Skunky:

Since you're on PR duty, you can also send a copy to:

Gwen Break
Editor
Walton Sun
sunnews@link.freedom.com

William Hatfield
Editor
Destin Log
williamh@link.freedom.com

and

Colin Lipnicky
Editor
NWF Daily News
colinl@nwfdailynews.com

A person true to their word. thank you Skunky, thats very generous of you to do that for me. i'm going to try to call the investigator again to see when he/she can tell me what the heck is going on with this, when i know more, everyone here will know.

Thank you as well BeachSi02

any updates?

nothing so far, i'm back to square one though, my friends that saw the truck with the plate number i posted up turned i to be the wrong truck. so now i'm looking for c44 again. but i've heard nothing from my investigator, on a happier note though i found out my car insurance is going to cover my medical bills, so thats a plus

another update for everyone. I've recieved an email from a local paper about my story. we are planning on meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss everything for a story in the paper. i was told that on friday the WCSO finally went to Regions to pull security footage. They have been pulling security footage from the suntrust next to publix for what reason i don't know. hopefully the a-hole gets what he deserves very soon

Is there more to the story than has already been written here?

I couldn't have said it, better!

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Don't be afraid that your life will end,
be afraid that it will never begin.
~anonymous~

I hate to answer your question with a question Kurt, but what do you mean by your statment?

Jeff, I am happy the editor at the newspaper finally figured out that an attempted murder might be newsworthy enough to send a reporter out, even if it did take a few weeks. I was worried the editor in question would blow me off because he made it very clear he thought most of what people chatted about in forums like this are junk unworthy of space in his paper.
I didn't ask him why, if he is so slow to utilize internet material, he cut and paste a 'Famous quotes by Abe Lincoln' spam email that has been making the rounds on the internet since the 1990s and pass it off as his weekly editorial about two months ago. Never mind that at least one of the quotes was never spoken by Lincoln;I let it slide.
I hope the reporter in question helps you, I have faith in said ink-stained professional.

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Thank you again Shunky. I was contacted like a was told was going to happen. We spend about 15 mintues on the phone going over everything and getting some quotes from me about how i feel the situation is being handled by the investigator. i was told the atricle will come out next tuesday. i hope everyone will take a few mintues to read it.

If we missed anything, fill us in.

Everyone who has kept up with this post knows everything i do kurt. I feel that i need to let everyone know whats going on because we are all part of this community. We watched it happen as a community, we came together as a community (thank you everyone for your support) and we need closer as a community. hopefully by this becoming a news stand issue more people will become involved trying to spot this guy and the WCSO might hurry up with this and that is not intended to bash our police department in any way.

I've had the honor of meeting TillerJeff last Saturday for the Carter Family Fund Raiser meeting and I have to say I am soooo impressed at what an amazing young man he is. He is a giver, not a taker, he has goals and works very hard at 2 jobs. I applaud you TillerJeff and I want everyone to know what kind of person you are.
I appreciate you and I hope you will have closure soon.

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"The only thing worse than being stood up is dating." NoHall

"If you are going to be stupid, you better be tough".
Sunspotbaby

Thats is one of the sweetest things i've ever had someone say about me. Thank you Donna for saying that. Everytime i read that it makes me smile and it brightens up my day.

keep smiling, you deserve it!!!!

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"The only thing worse than being stood up is dating." NoHall

"If you are going to be stupid, you better be tough".
Sunspotbaby

Nothing seems to have happened from the interview regarding the incident. I haven't seen anything in local papers.

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Anthony

ASH, if you read a few posts up, you will see when the article/ phone interview will be released. myself i can't wait to read the article.

The article has been submitted and will go to press tomorrow night. I hope it will help to close this case up and lead to an arrest of the driver. I will continue to follow the case and follow up if it is solved or if it is not. The information on an active case is slim and I can understand that, but we will continue to follow it, no matter where it goes. Best of luck to you Tillerjeff and I hope you get some closure over this incident.

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I am curious to know if the newspaper donates space to help solve cases like this one. Wouldn't it be in the community's best interest to donate a free space to the WCSO where tips are solicited? After all, we are talking about an attempted murder here, which I think trumps the importance of a kid posing next to a dead deer/fish/fowl.

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Yes, we do. We do not charge crimestoppers to run their info and you would be hard pressed to find a more community minded individual than my publisher, Gary Woodham.

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AL,

is there any insight that you can offer to Sowal as to why it is so difficult to get information from our local LE officials? Many of us have lived in places where the police department worked hand in hand with the local community in an attempt to have "eyes on the street" helping solve crimes; especially, really serious ones.

Yet here, if we did not have Sowal, I dare say, most of us would never hear about an ongoing case, or a traffic crash; or a gridlock highway; or anything else for that matter.

I don't understand the thinking behind this.

I can certainly understand that certain information is not available, but it seems that putting the public on alert and seeking assistance from all of us is preferable to leaving many of us thinking the cops just aren't paying attention and don't care whether they solve the crime or not.

Help me understand if you can....

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"If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them."
George Orwell

I don't have the answer, but I can say that we have a new administration at WCSO and a new PIO( Public Information Officer) Mike Gurspan. He's been in the news business for a long time. I have been receiving a lot of press releases since his hire a few weeks ago. I have faith that they want to work with the public and the press and will unless they prove me wrong. Community policing is something they are promoting.

I get just as frustrated over "policy" that forbids the release of certain information during an ongoing investigation, but I can't say that I don't understand it. Some information in a file is more sensitive then other information. I made three request to see a copy of the original incident report on this case and they were refused, even though the victim offered me a copy of his. I don't quite understand the idea of sensitive information when someone in the public already has a copy of it. That was disappointing and deserves more attention.

We also need to think about liability when it comes to a government entity and an anonymous source. I have read many post that were misleading and bad information, especially during election season. Those posters have no fear of liability, while a government office that was trying to get info out that quick might. Not to mention the beating about the head and shoulders they would take when they got it wrong.

I think they handle things like most other LE offices. They are trying to do it by the book. The WCSO has a new website and it looks good. I think the contact page is a nice piece of work and promotes transparency as you can contact the entire staff by email if you have a question for one of them. Walton County Florida, Office of the Sheriff - Contact Us

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Is it available online yet?

Most always in an investigation the report contains statements by witnesses. If the department releases that report and it is made widely public, those witnesses could possibly be endangered.

It is obvious the accussed truck driver is not a kind, caring person. Those willing to come forward and give witness might not want this idiot knowing who they were.

Which is the very reason that large cities have anonymous tip line for crimes.

I agree, but those names can be redacted with a sharpie. As a reporter, I need to see that the incident report jives with what everyone else is saying.

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I just read the article in my hot-off-the press paper. Great job, aleonard, very fair and informative. I am glad this story is now on the front burner, and predict there will be an arrest soon.

I was surprised to learn that there are other aggressive incidents credited to the same truck. I was also really surprised that video footage was pulled from the wrong Regions Bank branch!

No doubt Jeff appreciates the ink. I hope the pinhead is caught soon.

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Thanks, Skunk. Remember, those two items have not been verified by any LEO. Jeff had been told that by sources he knew. The WCSO said they could not confirm any other complaints about the driver.

I hope they get their guy, too.

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I'm wondering the same thing. Is there a link to this somewhere for those of us on the extreme outskirts of SoWal?

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for those of you who can't get a paper copy, here you go.

South Walton road rage incident still unsolved
By ALICIA LEONARD
A local resident and motorcycle rider is incensed that the person whom allegedly attacked him with a vehicle in a south Walton Publix parking lot is still at large.
On May 7, Jeffery Curzio said he was traveling north on CR-395 when an older model (1997-2003) light Blue Ford F-150 extended-cab truck ran a stop sign in front of Regions Bank with no headlights on. Curzio said he had to go around the vehicle to avoid hitting it or run off the road and into the woods. Curzio then turned into the Publix grocery parking lot, only to have the driver follow him and hit him twice with the front of his truck, the second time pinning the motorcycle on top of Curzio. The driver then sped away, “driving like a madman” on his way out of the parking lot and warned Curzio, “He told me I needed to respect the locals and learn the "new" rules of south Walton.”

Curzio described the driver as a white male in his 40s with longish hair. Curzio said the truck also had a chrome toolbox on the back and he got a partial Walton tag number that was C44. Curzio said he is having a hard time understanding what is taking so long for the arrest of the individual since the tag number and plate were Walton issue. “I just don’t understand it. I mean how many blue F-150s with that tag number can there be in Walton County? The sheriff's department has resources I don’t have to find this guy. I feel at this point, if I took a week off of work and just drove around, I could have probably have found him by now.”
Curzio said his frustration at being run over is compounded by feeling “left out of the loop” where the Walton County Sheriffs Office (WCSO) investigation is concerned. Curzio said he had spoken with the investigator the case was turned over to, twice, and “to the best of my memory, I initiated that contact both times.” Curzio also told the Herald that there were many witness to the event and they had stated that they could smell beer and liquor coming from the vehicle.
When the WCSO was contacted over this issue, Public Information Officer Mike Gurspan responded, “Keep in mind the case remains an active investigation, so I really can't get into the nitty-gritty details. But, there are several new developments in the case, which will hopefully lead to the identification of the hit-and-run driver, and an arrest. But, we have to be careful that not only do we have the correct person, but also that we have built a case that will get a conviction. We are actively working this case.”

Gurspan also cautioned that the department is concerned that the wrong driver may be targeted for harassment since there is a similar vehicle in the area that shares some of the partial tag number Curzio obtained. Curzio confirmed that statement. Gurspan also said that it was usual operating procedure for an investigator to not contact a complaintent unless there was movement on a case or an arrest had been made.
Curizo said he was just notified by a family member that the investigators had pulled video footage from the Regions Bank near Watercolor to view the incident, “I understand that they went to the wrong Regions Bank and they have just gotten the footage from the right one.”
Curzio said his family had received calls from other residents that a vehicle matching the alleged attacker had attempted to run other drivers off the road in the south Walton area and he just “wants the guy caught.” Gurspan could not confirm that there had been any other complaints on a driver matching this description.
Curzio said the entire incident has made him lose faith in his local law enforcement. “I have always respected our officers of the law, but quite honestly, right now, I feel like the only thing the sheriff's office might do for me is give me a ticket. This guy needs to be caught and I’m hoping that telling my story to the newspapers will help that happen.” Curzio said it was his hope that citizens and other media would pick up on his story and help bring the driver to justice, “that’s the only reason I’m speaking out.”

Gurspan said the WCSO would appreciate any information the public could share on the incident, “If anyone has information on the May 7th incident in front of the entrance to the Publix grocery in Watercolor, you are urged to contact the Walton County Sheriff's Office at 892-8186, or the Crime Stoppers line at 1-866-718-8477.”

The Herald-Beach Breeze will continue to follow this case as it unfolds.
Contact Alicia Leonard at alicia@defuniakherald.com.

Why? Regions is incompetent in everything else they do.

Most modern banks have digital cameras and actually store surveillance footage off site. More than likely the Sheriff's office had to contact a legal department in Birmingham and they just saw Santa Rosa Beach and sent the wrong footage. In the past the bank manager could have pulled the tape, but due to bank robbers taking the tape, VCR, or shooting the equipment banks went with off site storage.

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There have been other incidents credited to the same truck?

Is it the same guy that hit Jeff, or are these the rude bike guy?

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The enemy is ignorance.

We don't know and as the article states, even though Jeff's family was contacted by someone who thought they may have had a run in with the same driver, it can not be confirmed by the SO.

Curzio said his family had received calls from other residents that a vehicle matching the alleged attacker had attempted to run other drivers off the road in the south Walton area and he just “wants the guy caught.” Gurspan could not confirm that there had been any other complaints on a driver matching this description.

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Thanks - I have heard from several different people lately of a rude, aggressive local driver w/ temper issues, but they don't match the description of Jeff's assailant - though they do drive a dark pickup. Wondered if the two were being combined.

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The enemy is ignorance.

That was my concern, as well. We don't know if it is the same driver or just random road rage stuff.

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i meet with the investigator today after work, we are making headway with the case but i've been asked to keep it at that. as far as the other people calling me and my family about a crazy driver it is true but they didn't call the police about it so it didn't go anywhere, from what i've been told it is the same truck that ran me down, the driver tried to force them off the road but failed

Jeff didn't mention anything about a bicycle truck

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i can half way tell you it wasn't a bicycle truck. the truck didn't have any business markings or stickers if you will. it was just a plain jane blue truck with an a-hole behind the wheel.

I'm totally impressed with the way you all have been vigilent in paying attention to this matter in order for justice to be served. I know that writing for newspapers can be very tough work, so it's important that members of the community keep pressure on the newspaper to cover important issues. And I know the paper doesn't always know what would be more important to cover. But the media does need YOU to help steer... not a bad thing.

I'm not a big fan of law enforcement, so I'm biased. We NEED law enforcement but I'm almost more scared of them. They aren't the brightest. From personal experience, they get away with excerting their personal biases all over the place. As a repeat victim of domestic violence, I can honestly tell you that it's perfectly legal for a man to put a female in her place and cause her to go to the hospital. (even if he has a warrant out for his arrest for violation of a restraining order)... but this happened in Okaloosa. I'm a little more happier with south walton police, even though they can be total asses. I have to say, I have encountered a few that were very respectful. Please don't target me. haha.

I know that they can solve this case. If they can't then something needs to be done because it shouldn't be that difficult. If they can't I bet, just like your little help in getting this covered, that the citizens of this community will spot him. FLyers?????????????????????????????? This website is an excellent source of news for me. I feel it's extremely reliable and the story hashes itself out, everyone gets a chance to get their last word in, questions are asked and answered, and then the reader can really decide what they think. If local papers aren't reading this and adding to what they hear on here, then it's all old news bc this is the fastest, most thorough source for information for me!!! Citizen journalism at its finest! Good work!

Great band!

My justice has been served. John Gregory Hughes was arrested last night on charges of leaving the scene of an accident with injury and aggrevated battery. He is currently sitting in the jail in Defuniak. I have had my faith in our police department restored and got my peace back. I would like to take this chance to thank all of you who took time out of your schedual to help me or just post back to tell me that i was in your thoughts and to hope i got better which i did.

glad to hear this Jeff...

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"If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them."
George Orwell

Yes, such good news! Thanks for updating us and glad to hear you are doing better.

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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION

Thanks for the update Jeff. You have to be somewhat relieved.

.

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"Peace .... starts with the person who attempts to diffuse the tension and backs away from the inflammatory rhetoric."

Finally. Jeff, you have the patience of a saint. I am so glad to hear this news.

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The mind is like a parachute, it works best when it is open.

I'm happy to hear it Jeff. I don't login very often and was wondering over the weekend if this was ever resolved. Best of luck to you.

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Am I crazy? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind?!

Glad to hear this guy is off the streets. The judge will probably give you a temporary order of protection, but if he doesn't I would ask for one.

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Way to hang in there Jeff. So glad justice has FINALLY been done. Why did they wait so long to do so?

Great news Jeff!

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FOX NEWS-WE ALTER REALITY, YOU GET SOLD A PRECONCEIVED NARRATIVE

I am so glad to hear that this long delayed justice has finaly come to you. It sure has been a long road to get this done. Now you will need to find something else to do with your time. I still can't believe this happened. But I sure am glad it had a happy ending for you. I confess this has been on my mind, I kept picturing something of this sort happening to my adult kids when we visit.

Great to hear that justice has finally been served.

Thank you for posting your good news; I didn't even know about it as "my" investigator has been almost exclusively in NoWal since we got back from vacation. Hopefully the rest of the cycle of Justice will work out for you too - arrest is only the first step, but it's a big one.

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i can't fully answer your question being as that i don't know for sure. I know that my investigator wanted to build a "bulletproof" case meaning that the guy won't get off scott free because of some loop hole or what not. it was a bit frustrating because it took so long, but it has all paid off knowing that he is behind bars now.

Awesome. I'll bet he looks like a real winner in his mug shot.

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So was this guy employed for someone else? Does he own a local company that we can refuse to do business with? I'd like to know a bit more about him so I can avoid him. The time for the crime will continue with lost business in my opinion.

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Anthony

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This is great news. I'm afraid that I had lost hope since this had happened so long ago. I'm glad to have my faith restored.

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www.davidDdesign.com

any fotos of the perp?

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I don't know just what you heard, but 'come on baby' are my favorite words

I tend to lurk, but I just wanted to pipe in with how happy I am for Jeff, that this guy has finally been caught. Hope the evidence collected will keep him a guest of the state for quite a long while.

Here is the link to the Department of Corrections who is already familiar with him, he is already a convicted felon and is still on felony probation. This website has a nice photo of him though Supervised Population Information Detail

wow!
i recognize that guy. creepy.
and what the hail does 'fluids at a corrections officer' mean?
glad justice is being served.

From what i've been told is that he felt it was a great idea to urinate on one of the corrections officers while in jail.

I hope justice is served in this case and I hope you can finally find some peace. You deserve it!
I do agree that a restraining order is a good idea.

Here he is. Looks like a turbogenius, eh?

Attached Images

johnhughes.jpg (19.7 KB, 8 views)

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DC Number: P23054Name: HUGHES, JOHN GREGORY Race: WHITESex: MALE Hair Color: BROWNEye Color: GREEN Height: 5'06''Weight: 135 lbs. Birth Date: 04/23/1963 Supervision Begin Date: 06/11/2009Current Location:PENSACOLACurrent Status: SUSPENSESupervision Type: PROBATION FELONYScheduled Termination Date: 06/10/2012
Current Verified JAIL Address: 796 TRIPLE G ROADWALTON COUNTY JAILDEFUNIAK SPRINGS, FL 32433

Aliases:JOHN GREGORY HUGHES

Note: The offense descriptions are truncated and do not necessarily reflect the crime for which the offender is on supervision. Please refer to the court documents or the Florida Statutes for further information or definition.
Current Community Supervision History:Offense DateOffenseSentence DateCountyCase No.Community Supervision Length11/25/2008FLUIDS AT CORRECTION STAFF06/11/2009WALTON09000213Y 0M 0D 11/25/2008SIMPLEBATTERY-MISD06/11/2009WALTON08007821Y 0M 0D

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