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Florida man captured after cutting off ankle monitor during trial for bar shooting: HCSO

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Published  April 8, 2025 1:27pm EDT
Hernando County
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • Jerae Crussell is back behind bars after Hernando County deputies captured him.
    • The sheriff's office says he cut off his ankle monitor and disappeared before the jury reached a verdict in his trial stemming from a 2022 shooting.
    • Crussell was found guilty of aggravated battery and felon in possession of a firearm. He now faces additional charges.

SPRING HILL, Fla. - A man who investigators say cut off his ankle monitor during a break in his trial has been caught, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

Case against Jerae Crussell

The backstory:

Jerae Crussell was charged with aggravated battery and felon in possession of a handgun after HCSO said he opened fire outside Mermaids Lounge in Spring Hill in 2022. The victim survived.

Deputies say last Thursday, during a break in his trial prior to the jury reaching a verdict, Crussell went home, cut off his ankle monitor and disappeared. He was out of jail on bond at the time of the trial.

READ: Florida charter captain ordered to not contact boater who recorded viral video leading to arrest

The trial went on without Crussell, and he was found guilty of aggravated battery and felon in possession of a handgun.

On Tuesday, HCSO said its Intelligence Unit found Crussell and arrested him.

Courtesy: Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

What's next:

In addition to facing prison time for the 2022 shooting, Crussell faces additional charges of tampering with an electronic device and failure to appear.

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The Source: This story was written with information from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and previous FOX 13 News reports.

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