Marion County Sheriff's Office

06/13/2026

⚠️ Scammers Are Impersonating Marion County Departments ⚠️

Marion County has received reports of fraudulent emails impersonating county departments, including Growth Services, Building Safety, and the Office of the County Engineer.

These emails may appear legitimate and request payment for permits, inspections, applications, zoning approvals, or other county-related services. Some even include county seals, property details, and official-looking language.

Before you click, respond, or pay, take a moment to verify the request.

If you receive a suspicious email claiming to be from Marion County:
✅ Do not click links or open attachments
✅ Do not send payment
✅ Verify the request directly with the appropriate county department

Visit marionfl.org or call the department directly using official contact information to confirm any payment request.

Protect yourself. Protect your business. Verify before you pay.

06/12/2026

Hey, everyone! It’s Friday, and we’re back with another Marion Rundown.

Corporal Mead responded to the 1900 block of SE 40th Street Road in reference to a stolen vehicle. The investigation revealed that Kadreon Dowdy took the victim’s keys and stole a 2020 Kia Sorrento. He and the vehicle were later located in the 2800 block of NE 7th Street. Dowdy was placed under arrest and transported to jail, and the vehicle was recovered.

Deputy Boucher responded to a home in the 2400 block of SW 38th Avenue to locate a wanted person. Upon arrival, he located Andres Moreno, who had an active warrant from Racine City, Wisconsin, for s*xually assaulting a child. Moreno was arrested and taken to jail.

Deputy Underwood responded to the Dollar General in the 17500 block of N Highway 301 in reference to a disturbance. The investigation revealed that Breanna Clay was arguing with the victim when she sprayed him with pepper spray. Clay was placed under arrest and transported to jail.

Deputies responded to a home in the Shores in reference to a fraud. The victim advised that he received a text message requesting confirmation of a financial transaction he had not made. The suspect convinced him to withdraw funds to start a new bank account, and someone came to his home to collect the money. This investigation is ongoing.

Deputy DeSandre responded to The Pine Extended Stay on S Pine Avenue in reference to a trespassing complaint. He discovered that Robert Damphousse was told to leave after failing to pay rent. He barricaded himself in the room and ignored numerous commands to vacate. Once the door was unlocked by management, he was removed, arrested, and taken to jail.

That’s all we have for today!

We hope you all have a safe weekend, no drinking and driving, and we will see you again next week!

06/12/2026

Today, we’re celebrating K-9 Copper’s birthday! 🎂

K-9 Copper and his handler, Detention Deputy Goosey, are an important part of our team, working diligently to help keep our jail safe by detecting drugs and other contraband.

Thank you for your hard work, dedication, and loyalty, Copper. We hope your day is filled with plenty of treats, belly rubs, and tail wags!

Join us in wishing K-9 Copper a very happy birthday!

06/12/2026

Today is Automotive Professionals Day, and we wanted to recognize the men and women of our Fleet Services Division! Sheriff Woods and Major Dotten stepped up to the grill and provided lunch to thank them for their hard work.

Our fleet technicians work behind the scenes to keep more than 1400 MCSO vehicles on the road. From routine maintenance to major repairs, they make sure our deputies have safe, reliable vehicles to respond to calls, patrol our neighborhoods, and serve the citizens of Marion County.

Their work may not always be visible, but it is essential to our mission. Thank you to our Fleet Services team for everything you do to keep MCSO running!

06/12/2026

**UPDATE**: The owners have been located, and the horses are heading home. Thank you for sharing!

___________________________________________________

FOUND HORSES

Early this morning, MCSO was notified that 4 Bay thoroughbreds were in the middle of the road in the 11500 block of W Highway 326, in Ocala. The MCSO Agricultural Unit responded and took custody of the horses. They are now secured in a paddock in the 22500 block of W Highway 326 while our Agricultural Unit searches for the owner.

If you are the owner of these animals, or if you have information that can help us find the owner, please contact Sgt. Timothy Ogletree at (352) 816-0623.

06/11/2026

MORE THAN 50 MEN ARRESTED IN CHILD S*X PREDATOR STING

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) along with multiple local, state, and federal agencies just concluded a week-long undercover, sting operation targeting child s*x predators. This operation, ‘Operation Bad Habits’ resulted in the arrests of 52 individuals.

Detectives posing online as children, ranging in ages from 7 to 15 years old, were solicited by these predators who ultimately arranged to meet what they thought was a child for s*x. Arrested in this operation were legal and illegal immigrants, fathers, coaches, teachers and even a high school student. Several of these predators were also charged with human trafficking as they were trying to “purchase” these children for s*x.

The following agencies assisted in this operation: Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Ocala Police Department, Lake City Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol, US Marshal’s Service, Homeland Security, the FBI, Florida Sheriff’s Association, Office of the State Attorney Fifth Judicial Circuit and the US Attorney’s Office Middle District of Florida.
Sheriff Woods said, “Once again, the amazing teamwork and determination among all these agencies involved are sending a clear message to child s*x predators that Florida has no tolerance for this and we will continue to do everything we can to protect these children.”

A special thank you to the following community partners for providing food and refreshments to the dedicated men and women who worked tirelessly to help get these predators off our streets:

Kimberly’s Center Child Advocacy Center
Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza
Mojo’s Ocala
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
Sonny’s BBQ
Kingdom Lien Search, LLC
Cone Farms and Ag Services
Lee and Allison Wi******er with Kona Ice
Sam’s Club
Travelin’ Toms Coffee
Magnolia Bakery and
Graze & Prosper

06/11/2026

Operation 'Bad Habits'. Who is preying on your children?

06/10/2026

On May 29, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Ocala Police Department for a traffic enforcement operation targeting aggressive and impaired driving in the Ocala area.

The operation resulted in:

* 103 traffic stops
* 46 citations
* 61 warnings
* 11 arrests, including nine for DWLSR and other criminal offenses, and two DUIs

We value our partnership with the Ocala Police Department and remain committed to keeping Marion County roadways safe. Please drive safely, responsibly, and never drive impaired.

During a recent traffic operation between the Ocala Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff's Office, our agencies worked together to combat aggressive driving and impaired driving throughout Ocala.

The joint effort, conducted on May 29, resulted in:
- 103 traffic stops
- 46 citations
- 61 warnings
- 11 arrests, including nine for DWLSR and other criminal charges; two DUIs.

We remain committed to strengthening our partnership with local law enforcement agencies to keep Ocala/Marion County roadways safe. Please remember to always drive safely and responsibly.

06/10/2026

🚨 Set your reminders now. Tomorrow at 11 a.m. LIVE on Facebook find out who was arrested in Operation Bad Habits.

06/10/2026

DUNNELLON MAN ARRESTED FOR MURDERING HIS FATHER

Yesterday, Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes Detective Caitlin Hartigan arrested 25-year-old Andres Bahamon for the murder of his father, 43-year-old Andres Bahamon-Prada. Bahamon was already in custody at the Marion County Jail as a result of his arrest on May 19, 2026, for Tampering with Evidence in the victim’s missing person investigation.

On May 16, 2026, Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) deputies began investigating the disappearance of the victim after a family member advised he had not been seen since May 7, 2026. During the investigation, deputies located evidence that foul play may be involved in his disappearance, at which time Major Crimes detectives began a homicide investigation. On May 18, 2026, detectives responded to 2180 NW 225th Avenue in Dunnellon and obtained a search warrant for the property. During the ex*****on of the search warrant, they discovered an area of freshly dug dirt and located human remains that were later confirmed to be Andres Bahamon-Prada. Detectives also collected several items of evidence with suspected dried blood inside the home. At that point in the investigation, 25-year-old Andres Bahamon became the primary suspect in the homicide.

Although he initially refused to speak with detectives about the victim’s disappearance, Detectives Hartigan and McMurray attempted another interview with Bahamon while he was in custody at the Marion County Jail. During the interview, he admitted to murdering the victim. Bahamon advised that, before the murder, he “asked God a million times” to allow him to kill the victim. Bahamon expressed his belief that he was doing God’s work because the victim was “trying to link up with satanic people” and trying to kill him. Bahamon ultimately provided extensive details about how he killed the victim and then buried him in the backyard of the residence to avoid being arrested.

Based on the abundance of evidence collected and Bahamon’s own account of how he murdered the victim, he was charged with Second Degree Murder. He remains in the Marion County Jail without bond.