Eustis

Late Night Head-On Crash Kills Eustis Man and Altoona Woman Saturday

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Tavares / By

TAVARES, Florida—Two people are dead following a head-crash on a busy Tavares Road Saturday night.

Shortly before 10:45 pm. Tavares Police Department responded to a report of a crash near County Road 561 and Lona Street. According to witnesses and evidence on scene, a 2019 black Nissan Sentra being driven by Scott Alexander Sawyer, 29, of Eustis, was speeding northbound on County Road 561 and attempted to pass vehicles on a double yellow line. He struck a 2008 gray Mazda Tribute head-on being driven southbound by Lindsay Marie Baker, 26, of Altoona, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake.

“Several area first responders responded to the scene in an attempt to render aid and assist with the investigation,” Sullivan said in an email.

Baker and Sawyer were both pronounced deceased following the crash and TPD traffic homicide investigators responded to the scene and took over the investigation, Sullivan said.

The crash shut down County Road 561 for several hours and remains under investigation.

Late Night Head-On Crash Kills Eustis Man and Altoona Woman Saturday Read More »

Eustis Police officers stand outside the back of Wells Fargo Advisors following an armed robbery Friday afternoon. The suspect briefly locked himself inside the building with three employees before surrendering, PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

Man Accused of Robbing Downtown Eustis Business has Lengthy Criminal History

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Umatilla / By

EUSTIS, Florida—The man Eustis Police say robbed a downtown business Friday has a lengthy prison history and served his first prison sentence nearly 20 years ago, according to court records.

Jacob Thomas Parrish, 36, of Umatilla, was arrested shortly after 3 p.m. Friday after employees of Wells Fargo Advisors, 127 North Bay Street, in the heart of downtown Eustis, called 9-1-1 and reported Parrish entered the business armed with a knife. EPD Capt. Jon Fahning told Inside Lake Friday. Police believe Parrish thought the location was a bank; the building, at the corner of Bay Street and McDonald Avenue houses financial advisors.

Jacob Parrish PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Three employees were in the building and barricaded themselves in an office and Parrish refused to let them out and they called police, Fahning told Inside Lake on the scene. Parrish locked himself in the building and a manager of the business quickly brought law enforcement officers a key.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office assisted EPD and Parrish surrendered when a K9 arrived on the scene, Fahning said. None of the employees were injured. Parrish was taken into custody and arrested for armed robbery, and three counts of false imprisonment. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $35,000 bond.

PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

According to Lake County Clerk of Court online records, Parrish was first sentenced to prison in June 2005 when he was just 19 years old. Parrish pleaded no contest to armed burglary, grand theft and carrying a concealed weapon. He was given a 40-month suspended prison sentence; he later violated community control and was sent to prison to serve his time. Documents containing the details of all his cases were not available Saturday.

In 2013, Parrish pleaded no contest to manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of a listed chemical and possession of paraphernalia. He was sentenced to two years in prison in that case. He was given credit for time served in LCJ and released March 17, 2014.

Just under six months later, Parrish was arrested again, this time for burglary, grand theft, resisting arrest and trespassing. He pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was released Feb. 18, 2020.

Man Accused of Robbing Downtown Eustis Business has Lengthy Criminal History Read More »

PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

Man in Custody After Entering Downtown Eustis Building Armed with Knife

Eustis, Inside Scoop / By

EUSTIS, Florida—A man is in custody after entering a downtown Eustis building armed with a knife Friday afternoon.

Jacob Parrish, 36, of Umatilla entered Wells Fargo Advisors, 127 North Bay Street around 3 p.m. Friday armed with a knife while three employees, two females and a male were in the building, Eustis Police Department Capt. Jon Fahning told Inside Lake, the only media on the scene.

The three employees barricaded themselves in a room and Parrish refused to let them out and they called police, Fahning said. Parrish locked himself in the building at the corner of Bay Street and McDonald Avenue and a manager of the business quickly brought law enforcement officers a key. Fahning negotiated with Parrish, and he gave himself up when a Lake County Sheriff’s Office K9 arrived on scene. None of the employees were injured.

“He essentially surrendered,” Fahning said.

Police believe Parrish thought the business was a bank, but it houses financial advisors, Fahning said. Parrish was still in EPD custody at press time and had not been booked into the Lake County Jail, so a mugshot was not available.

This is a developing story.

Man in Custody After Entering Downtown Eustis Building Armed with Knife Read More »

File photo

Female Jogger Fights Off Attacker with Water Bottle in Eustis Friday Morning

Eustis, Inside Scoop / By

EUSTIS, Florida—A woman who was jogging on Country Club Road in Eustis Friday morning was grabbed from behind by a man in what police describe as a “bear hug” and she fought him off with a water bottle, police say.

The woman was jogging northbound around 10:30 a.m. when the man came up behind her and grabbed her in a “bear hug” and thrust his hips into her in an aggressive and sexual manner, Eustis Police Department Capt. Jon Fahning told Inside Lake.

The victim hit the unidentified man with a water bottle, and he fled southbound on Country Club Road. The woman was not injured, Fahning said. The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 6 feet tall, wearing all black, including a black hoodie and a black and blue mask.

“She didn’t get a really good look at him,” Fahning said.

A neighbor and another man were in the area during the incident, heard the commotion and ran over to help the woman, but the suspect had already fled. EPD spent Friday canvassing the area and both the road patrol division and the criminal investigation division are working on the case, Fahning said.

EPD is asking anyone in the area who may have seen the man or captured him on video to call them at 352-357-4121.   

Female Jogger Fights Off Attacker with Water Bottle in Eustis Friday Morning Read More »

Accused Mother-Daughter Fraudsters Facing More Than 250 Charges

Eustis, Inside Scoop / By

EUSTIS, Florida—A report of identity theft at a Eustis bank last year launched a seven-month investigation that unraveled a mother-daughter Medicaid fraud scheme that culminated in a search warrant and an arrest earlier this month, according to an arrest affidavit.

In September 2022, Eustis Police Department responded to Wells Fargo, 16949 U.S. Highway 441 after a man reported his identity had been stolen and used to open a bank account. A lengthy investigation revealed the account was used to funnel money to Heather Linette Steverson, 55, and her daughter, Jessica Linette Chechile, 34, for alleged rides they gave to Medicaid patients, according to the affidavit.  

EPD detectives found the mileage and time claimed to provide the rides did not add up, in addition to Chechile providing four rides while she was incarcerated at the Lake County Jail for possession of several drugs, including methamphetamine, morphine, dilaudid and oxycodone. EPD was also provided numerous recorded phone calls made by Steverson setting up rides while she pretended to be someone else.

Chechile was taken into custody after her bond was revoked in February for a prior drug charge and is now facing 174 charges in this case, including 79 counts each of forgery and uttering a forged document; 11 counts of criminal use of personal identification, and one count each of Medicaid recipient fraud, organized fraud, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, grand theft and racketeering. She is being held on no bond due to the revocation.

Her mother is facing 33 counts each of forgery and uttering a forged document, 13 counts of criminal use of personal identification one count each of Medicaid recipient fraud, organized fraud, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, grand theft and racketeering; in addition to two counts of possession of Oxycodone that was found on her when she was picked up on the warrant. She is being held on $247,000 bond.

Accused Mother-Daughter Fraudsters Facing More Than 250 Charges Read More »

Boy, 12, Arrested for Threatening School Shooting After Classmate’s Mom Intercepts Group Text Message

Eustis, Inside Scoop / By

EUSTIS, Florida—A 12-year-old boy was arrested Monday night after a mom alerted her child’s principal to group text messages between several Faith Lutheran School students that included a student threatening to shoot some of his classmates.

Inside Lake is not naming the boy due to his age.   

Eustis Police Department responded to Faith Lutheran School, 2727 South Grove Street after the principal reported he had received an email from a parent of a student at the school. The principal said the parent stated she had received text messages on her child’s phone that contained threats to “shoot up the school,” the arrest affidavit states.

The parent sent screenshots of the text messages between several students that contained the threat and children that were named as possible targets. EPD contacted the mother of the boy who made the threat and met with her and the boy at the police department. Officers questioned the boy and he said he was “just joking around,” and he and his mother both said he did not have access to guns or other weapons, according to the affidavit.

The boy was arrested for written threats of a mass shooting and turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

Boy, 12, Arrested for Threatening School Shooting After Classmate’s Mom Intercepts Group Text Message Read More »

Antwain "Lil Daddy" Hart was murdered in Umatilla in 2022. Deputies have arrested three men for his murder. PHOTO: Hart Family

Orlando Man Arrested for 2022 Umatilla Murder

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Umatilla, Unincorporated Lake / By

UMATILLA, Florida—The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the murder of a man in Umatilla last year.  

Only Inside Lake was on the scene after Antwain “Lil Daddy” Hart, 31, was found suffering at least one gunshot wound Nov. 8. 2022 in front of a home on Merrell Avenue in the Southside area of unincorporated Umatilla. He was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares by Lake EMS, but died during transport, LCSO Lt. John Herrell told Inside Lake last year.

Hart’s rental vehicle, a 2022 white Jeep Cherokee, was stolen at the time of his murder and found about 12 hours later behind the First Church of God Eustis, 1550 North Highway 19, by Eustis Police Department. The church is just 3.7 miles from the murder scene.

Undray Benson PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

LCSO began developing leads in the case following Hart’s murder and an arrest warrant for first degree murder was issued for an Orlando man on March 8. Undray Tony Benson, 51, was picked up in Orange County and booked into the Orange County Jail March 21; he was later transferred to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on no bond.

Details on what may have led to Hart’s murder are unknown because Benson’s probable cause affidavit is sealed. Herrell said a warrant has been issued for a second man, Marvin Ellison Jr., but he has not been taken into custody. If you have information on Ellison’s whereabouts, call LCSO at 352-343-2101.

LCSO investigates after a man was found shot in unincorporated Umatilla in this November 2022 photo. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

Orlando Man Arrested for 2022 Umatilla Murder Read More »

Dry Conditions Force Countywide Burn Ban

Astatula, Clermont, Eustis, Fruitland Park, Groveland, Howey-in-the-Hills, Inside Scoop, Lady Lake, Leesburg, Mascotte, Minneola, Montverde, Mount Dora, Tavares, Umatilla, Unincorporated Lake / By

LAKE COUNTY, Florida—Lake County officials imposed a burn ban effective Friday that will last indefinitely, according to a press release.

The burn ban is in effect for all of Lake County and prohibits the burning of yard debris, land and recreational fires but does not include outdoor fireplaces, barbecue grills and barbecue pits that have a total fuel area of 3 feet or less and 2 feet or less in height.

Dry conditions forced the move by county officials and surrounding counties have enacted similar bans. For more than three weeks, the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) rating has exceeded 500 and the ban is necessary for public safety, the press release stated.

When the KDBI rating falls below 500 for seven consecutive days, the county will lift the ban.

Dry Conditions Force Countywide Burn Ban Read More »

PHOTO: Mercedes-Benz

Stolen $100K SUV Spotted by Deputy at Gas Pump

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Tavares / By

EUSTIS, Florida—A $100,000 stolen SUV spotted at a gas pump by a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy landed a Eustis man in jail Sunday on multiple charges, including trafficking in heroin.

Shortly after 1:45 p.m. Sunday the deputy was patrolling the area of Orange Avenue and Abrams Road when he saw a 2024 white Mercedes SUV that matched the description of an SUV recently stolen from Tavares at a gas pump. The SUV is valued at $100,000 according to the affidavit.

LCSO pulled into Circle K, 2754 East Orange Avenue, and observed a man, later identified as Trevon Markques Williams, sitting in the driver’s seat of the of the SUV while the gas nozzle was inserted in the tank on the passenger side of the vehicle. As the deputy approached the SUV from behind, he ran the license plate and confirmed it was the stolen SUV,  the affidavit states.

Trevon Williams PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Williams, 26, complied with the deputy’s commands and was taken into custody. LCSO searched Williams and found a small bag of marijuana in his right pocket and then searched the SUV.  Less than a gram of cocaine was found in a cigar package in the driver’s door and then LCSO found a Mickey Mouse backpack. Inside the backpack, the deputy found a trafficking amount heroin—17 grams. A scale was also found in the center console, according to the affidavit.

Williams was arrested for grand theft auto, trafficking in heroin, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia; he is being held in the Lake County Jail on $31,000 bond.

Stolen $100K SUV Spotted by Deputy at Gas Pump Read More »

PHOTO: Marion County Jail

Marion County Man Accused of Child Sex Crimes in Eustis

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Tavares, Umatilla / By

TAVARES, Florida—A Marion County man taken into custody by U.S. Marshals last week in Marion County on a warrant for sex crimes against a young child in Eustis has been transferred to the Lake County Jail.

William Grady Keel, 26, was picked up by U.S. Marshals on a warrant for sexual battery on a child under 12 and lewd or lascivious molestation on a child under 12 on Thursday, Eustis Police Department Capt. Dave Carney told Inside Lake. According to the address listed for Keel on LCJ’s online booking records, Keel lives in the Umatilla area of Marion County. The city limits of Umatilla are in Lake County, but a portion of Marion County has Umatilla addresses.  

The investigation into the allegations against Keel began when an anonymous call was made to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the agency requested EPD’s assistance because the alleged crimes occurred in Eustis. Carney said. The relationship between Keel and his female victim was not released because it may identify her.

The child was interviewed by the Children’s Advocacy Center and she made statements about sexual behavior that a child her age should not know, Carney said. EPD did not release the child’s exact age, only that she is under 10 years old. Physical evidence also backed up the claims of abuse, Carney said.

Keel knew he was under investigation, Carney told Inside Lake, and he made comments that he would not be arrested easily, so the Marshals were asked to pick him up.

“Before he knew it, he was in custody,” Carney said.

Keel was held in the Marion County Jail on no bond until he was transferred to the Lake County Jail Monday morning, where he continues to be held on no bond.

Marion County Man Accused of Child Sex Crimes in Eustis Read More »

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