TAVARES, Florida—A homeless man was arrested Wednesday after he pulled a realistic-looking BB gun on lawn maintenance worker because his leaf blower was disturbing the man’s sleep.
The worker called Tavares Police around 7:30 a.m. and said he got into a confrontation with two homeless subjects, one later identified as William Ray Turner, 35. Inside Lake is not naming the second subject because he was not charged with a crime. The victim said he was working on a property on Classique Lane when Turner and the second man confronted him. He said Turner pulled a pistol from his pants and pointed at him and then ran towards U.S. Highway 441 and Mount Homer Road, according to the arrest affidavit.
TPD responded and quickly located Turner and found he had a realistic looking BB gun near him on the ground and Turner was questioned, the affidavit states.
The victim told police Turner came out of his “sleeping quarters” while he was blowing leaves and lifted his shirt to show the victim he had a gun tucked into his waistband. “The Co2 BB gun that was recovered from (Turner) is a replica-like gun that identically resembles a real firearm both in appearance and weight,” a TPD detective noted in the affidavit.
The victim said Turner removed the gun from his waist, pointed at the victim and “racked a round in the chamber,” and told the victim to “stop working,” The second subject also told the victim to stop working, but did not make any threats and walked away in the opposite direction, the affidavit states.
Turner told TPD every morning the workers use blowers and near where he sleeps, and it makes him “angry.” He said he came out of his “sleeping quarters” and told them to stop. He said he never pulled the BB gun out, but the workers may have seen it in his waist, according to the affidavit.
TPD searched Turner’s bag and found two small pieces of methamphetamine in an empty cigarette pack. Turner claimed he found the bag and he believed the substance was salt.
Turner was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of methamphetamine and is being held in the Lake County Jail on $4,000 bond. This is Turner’s seventh arrest in Lake County since 2019; he has been accused of a variety of crimes, including domestic battery, criminal mischief and violating a no-contact order.
