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Gilchrist County Retakes Ownership
Of Otter Springs Park And Campground
Park Reopening Planned, LEISURE PAGE

Murder suspect still hospitalized
Next hearing set for April 8

The Honorable Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Robert K. Groeb prepares to begin felony circuit court action in Levy County on Wednesday morning (Feb. 18).

Story, Photos and Video By Jeff M. Hardison © Feb. 18, 2026 at 3 p.m.
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     BRONSON – A 48-year-old woman accused of shooting to death a retired Levy County Extension 4-H educator, who was also an accomplished horsewoman, and a pony breeder remains at a hospital for the criminally insane.

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     Kimberly Dawn Barba, 48, was arrested March 14, 2024, as the suspected murderer of Brenda Sue Heberling (July 19, 1956-March 14, 2024), who was 67 when she was killed at her horse ranch in Levy County.
     Records at the Levy County Sheriff’s Office show Barba was released from the custody of the Levy County Jail (aka Levy County Detention Facility) on Dec. 18, 2025, when the State of Florida took custody of Barba and placed her in Florida State Hospital -- a hospital and psychiatric hospital in Chattahoochee (Gadsen County).
     On Wednesday morning (Feb. 18), the Honorable Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Rober K. Groeb ordered a hearing to be conducted in Levy County on April 8.
     Barba appeared via Zoom from a room at Florida State Hospital, where she is a patient-inmate. She was represented that morning by attorney William John Grant of Grant Law Partners of Inverness (Citrus County), who appeared via Zoom from his office. Also on the Zoom meeting were Barba’s mother and father, who were in a conference room at Grant’s office – about 15 feet from where he was broadcasting.



In this video, attorney William Grant speaks with the Honorable Circuit Court Judge John Groeb about Kimberly Dawn Barba, Grant’s client who is accused of first-degree premediated murder with use of a firearm in the shooting death of Brenda Heberling in Levy County in 2024. Barba and Grant appear via Zoom from a psychiatric hospital and a law office respectively on Feb. 18. This hearing was continued until April 8 due to parties being uncertain when Barba was put into state custody at the hospital in Gadsen County. To see and hear the video, click on the PHOTO.
Video By Jeff M. Hardison – All Rights Reserved


Assistant Eighth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Daniel Rex Owen looks at his computer screen during the hearing regarding the suspected murderer.


Kimberly Barba looks at the camera on Wednesday morning (Feb. 18) from a room at Florida State Hospital -- a psychiatric hospital in Chattahoochee.

     This review hearing to determine competency of defendant Barba to see if she can stand trial as the defendant in the murder of Heberling resulted in another hearing set for April 8 at 9 a.m.
     When Judge Groeb asked attorney Grant where this case stood as of that morning, Grant said he was unable to ascertain as of that morning the exact date when Barba was placed into the custody of staff members at the hospital in Chattahoochee.
     Grant said that as of that moment he could not say whether Barba had been under review for 60 days, as they judge had ordered on Sept. 17, 2025, at the most recent hearing prior to the February hearing.
     The judge told the defense attorney that he had not seen any documentation regarding competency since he had sought it some months ago.

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     Assistant Eighth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Daniel Rex Owen, who is the lead prosecutor in this case, said he will work on providing attorney Grant with documentation showing the delivery date of Barba to the hospital in Chattahoochee.
     With that, the prosecution, the defense and the judge in this case agreed to have another hearing on April 8 at 9 a.m.
     In addition to the arraignment, which was before the Honorable Eighth Judicial Circuit Court Judge William E. Davis, Barba had four motion hearings and eight case management conferences where Judge Davis presided over this case.
     Judge Davis became the chief circuit court judge for the Eighth Judicial Circuit, which includes Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties. 
     That is when Circuit Court Judge Groeb returned to Levy County. This Feb. 18 review hearing is the third for Barba with Judge Groeb presiding.
     In murder cases, there is a potential for several court actions before the defendant goes to trial or enters a plea-negotiated agreement.
Other Action
     In the many actions on Wednesday morning by the Honorable Circuit Court Judge Groeb, he let a defendant know that while she, and the state prosecution as well as her defense attorney all agreed to her enter a plea-negotiated agreement, where she would serve six months in the county jail, he could not accept that.
     Judge Groeb reminded the defendant that she was a convicted felon and if she was willing to enter a plea of “guilty,” then he would accept an 18-month sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections as a reasonable sentence for that crime. Rather than her making that choice of accepting an 18-month sentence then, this case was moved forward to a March 18 hearing to allow the defendant time to consider whether she wanted to go to trial or accept the plea-negotiated agreement.
     In another case, the judge granted a private attorney’s request to withdraw as counsel for a defendant. The defendant told the judge that he understood the request to withdraw and he agreed. The defendant then said he was too poor to afford an attorney. After a brief interview, the judge allowed that defendant to be referred to the office of Eighth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Stacy Scott to be assigned counsel.


Eighth Judicial Circuit Assistant Public Defender Joy Leigh Lane Danne shows Levy County Sheriff Deputy Rex Shevitski where a case is listed on the docket for the morning on Feb. 18. Shevitski is among the LCSO deputies serving as courthouse security that morning.


Eighth Judicial Circuit Assistant Public Defender Emily A. Llerena reads names aloud to people in the gallery so that she can assure certain defendants in criminal cases listed on the day’s docket have appeared on Feb. 18.

Gilchrist County voters may see chance
to impose 1 percent added sales tax
By Jeff M. Hardison © Feb. 17, 2026 at 3 p.m.
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     TRENTON – Gilchrist County voters in November may be seeing an opportunity to impose an additional 1 percent sales tax, to be added to the current 7 percent sales tax, in Gilchrist County, as a result of a 5-0 vote that has started the ball rolling on a possible referendum item for those voters to decide.
     If this goes on the ballot, and if the voters in Gilchrist County approve it, this means – for instance – a $2,000 lawnmower bought in Gilchrist County would cost $2,160 in Gilchrist County but it would cost $2,140 in Levy County. 
     If the voters choose to add that sale tax in Gilchrist County, then that $20 extra in this instance would be designated to help pay for fire-rescue services in the county, and if the cities of Trenton and Fanning Springs agreed to participate in this 1-cent added sales tax, then the revenue to help fund those cities’ fire services would receive a pro-rata share as well.
     All items that include sales tax – not just lawnmowers – would have the added 1-cent per $1 sales tax added to the other seven cents-per-dollar sales tax, if it goes on the ballot.
     To take effect, the approval of the ordinance requires the voters to approve it by a 60 percent majority – rather than a simple majority vote.
     According to information shared at the Gilchrist County Commission meeting on Presidents Day 2026, which is when the regular second of two County Commission meetings are held in Trenton – on the third Monday of the month – the Town of Jasper chose against participating in the program for shared revenue when Hamilton County voters approved this 1-cent added sales tax.
     That did not free Jasper customers from paying the added sales tax. It just means the city leaders in Jasper saw more benefit from not reducing their property taxes or relevant special fire assessment by whatever revenue would be derived from the Hamilton County sale tax.
     Fanning Springs Mayor Trip Lancaster was present at the County Commission meeting. When he was at the lectern to address the County Commission, he said the City Council will consider this question of participation if the voters countywide choose to add the 1 percent sales tax.
    Gilchrist County Clerk and Comptroller Todd Newton started the conversation on this agenda item listed as “Fire Surtax Ordinance.”
     He told the County Commission that voters could initiate the 1 percent sales tax “that would in essence replace current property taxes.”
     The conversation about this shows that whatever revenue is derived from the added sales tax can replace money that is currently collected by ad valorem property taxes and special assessments for fire service, Newton explained.’
     So, this is not added revenue. It is just money coming from a different source. Therefore, people who own property may see some relief on those tax bills by everyone who buys anything with a sales tax on it in Gilchrist County paying one more penny for every dollar of those items they buy.
     Of course, property owners pay sales taxes, too. However, this will bring in money from people who do not pay property taxes in Gilchrist County but who purchase items that have a sales tax on them.
     Now that the County Commission has voted 5-0 to move in this direction, the approved ordinance shall be known and may be cited as the “Gilchrist County Emergency Fire Rescue and Facilities One Cent Surtax Ordinance” according to records.
     If the voters approve it in November, then there shall be levied and imposed throughout the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Gilchrist County, commencing on Jan. 1, 2027, and continuing until Dec. 31, 2038, or such time sooner as may be terminated by the Gilchrist County Commission, a discretionary one-cent sales surtax for emergency fire rescue services and facilities.

Gerhardt is guilty
Gets life in prison

This picture on a screen in the courtroom, provided by the prosecution, shows Demiah Appling when she was alive.

Story and Photos By Jeff M. Hardison © Feb. 13, 2026 at 9 p.m.
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     CROSS CITY – A 12-member jury this afternoon (Friday, Feb. 13) ruled that Waymore Nelson Gerhardt, 23, is guilty of first-degree premeditated murder by use of firearm, and of tampering with evidence.
     The Honorable Third Judicial Circuit Court Judge Mark Feagle adjudicated Gerhardt guilty and sentenced him to spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering Demiah Appling, who died at the tender age of 14 years. The judge ruled, too, that Gerhardt would spend five years in prison at the same time as his life sentence for tampering with evidence.
      The weeklong trial started slowly with it taking two days to seat the 15 jurors. As Judge Feagle dismissed the three alternate jurors – who were not named until after the trial was over, to assure everyone paid close attention from start to finish – he said he appreciated the work by those three.
     After the verdicts were rendered, he likewise told the people who performed their civic duty that he is thankful for their service as the deciders of fact. Judge Feagle completed his duty by imposing sentence on the killer.
     As the two teams wrapped up the seven days of jurisprudence in Dixie County, both the prosecution and the defense not only took the opportunity to recite provable truths, but to state their feelings and opinions on this case.


Waymore Gerhardt (right) is seen with attorney John Lyon Broling of the Florida Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel.


Third Judicial Circuit Assistant State Attorney Jarrett Thomas holds the .22 caliber rifle believed to be the murder weapon as he gives closing arguments on Friday.


DCSO Det. Sgt. Terry Barcia shows the location of one of the residences relevant in the case.


Assistant State Attorney Jarrett Thomas tells the jury what they heard, again. Closing arguments are not evidence; however, he restated what witnesses and hard evidence were brought to bear -- forming a whole narrative related to the murder and attempted cover-up.


Defense attorney Robert Davis Baker III, of the Florida Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel tells jurors why they can see reasons to doubt the state proved his client murdered Demiah Appling.

     Appling died instantly from a .22 caliber slug entering her skull from the side rear, according to testimony.
     Jurors decided the state had proved Gerhardt shot her with a .22 caliber bolt-action rifle.
     Appling had been tricked into going to a place where Gerhardt waited for her, according to what is the accepted truth. Appling, who wanted to see Keith Anderson, then also 14, had a “prank” played on her by Anderson, whose texts showed he was in Lake City with his girlfriend at the time.
     Appling did not know Anderson was in Lake City and was pulling a mean trick on her.
     Meanwhile in the Old Town area of Dixie County, Appling went to a place where she was told “Uncle Wayne” -- Anderson’s uncle was Gerhardt. He went by the nickname of “Wayne” as well as other aliases on social media platforms.
     At one point Appling was tricked into believing Gerhardt would take her to see Anderson.
     Text messages and phone calls between several participants in the sordid story proved to jurors that Gerhardt took Appling somewhere in Dixie County, shot her in the back of the head, and then transported the body to Gilchrist County.
     He buried her naked body in a two-foot deep quickly dug grave, with a shovel he borrowed that night – Oct. 16, 2022 – and he returned the shovel in the wee hours of the next morning.
     Investigators with the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office followed evidence to find the grave, in part by questioning some of the people in Gerhardt’s and Appling’s lives.
     Before the start of the final day of trial on Friday, lead defense attorney Robert Davis Baker III, of the Florida Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel – sought to have the judge order a Judgment of Acquittal (JOA) of the murder charge, although the defendant conceded to the charge of tampering with evidence.
     Attorney John Lyon Broling, attorney Samantha Maybury and attorney Kayla E. Kafka, also of the Florida Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, were on the defense team as well.
     Despite Baker’s verbal argument for a JOA, Judge Feagle denied Baker’s request. The judge had seen and heard the same evidence presented at the trial. This type of move by a defense lawyer in a criminal case is relatively common.
     The final day of the actual trial action opened with the prosecutorial team -- Third Judicial Circuit Court State Attorney John Durrett and Assistant State Attorney Jarrett Thomas, with support by Assistant State Attorney Caleb Currie -- calling one last witness – DCSO Inv. Sgt. Terry Barcia.
     This key investigator who helped solve the case showed jurors on a map that was on a TV screen the locations where Brenda Cox (Gerhardt’s mother) lives.
     Detective Sgt. Barcia also showed on the map where, at the time of the murder, Keith Anderson was staying in a camper on that same property.
     Barcia also showed where Amy “Puddin” Valentine lives on the map. This helped jurors understand some of the final places Appling traveled on her last night of life in Dixie County.
     On the night when Appling disappeared, she had first been tricked by Anderson to see Gerhardt rather than Anderson at that location. Then Anderson told her via text to return there so that Gerhardt could take her to meet him.
     She got into a Chevy Blazer with Gerhardt, according to prosecutors.
     This prank by Anderson, who had noted he would “get the last laugh” in a text to her, turned to Gerhardt’s advantage, because according to what was said in court, he had lusted for her, even though she had not desire to be with him.
     Gerhardt gave various versions of reality when investigated. First, he did not see her. Then, he saw her but dropped her off at her boyfriend’s. Then, he paid her $60 for “a hand job” (masturbation of him).
     Prosecutors proved that his cell phone, which included evidence used to convict him by showing his location at certain dates and times, was never lost or destroyed as he had claimed to investigator.
     An FDLE investigator tracked the phone and an FDLE dog trained to find electronic gear sniffed it out as a search warrant was served.
     Assistant State Attorney Thomas in his closing argument reminded jurors of every bit of testimony to prove beyond and to the exclusion of reasonable doubt to prove Gerhardt shot and killed Appling.
     Thomas reminded jurors that people on the witness stand told what happened.
     Appling wanted to see Anderson. Anderson was in Lake City with his girlfriend. He played a trick on her, which put her in the clutches of one of Andrson’s uncles – Gerhardt.
     Gerhardt drove to a secluded area in Dixie County. For some reason, he shot her in the back of the head with a .22 caliber single-shot, bolt-action rifle.
     Gerhardt borrowed a shovel late that Oct. 16, 2022 night. He dug a two-foot-deep grave at a place in Gilchrist County that is near to a spring in the Bell area.
     He asked people whom he had texted incriminating verbiage to, to delete those messages and to tell no one.
     Within hours of burying the girl’s body, he called a friend that lived near that spot. Gerhardt texted him to see if that friend had noticed law enforcement on that dirt road.
     Despite his attempts to hide Appling’s blood in the vehicle, and to have other evidence destroyed or deleted, investigators had enough probable cause to arrest him for first-degree, premeditated murder with a firearm after a grand jury indicted Gerhardt for that and for tampering with evidence.
     The defense presented no witnesses at trial. Gerhardt chose against taking the witness stand himself in his own defense.
     When Baker presented his closing argument, he told the jury there had been a long string of failures before Appling went missing on Oct. 16, 2022.
     She went down a path that led her into unexpected dangers, Baker said. 
     He told jurors that the evidence in this case proved that somebody had killed the 14-year-old girl. Baker told the jurors that they must ask the question – as the deciders of fact in this case – Did the state prove beyond and to the exclusion of reasonable doubt that Gerhardt was the killer?
     Baker spoke about the witnesses. He said there are many people who were witnesses who testified in this case who he does not think anyone would want to leave their 14-year-old with.
     “Amy Valentine is one,” Baker said. “She was the first person to testify in this trial.”
     Baker went through the same review of Appling leaving Valentine’s house, alone, after 8:30 p.m. on that dark October night. Anderson had lured her there through texts he sent from Lake City, Baker said.
     Baker said Gerhardt was not mentioned in the texts, until Anderson noted for Appling that she should have stayed at Valentine’s so that Gerhardt could take Appling to seek Anderson.
     No witness at any time spoke about the rifle being in the Blazer, Baker said as he tried to show reasonable doubt.
     The defense attorney said the parade of prosecution witnesses were all people “who all knew they had done the wrong thing by Demiah.”     Baker said they were “pot heads who couldn’t keep their stories straight.” Only Gerhardt’s boss at the time, Nancy Meyer – who said Gerhardt failed to show up for work that night – was a witness who could be trusted as having told the truth, Baker intimated.
     Baker said Assistant State Attorney Thomas’ demonstration on how long it took to pull the bolt back on the rifle and then to shoot it was reason for the FDLE to have swabbed that one part of the rifle for DNA, although that bolt was not swabbed.
     The trigger guard and the trigger were checked for DNA, Baker reminded the jurors. The DNA of Gerhardt and his roommate Max Lyons were found on the gun, Baker said, which was expected because Lyons owned the gun and Gerhardt lived with him. One person’s DNA other than theirs was found on the gun, Baker said, but it was to an unidentified person.
     “Mr. Thomas’s argument was emblematic of the failure of this investigation,” Baker asserted to the jury.
     He said investigators “had their man” but at some point, law enforcement gave up on that suspect – other than Gerhardt.
     The lead defense attorney went through every key point where he thought there could be some reasonable doubt attached.
     While Baker conceded that Gerhardt clearly was guilty of tampering with evidence, that defense attorney felt that the state had not proved his client was guilty of murder.
Durrett Brings It Home
     In his redirect response to Baker’s closing arguments, State Attorney Durrett let jurors know, again, why they must vote “Guilty” on the charge of first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm.
     “The world failed her,” Durrett said as he quoted Baker from the defense attorney’s opening statement a couple of days earlier in the trial.
     The state attorney said the girl may have fared better if she had a mother and father active in her life. Durrett said that is beside the point of what is vital in this trial.
     “You don’t pass judgment on her for that,” he said. 
     The prosecutor noted she made stupid choices. Nevertheless, he noted the toxicology report from the autopsy showed results of zero alcohol or drug use from the remains recovered after being in the ground a couple of months.
     The attorney told the jurors, as they would hear and read at least a few times – the definition of “reasonable doubt.”
     In Florida criminal cases, reasonable doubt is defined as a doubt that is not a mere possible, speculative, imaginary, or forced doubt, but one based on reason and common sense arising from evidence, a conflict in evidence, or lack of evidence. It is a doubt that would cause a reasonable person to hesitate before acting. 
     If after weighing all evidence, the jury does not have an “abiding conviction” of guilt, or if that conviction wavers or vacillates, then jurors must see there is a reasonable doubt -- and they must acquit.
     State Attorney Durrett said Assistant State Attorney Thomas clearly drew all logical, common-sense truth from the evidence presented from the witness stand.
     “Nobody’s out there with that defendant and that little girl in the woods,” Durrett said.
     However, through the research of FDLE, the cell phone carried by Gerhardt shows where he was at different points in time on certain dates. Through obtaining texts and social media messages, as well as by questioning parties involved, the scenario presented by Thomas cannot be seen as leaving any reasonable doubt to what that assistant state attorney asserted for the jury to remember, Durrett intimated.
     Durrett noted that Gerhardt’s nephew Anderson is the only one of the many people who that defendant asked to delete messages, who did as his uncle asked and deleted messages.
     As Gerhardt attempted to hide his path, which included getting a shovel, cleaning blood from a vehicle and asking if police were looking specifically where he had buried the body – just hours after he had done so, other friends of Gerhardt did not delete messages that he asked them to erase.
     All of the messages corroborate exactly and match the data points showing where Gerhardt was when he made the statements that were used to clearly show what happened, Durrett said.
     Durrett addressed Baker’s assertion about the rifle not being seen or proved to have been in the vehicle.
     “Well, a dead body in the back seat and the blood dripping between the crevices, and the shell casing that matches that rifle right down there next to it (the blood),” Durrett said, “sure seem to indicate that rifle might have been in that vehicle.
     “Not to mention a little girl’s blood with a bullet hole in the back of her head,” Durrett continued, “buried in a 25-inch (deep) grave.”
     Durrett said the motive for the murder was exactly as Thomas said.
     Gerhardt wanted to have sex with Appling. 
    The state attorney said back in 2022, Gerhardt was “an 18-year-old, lonely, video game-playing guy – who likes to smoke pot with his friends,” who was frustrated at not being able to have the little 14-year-old girl.
     “She wasn’t going to give him what he wanted,” Durrett said, “and he knew that.”
     Gerhardt used his 14-year-old nephew to lure the girl into the vehicle with him, Durrett said. 
     Durrett explained that prosecutors had to use witnesses who were Gerhardt’s friends and were present during these events. The state does not get to pick just anyone to be a witness. With the scientific data from tracking cell phones and the messages that were not erased, those witnesses’ testimony shows what happened.
     The girl was tricked to be in Gerhardt’s grasp. He killed her. He tried to hide the body, and then to hide the other evidence as well.
     Law enforcement searched for a missing girl. They found her body, and they found evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt who killed her, with premeditation and with a firearm.
     The fact that she was shot in the back of the head, Durrett said, is proof of premeditation. To accomplish that act takes time and purposeful effort – beforehand.
     Law enforcement brought the evidence to the State Attorney’s Office and the path to trial resulted in the outcome – determined by 12 jurors who unanimously voted “Guilty” on Friday (Feb. 13) in the afternoon, in Cross City. Then, Circuit Court Judge Feagle imposed sentence, as he is required to do as part of the duties in his elected position.

196^th Performance

Key West Kevin performs the HardisonInk.com jingle at the Driftwood Bar & Grill on Jan. 24. The bar and grill was a cornerstone for the 2026 Tour of the Towns, which was organized by the Withlacoochee Gulf Area Chamber of Commerce to help business interests in Inglis and Yankeetown. This was filmed on Saturday (Jan. 24, 2026). Jeff M. Hardison asks people to sing the jingle, and some of them agree to sing it. (Thanks people!) CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE TO SEE AND HEAR THE VIDEO ON YouTube.com. The very first person to sing the jingle was Danesh “Danny” Patel of Danny’s Food Mart in Chiefland in March of 2013. HardisonInk.com started as a daily news website on Feb. 1, 2011.
Photo and Video by Jeff M. Hardison © Jan. 24, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
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