Hi, Hometown News readers.

Shoppers turn out for big sales

I hope you all had a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday. Generally speaking, the weather held for visitors who were in town, though it was a bit chillier than usual this time of year. Perhaps cool temperatures drove the crowds into the stores on Black Friday. The malls and other retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy reported good business on the busiest shopping day of the year, though many were drawn to the stores by significant sales. Many shoppers told WESH 2 they will spend less this year as the economy continues to struggle, but they will spend. Many said the stores with the best deals will get their business.

Desperate economy causes desperate crimes

Police in several Central Florida cities are seeing a spike in home burglaries that they blame on the economy. In South Daytona, police there said home burglaries have almost doubled since last year. As of last week, they investigated 115 home burglaries compared to 61 in 2007.

Lt. Ron Wright has no doubt unemployment has created new criminals. He said desperate people often do desperate things to make ends meet, and he said, unfortunately, that means depriving others of their belongings. Lt. Wright said the city has also been hard hit by foreclosures and leaves fewer eyes and ears to report suspicious incidents.

Fitness center wallet thief caught

Port Orange Police said they caught up with a man who has targeted fitness centers in Volusia and Brevard counties, stealing wallets and credit cards. Stefan Waldroup, 22, of Orlando, was actually served with a warrant in the Orange County jail. He had been arrested on an unrelated domestic violence incident, and authorities in Orange County notified Port Orange officers after seeing media accounts of the fitness center crimes. Police said victims then identified Mr. Waldroup as the same man seen on Target store surveillance using a stolen credit card to buy thousands of dollars worth of goods. Mr. Waldroup allegedly stole the victims wallet from a locker at the Port Orange YMCA, and authorities think he's done the same thing in Melbourne, Viera and Titusville. Bond was set at $25,000.

Attorney seeks mental health defense for teacher

The attorney for a former South Daytona teacher accused of having sex with one of her Bible study students recently asked the court for more time to work on a mental health defense. Cynthia Horvath, 45, was arrested in October after police in two different cities said Ms. Horvath had sex with a 17-year-old student from Warner Christian Academy dozens of times. Ms. Horvath resigned from the school when the allegations surfaced. Her attorney is exploring mental health issues that could lead to an insanity defense, and the State Attorney's Office and the court agreed to give the defense an additional 45 days. Ms. Horvath is set to go to trial in January.

Sergeant and officer punished

A Ponce Inlet police officer and a Volusia County Sheriff's sergeant have been disciplined as the result of a controversial police stop caught on audiotape. An internal affairs investigation found that Ponce Inlet officer Chris Selander violated policy by showing the sheriff's sergeant favoritism when Mr. Selander stopped him driving drunk on Nov. 2. Mr. Selander was heard on audiotape telling the sergeant he was giving him a break.

Mr. Selander was also cited for not giving the sergeant a DUI when he had probable cause. Mr. Selander is suspended without pay for two weeks. The Sheriff's Office also did an investigation into their sergeant's behavior that night, and though he was off duty, the sheriff said Sgt. Ken Vickery behaved in a way that reflects unfavorably on the department. He is suspended for one week without pay.

No wrongdoing found by travel show owner

Ormond Beach police said they have reviewed a number of complaints lodged against the owner of an Ormond Beach radio station and said they have found no criminal wrongdoing. Some listeners accused Doug Wilhite, who owns WELE-AM, of defrauding them on his travel show. They claimed they were sold unredeemable travel, hotel and train vouchers. Investigators determined Mr. Wilhite never intentionally sold vouchers that were bad, though it's possible some of his vendors didn't fulfill agreements. Mr. Wilhite has since dropped the show, but is back on the air with local gift certificate buys that he hopes will generate money to satisfy customers.

Beware of scam phone call

Police in several communities are warning citizens about a telephone scam that has cost several residents thousands of dollars, among them an Ormond Beach grandfather. Eric Noeldechen got a call from someone who claimed to be his grandson. The impersonator said he'd been in a car accident in Canada and needed $5,800 to cover doctor bills and other expenses. Mr. Noeldechen sent the money and later found out he was scammed when his grandson called from Pennsylvania, unaware of what had happened. Flagler and Volusia County sheriff's deputies said they have victim reports as well and are warning all of us not to send money without positive proof you know who is on the other end of the phone!

Hit and run suspect still on the loose

Ormond Beach police continue to investigate an apparent hit and run death. Michael Boido, 32, was found lying in the road along Washington Place after neighbors heard screeching tires. He didn't live in the area, and police now believe there was some kind of altercation during a drug deal and that Mr. Boido was hit by a driver who fled the area. He hasn't been found.

Fire called suspicious

Fire Investigators in Ormond Beach, along with officials from the State Fire Marshal's Office, still haven't said what led to a blaze at the Beach Factory Outlet gift shop on South Atlantic Avenue but have called the fire suspicious. The fire broke out in the back of the shop during overnight hours, so no one was there at the time. Damage was estimated at $150,000. Firefighters from Daytona Beach and the county fire services helped Ormond Beach battle the blaze.

Human remains still unidentified

A group of teenagers and an adult made a grim find when they came upon human remains in a wooded area of the Tuscany Woods subdivision near Clyde Morris and Strickland Range Road. The body was so badly decomposed investigators couldn't quickly determine race or gender, but clothing at the scene suggests it is likely a man, easing fears of a serial killer who has stalked women in the city. Police said there is a homeless camp nearby and said it's possible the remains are one of those who frequent the area. Investigators are hoping the medical examiner can clarify the identity and the cause of death.

Elderly woman found in deplorable home

A 54-year-old woman is facing serious charges after Volusia County Sheriff's investigators and workers with Department of Children and Families found her elderly mother living in filth in a home near New Smyrna Beach over the holiday. The law officers were doing a well-being check at the home of Mary Phillips, 84, on South Glencoe Road. Investigators say her daughter, Mary Bosket, had put her mother in the home, but was living elsewhere herself. Deputies said animals, including dozens of cats, turkeys and ducks, were all over the home, along with animal feces and the overwhelming smell of urine. A responding deputy said the elderly woman was using a faulty oxygen machine and that the home had no heat. Ms. Phillips told the deputy she kept warm at night by piling cats on top of her. The home had no working bathroom facilities and the sinks in the home would not drain. Investigators also found two dead cats in the freezer. The daughter allegedly told deputies she was aware of the home's condition, but couldn't explain why she ignored it. She was arrested and charged with neglect of the elderly. Ms. Phillips is in the care of DCF.

Manager worried about neighbors

The manager of a transitional housing program in Daytona Beach is worried about some new neighbors. Michael Coleman oversees Palmetto House on Palmetto Avenue, home to people and families who have had personal struggles that left them without a place to live. They can live at Palmetto House for a very low fee while they try and get back on their feet and earn enough to live on their own. Right now, Palmetto House is home to 80 people, including 13 children, so Mr. Coleman was alarmed when he learned a convicted sexual predator and a sex offender recently moved into some apartments next door. Mr. Coleman has warned the parents and distributed fliers about the men, and he said police are keeping a close eye on them, but Mr. Coleman said legally, they shouldn't be there in the first place. He said there is a school bus stop within 1,000 feet of where the men live and a playground at his Palmetto House site. State law forbids sex offenders and predators from living within 1,000 feet of anywhere children congregate.

WESH 2 asked Department of Corrections officials who said they made an exception for the men because they said they are 926 feet from the bus stop and they said Palmetto House's playground is not open to the public, so is exempt from state law. Mr. Coleman worries that loophole will mean trouble for the youngsters in his care and said it's impossible to keep an eye on the children 24-7.

Young mother terrorized by man

Volusia County Sheriff's investigators arrested a man they said burst into a home near Daytona Beach and terrorized a mother and her children. Deputies said the victim, Latasha Smith, 29, actually spotted the suspect across the street the day after the home invasion and called authorities. Jonathan Pearson, 24, told deputies he was staying at a house across the street and was home when the crime occurred, but deputies said the people he was staying with contradicted Mr. Pearson's story. The victim told deputies she heard a loud crash, and when she ran into the living room, a man was pointing a gun at her 13-year-old daughter. Ms. Smith's three other young children also ran into the room, and though she said the suspect swung his rifle at them, no one was hurt. Ms. Smith said Mr. Pearson demanded cash, then left the house. The mother told deputies she believes Mr. Pearson is the same person who knocked on the door earlier in the evening, asking for someone who didn't live there. Ms. Smith spoke to him through a window, and she said he apologized for bothering her, then left.

Claire Metz is the WESH 2 News bureau chief for Volusia and Flagler counties.