5 years ago, 2012
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested 47 people in a two-day drug sweep of Middleburg that was held in response to residents’ complaints about ongoing illegal drug activity.

Officials celebrated the unveiling of the “T. Jesse Godbold Sr. Extension Education Center” at the UF/IFAS Extension building on State Road 16 west of Green Cove Springs. In his agriculture career, Godbold worked for years with county officials to get the building funded and built.

The National Association of County and City Health Officials, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, honored the Clay County Health Department with a “Project Public Health Ready” designation for its response to Tropical Storm Debby.

10 years ago, 2007
Clay County Fire and Rescue reported that a residential fire at a Green Cove Springs home killed a three-year-old boy. State Fire Marshal Detective Robby Stephens said the child, Ethan “Cid” Kirkland started the fire using a wand lighter he found outside.

Clay County School Superintendent David Owens ordered schools to cut five percent from their new budgets as the district faced a $5.3 million drop in state funding.

Auditor Linda Dufresne told Orange Park Town Council its new audit was “clean and showed no signs of fraud.” The report found the town had $38 million in net assets, spent $24.4 million on governmental activities and $14 million on business-type activities.

20 years ago, 1997
Despite discrepancies between the deputies’ stories and the wounds, Clay County Sheriff Scott Lancaster stood by his claim that the officer-involved shooting of Richard Sandt at his Madeira Drive home near Orange Park was justified.

A State Fire Marshal said preliminary investigation results show arson was the cause of a house fire in the 2900 block of County Road 220. Investigators found a plastic gas can, paint thinner and burn marks from the area where the fire began.

Jeff Markulik was named executive director of Life Care Center of Orange Park, at 2145 Kingsley Ave., after the center failed to meet minimum standards after an inspection found a patient was not receiving the proper nutrition.

30 years ago, 1987
Quinn Johnson, 39, of Orange Park, died at University Hospital in Jacksonville after being airlifted there due to a worksite accident. Johnson was electrocuted when the backhoe he was driving – and carrying a steel cable – came in contact with an overhead wire.

Keystone Heights Mayor William Beam vetoed a 3-2 vote by city council to approve a rezoning that would allow a residence to be converted into a dance studio upholding the city’s Planning and Zoning Board recommendation for denial of the rezoning.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrested Emory E. Frame, 57, of Green Cove Springs, for lewd and lascivious assault on a minor. Frame, the Clay County School District’s director of transportation, was placed on leave and prohibited from having contact with children.

40 years ago, 1977
The Clay County School Board pondered raising the millage rate from 6.4 to 7 mills, which would generate an additional $4,027,000. The proposed $24.5 million budget also included $450,000 for teacher raises.

Volunteer fire departments from as far away as Bradford County and Penney Farms helped extinguish a blaze at the New Kingsley Beach Recreation Center, which experienced approximately $200,000 damage. Investigators said approximately $1,600 in undeposited cash was burned in the fire.

The Florida Highway Patrol investigated a crash between an Amtrak auto train and a sedan at the Doctors Lake crossing on Kingsley Avenue. Orange Park High student Robert Peter Langdo, 17, and two juvenile passengers visiting from Virginia were killed in the collision.