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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 46
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See Calendar Pg B4 NOVEMBER 17 - NOVEMBER 23, 2023
Marion County Hospital District hopes to improve first responders’ mental health
School district continues to wrestle with a shortage of bus drivers
By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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program designed to improve the mental health of Marion County first responders is slowly gaining traction among several area agencies more than a year after its inception. The Marion County Hospital District (MCHD) rolled out the Marion County First Responder Program during the summer of 2022 with the goal of “elevating your mental well-being to the gold standard,’’ according to program materials provided to the “Gazette.” “The First Responder Initiative is your go-to, data-driven mental wellness platform, offering specialized, comprehensive psychological support,’’ according to the materials. “Designed for those who protect us … and with 24/7 availability, our evidence-based approach ensures you and your family are not alone.” The Ocala Police Department was the first agency to utilize the service, and Police Chief Michael Balken, thanked the MCHD trustees earlier this year for the resource, acknowledging it has been beneficial not only for staffers but also for their spouses. The trustees budgeted $200,000 for the initiative in the first year, but the last financial reports show only $78,122 was used during that period. According to MCHD, to date, 37 people with OPD and 10 from Marion County Fire Rescue have used the service. “Please note how difficult it was initially to get individuals into therapy because of the stigma attached to it,” Joseph Hanratty, spokesperson for the MCHD, wrote in an email to the “Gazette.” MCHD indicated it had recently surveyed Ocala Fire Rescue, Marion County Fire Rescue, and OPD staff to “measure resiliency, depression, and other factors related to first responders with input from fire chiefs and the chief of police.” Ocala Fire Rescue and the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office told the “Gazette” they had just learned of See First, page A2
File photo: Deputy Chief of Marion County Fire Rescue Robert Graff, left, and Chief James Banta, right, listen during the Marion County Commission meeting at the McPherson Governmental Complex in Ocala on Tuesday, June 20 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.
File photo: Old Marion District Schools school buses are shown at the Marion County Public Schools Northwest Transportation Bus Facility on Northwest Gainesville Road in Ocala on Wednesday, February 9, 2022. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.
By Lauren Morrish lauren@ocalagazette.com
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s the current school year nears the halfway mark, Marion County Public Schools continues to face a shortage of bus drivers, a problem district officials say is leading to late student pickups and drop-offs while impacting some students’ grades as well as morale among the remaining drivers. According to MCPS spokesperson Kevin Christian, as of Nov. 6, the school district has 269 funded bus driver positions but only 240 drivers behind the wheel to handle 246 total routes. Current bus drivers have absorbed 13 open
routes and covered for 18 bus drivers who are out on family medical leave or Workers Compensation issues while simultaneously maintaining their own routes. In addition, there is an average of 10 daily driver absences from sick leave, vacation, and other unlisted reasons, Christian said. Since the first day of school, 12 drivers have left the district. Configuring a transportation system while the academic year is happening is contributing to student tardiness. The school board receives weekly transportation reports, and at the Nov. 2 meeting, Vice-Chair Nancy Thrower said the most recent report showed 84% of students were delivered to
school on time in the morning, and the on-time delivery rate is 64% in the afternoon. Board Member Eric Cummings said MCPS needs solutions right now. “I’m getting calls from parents concerning their kid’s grades because they’ve missed instruction time, valuable instruction time,” he said. “I don’t understand how we are going to justify a kid’s grades when we are the culprit in that.” The board approved adjusting some bell times, moving Marion Technical Institute’s start time from 7:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and changing the Acceleration Academy’s start time to 9:25 a.m. to offset the late arrival and departure problem. These changes took
effect on Nov. 6. The Transportation Department plans to add two vans to help transport students, at the cost of $77,164. If approved at the board’s Nov. 14 meeting, funding will come out of the Capital Outlay budget.
Training new drivers
Since the first day of school on Aug. 10, 26 drivers have been trained: 19 regular drivers and seven temporary ones. There are two driver trainers who are teaching the new hires while also driving bus routes themselves. These trainers were approved for an increased work schedule from 220 to 260 days at a cost of $18,820, as the See Bus, page A2
Family of deceased inmate files wrongful death lawsuit against sheriff By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagazette.com
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he family of an inmate who died in custody at the Marion County Jail has filed a lawsuit against the Marion County Sheriff ’s Office, claiming that jail staff could have prevented the man’s death. Corey Merchant, 35, died shortly after getting into an altercation with another inmate, Eric Lutterloah, in the Gulf Pod of the jail. The lawsuit, filed by sister Krysti Merchant on the decedent’s behalf, specifically seeks action from Sheriff Billy Woods, Deputy Justin Kosinski, Deputy Joseph Miller and Sgt. Jerome Dukes. “Despite their knowledge that a violent attack was likely to occur in Gulf Pod and that Mr. Lutterloah was a violent offender who had been in an altercation a week earlier and was a threat to Cory Merchant, defendants did nothing to prevent Mr. Lutterloah’s attack on Cory
Merchant,” according to the lawsuit. The decedent’s siblings, Krysti Merchant and Tommie Vester Merchant, are entitled to seek damages for their brother’s death in custody under the Florida Wrongful Death Act. “We are aware of the allegations contained in this lawsuit and are looking forward to addressing them in a court of law,” MCSO general counsel Timothy McCourt said in a written statement. “Ultimately, the person responsible for Cory Merchant’s death is Eric Lutterloah, who we arrested for manslaughter in connection with Merchant’s death,” wrote McCourt. “It is disingenuous to blame our jail staff for failing to prevent Lutterloah from punching Merchant three times during an altercation that lasted a matter of seconds.” On jail security footage, at 1:09 a.m. on Nov. 7, 2021, Lutterloah can be seen approaching Merchant, verbally and physically provoking him, pushing
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him, and punching him in the head several times. When Lutterloah’s fist connected with Merchant’s jaw, the victim “appear(ed) to be knocked unconscious,” fell backward to the floor, hitting his head on the concrete and cracking his skull, according to the investigators’ description of the footage. Merchant, who was being held on charges of lewd battery and unlawful sexual activity with a minor, died on Nov. 13 from his injuries. Lutterloah, who was being held on charges of armed kidnapping and sexual battery, was later charged with manslaughter and will go to trial in April 2024, according to Marion County Clerk of Court records. Kosinski was the first jail employee to respond to the incident. After observing Merchant unconscious and unresponsive on the ground with blood coming from his ear, Kosinski requested staff and medical assistance, cleared the area and reviewed See Wrongful, page A3
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