Saturday's roundup, the dealers were all black
residents while the buyers were white. Sullivan said that
is typically the case.
 He said some dealers sell narcotics for profit. Others
sell drugs to make money to buy drugs for their personal
use.
 The Sheriff's Office and Chiefland Police Department
make up the entire Drug Task Force. The last roundup
was about a year ago in Chiefland.
 Sheriff Johnny Smith said the operation went well.
 "We've got a great group of guys. They're doing a
great job and I'm proud of them," he said.
 Douglas said his personal philosophy is zero tolerance
for drugs, and he said he made that known soon after he
arrived in Chiefland about three years ago.
 He said he became aware of who was dealing drugs
in Chiefland when he first took the job, and he met with
the dealers to offer two choices.
 "I said you got the choice of becoming a productive
citizen. and getting a job, or you can continue selling
drugs and we're going to arrest you," he said.
 Douglas said it wasn't long before he arrested a
group of dealers. He said one of them remembered the
warning.
 "He said, 'Chief, you got me. You told me to get a
job or else, and you got me."
 Those arrested in Saturday's sting were:
 Naomi Felecia Adams, Chiefland, 25,
 three counts of sale of crack cocaine, three counts
 of possession of crack cocaine.
 Reginald Vincell Adams, Jr., 23,
 Chiefland, three counts of sale of crack cocaine,
 three counts of possession of crack cocaine.
 James Steven Ellerby, 42, Chiefland,
 one count of sale of crack cocaine, one count of
 possession of crack cocaine.
 Toni Coleman Gause, 52, Chiefland, two
 counts of sale of crack cocaine, three counts of
 possession of crack cocaine.
 Eddie Lee Latson, 27, Chiefland, one
 count of sale of crack cocaine, one count of
 possession of crack cocaine.
 Terrence Jenard Young, 38, Chiefland,
 one count of sale of cocaine within 1,000 feet of
 a church.
 Linda Bernice Barnes, 43, Greenville,
 Fla., one couni of sale of crack cocaine, one


iarnes


calloway


Ellerby


uavis


Latson


count of possession of crack cocaine.
 Ruby Jean Henderson, 40, Chiefland, one
count of purchase of crack cocaine.
 Linda Kay Calloway, 44, Chiefland, one
count of purchase of crack cocaine, one count
of tampering with evidence, and one count
each of child neglect and possession of drug
paraphernalia.
 Rollie Tillery, 53, Chiefland, one count
of purchase of crack cocaine, one count of
tampering with evidence.
 Vernon Henry Davis, 44, one count of
purchase of crack cocaine, one count oftampering
with evidence, one count of driving while license
suspended or revoked, one count of possession
of drug paraphernalia.
 Alan Ray Jesk, 52, Chiefland, one count
of purchase of crack cocaine, one count of
tampering with evidence, one count of possession
of paraphernalia.
 Jeffrey Curtis Dockery, 48, Chiefland,


uocKery


Jesk


Henaerson


N. Adams


R. Adams


 Tillery Young
one count of sale of crack cocaine, one count of
possession of crack cocaine.
 Javaris Green, 20, Chiefland, one count
of sale of crack cocaine, one count of possession
of crack cocaine.


Levy County Journal


Levy inmates pick


 up roadside trash

By Terry Witt
Staff writer

 Sheriff Johnny Smith has begun harnessing
inmate labor to rid the county of a longtime
nuisance roadside trash.
 Low risk Levy County Jail inmates have
removed 20,000 pounds of litter from county
ditches since the start of the program on March
13.
 Smith said the program costs the county
nothing. An existing correctional officer
supervises the inmates. A sheriff's office van was
converted to a transport vehicle for the inmates.
 "We're going to save the taxpayers money,"
Smith said. "We can't put a dollar figure on it
yet but I can tell you it's going to save a pile of
money."
 The sheriff said the program fits well with
his old school philosophy of making life as
unpleasant as possible for inmates at the jail. He
said the inmate trash crew won't be in leg irons or
chains, but the correctional officer who supervises
them will be armed.
 Smith said working all day in the hot Florida
sun won't be a pleasant experience for any of the
inmates, but the job does provide one benefit.
Working outside gets them out of a jail where they
have no television, newspapers, chewing tobacco
or any other luxury.
 "I don't want these prisoners back again. If you
make it unpleasant, these people won't want to
See Inmates, Page 18