By ED BALDRIDGE
ed.baldridge@newssun.com
SEBRING -- Highlands County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a 911 call at 4401 Shamrock St. just after 10:30 a.m. Thursday morning after two dead bodies were apparently discovered at the residence.
Located just east off of Thunderbird Road, records from the Highlands County Tax Appraiser's Office show that the house is owned by James (Jim) L. Guy. According to one witness at the scene, there was a possible murder-suicide inside the 1,200-square foot, gray, ranch-style house.
A press release from the Highlands County Sheriff's Office late Thursday afternoon confirmed that there were two victims in the house. Investigators are not releasing the cause of death, but did "assure the public that they do not believe that there is a suspect at large."
When contacted at 1:15 p.m., Capt. Randy Labelle of the HCSO would say nothing other than that there was a death investigation under way at the house and that deputies were awaiting a search warrant so they could begin their investigation.
Sheriff Susan Benton said that standard practice after a scene is secured for the safety of deputies and victims is for everyone to back off until a search warrant is obtained before any evidence is gathered.
Ralph Levingston told the News-Sun he saw the bodies of Guy and his girlfriend on the screened-in back porch of the house. Levingston also reported seeing a small pistol on the floor near Guy, who had a wound to the head.
Levingston also reported seeing the unidentified girlfriend on her knees with her face in the chair on across the room, and blood on the floor.
Levingston told the News-Sun that he had known Guy for 15 to 20 years, and was heading over to the house to see why Guy had missed an 8 a.m. meeting to go get a sailboat in Okeechobee.
"We were going to bring his sailboat back to his house so he could sell it," Levingston said.
"I didn't go into the house. I just saw them from outside the screen porch, about eight feet from the door," he added.
Levingston had no idea why the deputies were seeking a search warrant.
For further updates, check the News-Sun Web site at http://www.newssun.com
Thursday, October 29, 2009 - www.newssun.com/1030-eb-sebring-shooting
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