Publisher Marilyn M. Aciego was born and raised in Lake County and is a graduate of Umatilla High School and Lake-Sumter State College. She began her journalism career at LSSC and in 2023 she was honored with LSSC’s Distinguished Alumni Professional Achievement Award. She began working at the Daily Commercial while she was in college and continued her career there as a reporter after she graduated. In her 20+ year-career, she covered many of the area’s top stories including the disappearance of Trenton Duckett, the death of beloved Sheriff Chris Daniels, both in 2006 and an exclusive interview with then-Eustis Police Capt. Gary Winheim, who was ambushed and shot by a wanted felon in 2019. In addition to Inside Lake, Marilyn is the single mom of a teenaged son and the Florida Bureau Chief for an international media organization.
LEESBURG, Fla.—A 94-year-old Leesburg man was killed Sunday afternoon when the SUV he was driving was struck by a car that ran a traffic light, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The man was driving a 2015 Subaru Forester eastbound on Plantation Boulevard and was attempting to make a left turn on U.S. Highway 27 when he collided with a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu that was “unable to stop in time for the traffic signal,” around 4:15 p.m., Trooper Migdalisis Garcia said in a press release.
The front of the Malibu struck the left side of the Forester and injured both drivers. The Malibu driver, a 32-year-old Leesburg man, was taken to UF Health Leesburg Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the driver of the Forester was transported to South Lake Hospital-Blue Cedar, where he later died from his injuries, Garcia said.
MOUNT DORA, Fla.—Saturday marks one month since anyone has seen missing Mount Dora mom Nicole Baldwin and a community search and candlelight vigil are planned for Sunday.
Baldwin was last seen Nov. 2 at her home on Strathmore Circle in Mount Dora after celebrating her oldest daughter Alisha’s 20th birthday, Alisha told Inside Lake last month. Alisha was on the scene Tuesday as investigators searched the home nearly all day and removed what may be evidence in the disappearance of the mother of three.
Sources told Inside Lake Mount Dora Police Department towed Baldwin’s husband’s car Tuesday as possible evidence, and took electronics, including multiple cell phones before the Baldwin family moved out of the home on Strathmore Circle in Lancaster at Loch Leven this week, and investigators were back at the home Friday after the family moved out.
On Friday, investigators with Mount Dora Police Department were back at the home where Nicole Baldwin was last seen. COURTESY PHOTO
Tipsters have reached out to Inside Lake with theories and suspicions about people close to Baldwin and Inside Lake asked MDPD about some of the tips, but MDPD has remained tight-lipped and not released many details, citing an “active and ongoing investigation.”
MDPD began investigating Baldwin’s disappearance Nov. 5 when she was reported missing and multiple personal items of Baldwin’s were left at the home when she disappeared, including her phone, Apple watch, purse, debit card and all her shoes and she did not have her car, Alisha told Inside Lake earlier this month. A man Baldwin was dating was in possession of her car after her disappearance and he brought the white Chevy Cruze back to Alisha when she demanded he return it, Alisha said. Last month, the Cruze was seen in the driveway of the home on Strathmore Circle with what appeared to be evidence tape on the trunk and doors.
There has been no activity on Baldwin’s social media accounts and loved ones have not heard from her since Nov. 2.
A Facebook group, Help Find Nicole Baldwin started by Terri Rogers has grown to more than 400 members and Rogers is organizing the search and candlelight vigil planned for Sunday. Rogers never met Baldwin but was compelled to help as she continues to agonize with unanswered questions about the disappearance of her niece, Tonya Lee Whipp in Polk County. Whipp, 38, was last seen in Auburndale sometime between May 28 and June 1, but she was not reported missing until June 29, according to Auburndale Police Department.
A community search organized by Rogers is planned for 2 p.m. Sunday and searchers are being asked to meet at La Gracia Baptist Church, 19650 State Road 44, Eustis. Participants may encounter rough terrain and should wear appropriate clothing and shoes to join in the search. A candlelight vigil is scheduled to be held following the search, and Rogers has been working all week gathering milk jugs that will hold candles and feature a photo of Nicole. She plans on using the jugs to line the sidewalks leading to the Strathmore Circle home to symbolize lighting a path, “so she can find her way home,” Rogers told Inside Lake.
Baldwin, 41, is considered “missing endangered” and is described as a white female, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, 135 pounds, with brown and (dyed) blonde hair, and hazel eyes. If you have information on Baldwin’s disappearance, call MDPD at 352-735-7130.
EUSTIS, Fla.—A Eustis Middle School employee who worked as both a teacher’s assistant and a family-school liaison was arrested for child abuse after a father reported she slapped his 14-year-old son across the face just before Thanksgiving break began earlier this month and according to Lake County Schools, she has been “alternatively placed in a role with no interaction with students.”
According to an arrest affidavit, on Nov. 17, the principal of EMS contacted the boy’s father and told him Ute Galloway, 61, had slapped his son across the face in front of other students and then pulled the boy aside to apologize to him, the father told police. He said the school’s administration told him they would “handle the situation” and call him at a later time to follow-up, but he never received a call.
Students and employees of Lake County Schools had the following week off and returned to school Monday and the father told a Eustis Police Department school resource officer (SRO) his son told him Galloway was still at the school and it “appeared there were no consequences for her actions,” the affidavit states.
He told the SRO his wife called the school to inquire why Galloway was still at the school and spoke with the principal who reportedly told her he could not go into detail about the investigation or provide what steps the school was taking while Galloway was under investigation, according to the affidavit.
The boy’s father said he was upset and wanted to press criminal charges against Galloway and the SRO told him it was a serious matter, and he would begin investigating it immediately. The SRO pulled video surveillance from the media center on Nov. 17 and observed the boy on his knees near where Galloway was sitting. The boy appeared to be drawing something on a piece of paper when Galloway unexpectedly slapped him on the left side of his face with an open hand.
The SRO called the boy in, and he told him he was playing a game with other students where they would draw parts of a turkey on a piece of paper. Galloway told the students not to look at the outline of the paper while drawing the turkey, but the boy looked at the outline anyway which “frustrated” Galloway. He continued to look at the outline to draw the turkey and Galloway “suddenly smacked” him across the face which shocked him and the students who witnessed it. Galloway immediately pulled him into a room, apologized and said she slapped him out of frustration, he told the SRO.
The SRO then spoke with two students who had similar stories, and one said Galloway told the students she was sorry, and she had slapped the boy out of frustration, “not to make a big deal out of it,” and not to tell anyone what happened.
The SRO did not interview Galloway, because, according to the affidavit, she was “suspended indefinitely from the school.”
Galloway, who has been employed at EMS since August 2022, was arrested for child abuse without great bodily harm at her home in Eustis around 7 p.m. Wednesday and transported to the Lake County Jail, where she was released on $5,000 bond.
Inside Lake reached out to Lake County Schools to inquire about Galloway’s employment status.
“The incident is alleged to have occurred on the morning of Nov. 17, the last day of school for students and teachers prior to the Thanksgiving break. Nov. 27 was the first day back after the break. Galloway reported to work, and Employee Relations (ER) requested information from the school regarding the claim. After receiving the information, Galloway was told to report to ER and was alternatively placed,” LCS Communications Officer Sherri Owens said in an email. “Galloway has been alternatively placed in a role with no interaction with students while we investigate.”
MOUNT DORA, Fla.—Three years ago, Mount Dora was rocked by the double murders of two beloved store owners who were staples in the community and the identity of the person or people responsible for their murders remains a mystery.
Minh “Tina” Nguyen, 47, and Khiem “Ken” Ba Trinh, 56, were shot around 9 p.m. Nov. 30, 2020, at their popular store, T & N Market, 1345 North Grandview Street, just a few blocks from Mount Dora Police Department. The couple was found behind the counter suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and Nguyen was pronounced dead on the scene. Trinh was airlifted to a Sanford hospital where he succumbed to his injuries just a few days later on Dec. 3, 2020.
Mount Dora Police Department released two surveillance videos showing the gunman’s movements; one was from an outside camera that showed a single gunman running across the parking lot and accosting Trinh at his gray Honda minivan and forcing him back into the store at gunpoint and later shows the gunman fleeing the building and parking lot. A second video from inside the store shows the suspect—dressed in all black—arguing with the couple and fleeing the store. The suspect’s voice can be heard in the second video and when it was released, then-Interim Chief Brett Meade asked the public to watch and listen carefully to help identify the killer. Video of the actual shooting was not released to the public.
Dozens of people attended a candlelight vigil and balloon release held at the store the day after the shooting and a block party was held in their honor several days after the murders. The store, a staple in the northeast community of Mount Dora, had been in business for more than 30 years and many of its patrons frequented the store since they were children. Today, the storefront is empty.
The couple was well-liked in the community they served; numerous people expressed their sorrow on social media in the days following the tragedy. They left behind two sons, Ryan and Vincent.
A reward of $10,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest quickly after the murders occurred, and is still available, three years later, but MDPD has never received the information it needs to make an arrest. MDPD Det. Gary Hutcheson said the key to solving the case is someone coming forward with what they know.
Inside Lake recently sat down with Hutcheson in a face-to-face interview to get an update on the case.
Mount Dora Police Detective Gary Hutcheson PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake
Rumors have swirled for years, and several sources have told Inside Lake—as far back as just a few weeks after the murders—that a man well-known to Lake County law enforcement was responsible for the heinous crime. That man is currently serving a lengthy federal prison term for a gun charge, stemming from a case in another Lake County city. Inside Lake directly asked Hutcheson if he was the culprit.
“He was interviewed as part of this case, but I’ve never had enough probable cause to say he did it,” Hutcheson said. Inside Lake is not naming the man because he has not been charged in this case.
Based on the investigation, police believe the motive was robbery and a lack of physical evidence has been a major barrier in solving the case. It is unknown why the perpetrator murdered the couple in addition to the robbery, especially when he had completely disguised his appearance.
“He (the suspect) was covered head-to-toe, gloves, face mask, full head covering, all black. We don’t have any DNA nor touch DNA,” Hutcheson explained. Police did recover shell casings and projectiles but will not release the caliber of the gun. Tests have been performed on the evidence they do have, and surprisingly, does not match any other crimes MDPD is aware of.
There was no indication something like this might occur in the months leading up to the murders. There was a “neighborhood youth” the couple was apparently having some problems with, Hutcheson said, but there is not enough evidence to charge or clear the youth.
MDPD has received information that a getaway vehicle was waiting on Gorham Street, just one block from the store but police have never been able to verify it, Hutcheson said. There were no cameras on Gorham Street, but the exterior camera at T&N Market does show the suspect running through and out of the parking lot at an angle toward the area of Gorham Street following the crime.
Hutcheson said police have released all the information and evidence they can at this point. They do have persons of interest and have investigative leads they just cannot release because it is information only the police and the perpetrator or perpetrators would know. Releasing information too early could damage their case.
Hutcheson said cases like this are a joint effort and he appreciates the support he gets from other agencies. “I have to give a lot of kudos to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Every time we get a homicide, we give them a call and they show up in force,” Hutcheson said. “We couldn’t work these cases without their help.”
Mount Dora Police Department investigates after Minh “Tina” Nguyen, 47, and Khiem “Ken” Ba Trinh, 56, were shot around 9 p.m. Nov. 30, 2020, at their popular store, T & N Market, 1345 North Grandview Street. PHOTO: MDPD
In the months following the murders, the was a lot of community chatter about who may be responsible, but no one has ever given MDPD the information they need to close the case. Hutcheson said he has chased down leads when he hears someone may know something, but some people have just refused to speak with him. “We’re going to need somebody to come forward.”
“There are people in this community and the surrounding communities that I know, know something about this case and they’re just not coming forward,” Hutcheson said. “I know the persons of interest in this case have spoken to people and made admissions. We just have to get those people to come forward and tell us. If somebody directly tells somebody that they did something, we can use that.”
If you have information on the murders of “Ken and Tina,” call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS. Callers may be eligible for the $10,000 reward and can remain anonymous.
TAVARES, Fla.—Not even a month on the job and Tavares Police Department’s K9 Bruce has his first trafficking arrest under his collar.
Around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, a TPD road patrol officer was patrolling the area of Burleigh Boulevard (U.S. Highway 441) and Sinclair Avenue when she spotted a black Dodge Challenger and ran a check on the license plate, according to an arrest affidavit.
The license plate came back invalid, and not assigned to a vehicle, giving the officer probable cause for a traffic stop. The officer stopped the car and found the driver, Larry Wallace Taylor, 48, of Apopka, “extremely upset” about the traffic stop,” the arresting officer noted in the affidavit.
Taylor repeatedly told the officer she was incorrect about the tag, and he could provide the paperwork to prove it, but he failed to do so, and also claimed he could not find his wallet. He informed the officer a firearm was in the car and believed his wallet was near the gun and allowed a second officer to safely remove it from the car. Taylor still could not find his wallet and was shaking and “sweating profusely,” even though it was 51 degrees outside, the arresting officer noted.
As Taylor continued to look for his wallet, he told the officer he was nervous, and the officer requested to search the car. He denied her request and as he moved around the car, the officer saw his wallet underneath him and he finally provided his license, according to the affidavit.
Newly-hired K9 Bruce arrived on scene with his handler and performed an exterior sniff of the car. K9 Bruce alerted and upon searching the interior of the car, officers found a “tooter,” a small tube commonly used to snort narcotics, and two bags, one that contained a crystalline rock-like substance and the second, which contained a crystalline substance and a white powder.
PHOTO: Tavares Police Department
The arresting officer tested the rock-like substance that weighed more than 11 grams and it field-tested positive for methamphetamine. Taylor was transported to the Lake County Jail and on the ride to jail, he made a “spontaneous utterance” the drugs were not just methamphetamine. Officers tested both bags at LCJ and they both tested positive for fentanyl, according to the affidavit.
Taylor was arrested for trafficking in fentanyl, possession of methamphetamine and possession of paraphernalia; he was released on $28,000 bond.
MOUNT DORA, Fla.—In its quest to find a missing mom, Mount Dora Police Department conducted a search at the home Tuesday where she was last seen.
It has been nearly a month since anyone has seen or heard from Nicole Baldwin, a mom of three, who was last seen Nov. 2 after celebrating her oldest daughter, Alisha’s’ birthday. MDPD has stayed tight-lipped since Baldwin was reported missing and Tuesday’s search is “part of their investigation,” City of Mount Dora Spokesperson Misty Sommer told Inside Lake.
Mount Dora Police Department began investigating Baldwin’s disappearance Nov. 4 when she was reported missing, and Tuesday morning MDPD was at her home, along with multiple crime scene investigators from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Nicole Baldwin
Baldwin’s personal belongings were left at the home, including her phone, Apple watch, purse, debit card and all her shoes and she did not have her car, Baldwin’s daughter, Alisha told Inside Lake earlier this month. Alisha stood across the street from her home Tuesday, as investigators searched and she told Inside Lake earlier this month, loved ones have not heard from Baldwin and there has been no activity on her social media accounts.
Baldwin, 41, is considered “missing endangered” and is described as a white female, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, 135 pounds, with brown and (dyed) blonde hair, and hazel eyes. If you have information on Baldwin’s disappearance, call MDPD at 352-735-7130.
MOUNT DORA, Fla.—It has been three weeks since anyone has seen missing mom Nicole Baldwin and Mount Dora Police Department is being tight-lipped about its investigation.
Baldwin was last seen at her home in Lancaster at Loch Leven off County Road 44 in Mount Dora around 11:30 p.m. Nov. 2 after celebrating her daughter Alisha’s 20th birthday, Alisha told Inside Lake earlier this month. Alisha lives at the home with her mother and other family members and said when she returned home a few days later, she found out her mother was missing.
MDPD began investigating her disappearance Nov. 5 when she was reported missing, and it is unknown what, if any evidence, detectives have uncovered. Detectives have not publicly named a suspect or a person of interest.
Good Samaritan Terri Rogers has put a lot of effort into finding Baldwin. Rogers does not know Baldwin but was compelled to help bring Baldwin home as she continues to suffer with unanswered questions about the mystery of her niece, Tonya Lee Whipp’s disappearance. Whipp, 38, was last seen in Auburndale in Polk County sometime between May 28 and June 1, but she was not reported missing until June 29, according to Auburndale Police Department.
Rogers organized a community search for Baldwin last weekend, but 25 to 30 searchers and K-9 Soldiers Gunner and Trigger from Storm First Responders were unsuccessful in their quest to find the missing mom of three children. They searched wooded areas and bodies of water near Baldwin’s home and Rogers’ friend also searched with his drone, she told Inside Lake.
K-9 Soldiers Gunner and Trigger from Storm First Responders take a break after searching for missing Mount Dora mom Nicole Baldwin Sunday. Courtesy photo
Rogers has also started a Facebook group, Help Find Nicole Baldwin to try to gather information and keep Baldwin’s face in the public eye.
There has been no activity on Baldwin’s social media accounts and Alisha said Baldwin has taken some time to herself in the past, but never like this.
“She would never leave me in the dark like this,” Alisha told Inside Lake, a week after Baldwin went missing. “She just vanished into thin air.”
Baldwin’s personal belongings were still in the home, including her phone, Apple watch, purse, debit card and all her shoes and she did not have her vehicle. Inside Lake asked MDPD some questions earlier this week, but a detective on the case did not reveal what leads they are following, citing an, “active and ongoing investigation.”
Nicole Baldwin
Baldwin, 41, is considered “missing endangered” and MDPD is asking the public to come forward with any information about her disappearance.
Baldwin is described as a white female, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, 135 pounds, with brown and (dyed) blonde hair, and hazel eyes. If you have information on Baldwin’s disappearance, call MDPD at 352-735-7130.
TAVARES, Fla.—Tavares Police Department is searching for a “missing and endangered” teenager who was last seen Wednesday night.
Lindsey Carpenter, 14, was seen leaving her home in the Etowah subdivision off Ann Rou Road around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday; TPD believes she may have gotten in a maroon SUV, possibly a Chevy Tahoe. Carpenter is considered “missing and endangered” due to pre-existing medical conditions and she does not have her medication.
Carpenter is described at a white female, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a camouflage shirt, light-colored pants and carrying a grey backpack.
If you have information on Carpenter’s whereabouts, call TPD at 352-343-2101, extension 4.
EUSTIS, Fla.—A woman who crashed into a pole at a gas station Saturday had a breath-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit, according to an arrest affidavit.
Shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday, Eustis Police Department responded to Circle K, 19516 State Road 44, Eustis on a report of a drunk driver. When officers arrived, they found Viviana Natalie Viera, 47, had crashed her vehicle into a small pole in front of the gas pumps, the affidavit states.
Viera, of Altamonte Springs, reeked of alcohol, was swaying side to side and had to use her vehicle door for support, the arresting officer noted. Officers observed an open bottle of vodka in the center console; after first refusing one officer, Viera told another officer she would complete field sobriety exercises but quickly said she could not do them, and she was placed under arrest.
Several other vodka bottles were found the vehicle when officers inventoried it and Viera was taken to the Lake County Jail for a breath test. One sample was .333—more than four times the legal limit of .08—and the second sample was .315, nearly four times the legal limit.
Viera was turned over to the custody of LCJ and released Monday on $2,000 bond.
TAVARES, Fla.—Tavares Police Department is investigating after receiving multiple calls about five to six shots being fired around 9 p.m. Friday in a condominium complex that has been the site of several shootings in the past, the latest one just four days ago.
TPD responded to Rosewood Condominiums but did not find any victims or shell casings Friday night, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake.
Just four days ago, shots were fired in Rosewood Condominiums as schoolchildren were arriving at home on the bus around 3:30 p.m. Monday.
TPD investigates after multiple shots were Monday afternoon as schoolchildren were arriving home on the bus. FILE PHOTO
A short time after Monday’s shooting, a victim with a gunshot wound arrived at AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares. The victim said he was shot in Mount Dora, but no evidence of a shooting was found in Mount Dora, City of Mount Dora Public Information Officer Misty Sommer said Monday. The case is still under investigation, Sullivan said.
If you have information on either incident, call TPD at 352-343-2101, extension 4; or call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS. Crimeline callers can remain anonymous.
