Man arrested for February DUI crash with serious injuries

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A 58-year-old man with two previous driving under the influence convictions was arrested for DUI with a serious injury to a woman on Thursday, June 26, following an investigation of a Feb. 12 crash on U.S. Highway 17.

Jon Jay Tefft, of Green Cove Springs, was charged with DUI with serious injury, reckless driving with serious injuries, driving without a seatbelt and on the wrong side of a divided highway.

According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, a witness reported that Tefft was driving south on U.S. 17 and made a U-turn at Winn-Dixie. However, his car went through the median, into a ditch and continued southbound in the northern lane of U.S. 17 before stopping in the median. Neither he nor his passenger was wearing a seatbelt, and the woman suffered a broken rib and a lacerated spleen that required emergency surgery, according to the affidavit for arrest report.

CCSO obtained a warrant for a blood test, and his blood alcohol seven hours after the crash was .143 g/100 ml and .141. The legal limit in Florida is .08.

CCSO said Tefft was convicted of DUI in 1988 and 1991.

His bond was set at $150,006. His next court appearance is July 21.

Homeless man found dead behind Middleburg Winn-Dixie

 MIDDLEBURG – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the discovery of a body on Saturday, June 28, in a wooded area behind the Winn-Dixie at 2720 Blanding Blvd., known as a homeless camp and a site of drug abuse.

Deputies found what appeared to be a dead man, and they called CCSO Investigations Division. CCSO and the District 4 Medical Examiner’s Office are determining how John William Dowden, 57, died. However, the agency does not “appear to be any obvious and outward signs of foul play.”

Anyone with information related to Dowden or this incident is encouraged to contact the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at (904) 264-6512 and reference case number 2025-014299. Anonymous tips can also be submitted via the SaferWatch App or by contacting First Coast Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS (8477).

O.P.P.D. dispatcher Rebecca Lanier earns award

ORANGE PARK – Rebecca Lanier was recently honored by the Florida Police Chiefs Association as its Dispatcher of the Year. She was joined by her friend Rehia Roundtree and Assistant Chief Cody Monroe.