Citrus County is home of Iverness, Homosassa Springs and Crystal River. Citrus County has a population of 142,000 people. Inverness holds the county seat. Citrus County is home of Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, and Crystal River Nature Preserve. These Nature Preserves and State Parks bring in tourists year-round to observe the wildlife. Seven beautiful waterways run through Citrus county, including Crystal River, home to the largest herd of manatees in the U.S., and the only place in Florida where it is legal to swim with the manatees.
There are several cities and several law enforcement agencies that patrol the county, but the most prevalent agency is Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. The major roads include US 19, US 98, US 41, and State Road 44. These major roads, of course, are the locations where a lot of local agencies patrol the roads. The most prevalent arresting agencies in the area are: Florida Gaming Commission of Citrus County, Citrus County Sheriff’s Department and Florida Highway Patrol.
Citrus County Judges
| Citrus County Judges: | Jurisdiction: |
| Judge Mark J. Yerman | All misdemeanor, traffic, county civil and small claims. |
3rd Circuit Judges in Citrus County
| 3rd Circuit Judges: | Jurisdiction: |
| Judge Richard A. Howard. | All Felonies. |
Because there is only one judge for misdemeanors and one for felonies there are other judges “on call” in the instance of a conflict.
Common Crimes in Citrus County, FL
Below is a list of the most common crimes people were arrested for in Citrus County, in 2015. These statistics were received from the Uniform Crime Report provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
| Offenses: | Total Arrests: |
| Drugs | 500 |
| Larceny | 405 |
| Simple Assault | 459 |
Citrus County Sheriff’s Department made the majority of the arrests for the entire county in the year 2015. They made all of the drug, larceny and simple assault arrest.
DUI’S:
In 2014 Citrus County reported there were 363 people arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) but in 2015 this number dropped to 208 people. All of the DUI arrests were made by Citrus County Sheriff’s Department.
Special Programs:
The Citrus County Mental Health Court is a special part of the Citrus County Court. It is a Court-supervised program for those arrested in Citrus County who has a mental illness, who need treatment and other services, and who choose to participate in the mental health program instead of having their case precede through the regular court process. The goal of this program is to divert non-violent defendants with mental illness from the Citrus County Jail and active criminal prosecution in the Citrus County Court to appropriate community based treatment.
Adult Drug Court
We’re here to serve you. Our phones are open 24 hours a day. The Citrus County Adult Drug Court Program is a court supervised structured program consisting of both comprehensive out-patient treatment and case management supervision for non-violent offenders. The program includes regular court appearances, random drug screens, group/individual substance abuse counseling and frequent Peer Support Meetings. The length of this program is normally 12 to 18 months. The following people will be eligible: any first time offender or any person previously convicted of not more than one non-violent misdemeanor, who is charged with a felony of the third degree, or second and third degree felonies involving purchase or possession of a controlled substance, solicitation for purchase of a controlled substance, or obtaining a prescription by fraud. Citrus county also has a similar program for misdemeanor drug offenses. In general, if a defendant has a violent criminal past they will not be accepted into the program. As always, there are exceptions to this rule such as aggravated assault, with special permission from the State Attorney. Felonies related to drugs are an acceptable entrance in the drug court and non-violent offenders are encouraged to enter drug court.
