Florida couple arrested in Utah
Former Ripley County resident allegedly tortured and starved children
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

A woman, who with her husband has made national news for allegedly torturing and starving their adopted children, has ties to Ripley County.

John Dollar, 58, and wife Linda (Bowling) Dollar, 51, were being investigated for child abuse when they fled their Beverly Hills home in Florida after authorities removed seven children from their care. The children ranged in age from 12 to 17 years of age. The children were placed in foster care on January 27. Beverly Hills is approximately 70 miles north of Tampa.

Gail Tierney, Public Information Officer for the Citrus County Sheriff's Department, confirmed that Linda Dollar is indeed the former Linda Bowling, who lived in New Marion in Ripley County and graduated from South Ripley High School in 1971.

A call from the Osgood Journal to the Citrus County Sheriff's Department Friday morning, February 11, to find out more about a tip that Linda Dollar could be Linda Bowling, saw investigator Ms. Lisa Wall checking out the possibility. Wall is a detective in the Crimes Against Children Unit of the department.

"We have gotten literally hundreds of calls from people who believe they know the couple," cautioned Tierney, when first presented the information. She told the Osgood Journal she would check it out and see if there was any validity to it.

By 2:00 p.m. Friday, February 11, a second telephone conversation with Tierney confirmed that Mrs. Dollar had ties to Ripley County. "Linda Dollar is indeed the Linda Bowling who lived in Ripley County," Tierney told the Osgood Journal. She said the sheriff's department was glad to have a tie to Mrs. Dollar's past and would be in further contact with the newspaper.

Photos of Mrs. Dollar and her husband have been spread across various newspaper and television newscasts, among those America's Most Wanted.

A local resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, recognized Mrs. Dollar from the photos. As the word spread on Friday, the newspaper received numerous calls as people rec
ognized her and wondered if it could be true.

THE CASE UNFOLDS

The Dollars are charged with abusing five of the seven children in their home, none of which are biological. They are accused of locking the children in a closet, using a cattle prod or some type of electrical devise to shock them, chaining them, hitting their feet with hammers and pulling out the children's toenails with pliers.

Tierney told reporters there was evidence of damage or missing toenails on the children. She further noted that the photos were "extremely unnerving."

Reports on the case note that the abuse was brought to light when a 16-year-old of the couple was taken to Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center near Crystal River for head and neck injuries on January 21. Investigators believe Mr. Dollar had grabbed the boy by his neck, raised him off his feet, then dropped him. He struck his head on a fireplace, according to Tierney.

Most disturbing in the reports was the weight of the injured 16-year-old. He was reported to only weigh in at 59 pounds.

When authorities began investigating the home, they found two 14-year-old boys, who were extremely malnourished who weighed less together than most 14-year-olds would weigh on their own. Their reported weight was 36 and 38 pounds apiece.

Five of the seven children told police they were "routinely tortured and starved." Tierney is reported in various newspaper articles to describe the scene as something out of Auschwitz, after reviewing photos of the children.

DOLLARS FLEE TO UTAH

The Dollars fled to Utah, more than 2,000 miles from their home, where they were arrested Friday, February 4, after they were on the run from Florida since Monday of that same week, when they did not appear for a hearing with the Department of Children and Family.

San Juan County in Utah is a known destination for fugitives from the law. The area is remote, full of mountains and canyons.

The couple was driving their 2000 gold Lexus sport utility vehicle when they were spotted in southeastern Utah. According to a report in the St. Petersburg Times, authorities were able to track the couple by their cell phone signals. San Juan County authorities say the couple was taken into custody without any problem and they "put up no resistance."

NO ONE NOTICED

The Dollars were reported to have "moved around a lot" between Tennessee and Florida. Mr. Dollar was a commercial real estate appraiser and Mrs. Dollar a homemaker, who home-schooled the children.

Authorities say they had no reason to investigate the couple, who lived in mostly secluded places and kept to themselves. Neighbors were reported to have said they knew the Dollars had children, but they never saw them.

The children were adopted in Florida according to state records and were infants or very young when they came to live with the Dollars.

According to information published in The Tampa Tribune, a DFC report revealed that Mrs. Dollar said she had an abusive past. She said her mother died when she was 6, and her
father was an alcoholic who physically and verbally abused her.

Information from another personal profile on Mrs. Dollar noted that she said it hurt her more than the children when they had to be disciplined. She said other methods of discipline rather than spanking, were best.

DOLLARS COMING BACK TO FLORIDA

PIO Tierney told the Osgood Journal the couple would be brought back to Florida via ground transport and would likely take a while. "We expect to have them here by the end of the month, (February)" she noted.

A freelance writer for The Chronicle, noted the couple was being brought from Utah to Florida by bus.

While the couple's attorney, Charles Vaughn, said he couldn't speak about much of the case, he did say the Dollars want to "make sure their side of the story is heard."

Prosecutors have charged the couple with aggravated child abuse and if convicted could mean decades of imprisonment under the Florida state law.

According to Florida law, the charges against the couple are first-degree felonies and the Dollars could receive 30 years to life in prison if convicted.

The Dollars will face felony charges in Inverness, FL, the county seat for Citrus County, where the couple lived with their seven adopted children and Mr. Dollar's elderly mother. They could also face additional charges in Tennessee once the investigation is complete.

John Dollar	Linda Dollar