DONA VISTA, Florida—The Florida Highway Patrol continues to investigate a serious crash that occurred shortly before 10 p.m. Friday night.
A Nissan Versa being driven by a 37-year-old Leesburg man was traveling southbound on State Road 19 in the northbound inside lane, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi told Inside Lake.
As he approached Orange Avenue, a 36-year-old Umatilla man driving a Ford Taurus southbound on State Road 19 attempted to make a left turn on Orange Avenue and the front of the Nissan struck the left side of the Ford at 9:50 p.m., Crescenzi said.
The Umatilla man was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center in critical but stable condition and the Leesburg man was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares with serious injuries and admitted. Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts.
“The investigating trooper advised he submitted (the Nissan driver) for a medical reexamination,” Crescenzi said in an email to Inside Lake. The crash remains under investigation.
ASTATULA, Florida—A head-on crash killed an Ocoee man Friday afternoon and sent a 7-year-old Eustis girl and a 36-year-old Eustis man to the hospital, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The 50-year-old Ocoee man was driving a grey Toyota Tacoma southbound on County Road 561, near Georgia Avenue in Astatula, when he traveled into the northbound lane and struck a white Dodge Ram being driven by a 36-year-old Eustis man around 4:15 p.m., FHP Lt. Channing Taylor said in a press release.
The Ocoee man was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased, Taylor said. The Eustis man and the young girl were transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares and are in stable condition.
EUSTIS, Florida— Only Inside Lake was on the scene of a head-on crash that injured a 71-year-old man early Thursday morning.
A Dodge Ram being driven by a 19-year-old Leesburg man collided with a black Toyota sedan being driven by a 71-year-old Zellwood man around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. The report was unavailable at press time, it is unknown how the crash occurred, and the drivers’ names were not released.
The Zellwood man was seriously injured and airlifted to a local hospital; he is expected to survive, Eustis Police Department Capt. Jon Fahning told Inside Lake. The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries.
The crash backed up traffic for more than an hour on both County 452 and County Road 44 and remains under investigation.
TAVARES, Florida—The former police chief of Center Hill, arrested last month for raping a 14-year-old girl in Sumter County while holding her at gunpoint, is now facing stalking charges in Lake County.
William Ray Pruitt, 56, of Weirsdale, was arrested early Friday morning for stalking and aggravated stalking, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office online booking records. Pruitt served as Center Hill Police chief in 1998 and 1999 and currently owns Pruitt Water in Leesburg, according to his booking information.
Pruitt is accused stalking the girl beginning in October 2021, when she was just 15 years old and continuing for more than a year, according to a probable cause affidavit.
In December 2022, the victim reported an incident that occurred at a local high school after hours to a school resource deputy. The following day, an LCSO detective spoke with the girl’s mother, and she said the girl met Pruitt around March 2020 when she was 14 years old and over time, she began to suspect Pruitt was “grooming” her teenage daughter and possibly having sexual relationship with her.
The victim’s mother said the girl denied the relationship until October 2022 when she disclosed three incidents of sexual battery in 2020 when she was 14, two in Sumter County and one in an unknown location, according to the affidavit.
The girl said she denied the allegations because Pruitt would harass and threaten her, including threatening to kill himself. He told the teen he was an “ex-cop” and he had detective friends who hacked her phone and tracked all her activity for him. She also said he became “controlling and possessive,” the affidavit states.
PHOTO: City of Center Hill
In 2021, the victim’s mom found a note on her tablet that confirmed her suspicions that Pruitt was having a relationship with her daughter. At one point, the girl went to stay with her father to distance herself from Pruitt and a private investigator, believed to be hired by Pruitt, showed up where the girl was. Due to heavy redaction in the affidavit, it is unclear where the private investigator showed up.
In November 2021, the girl saw Pruitt drive by her home in Lake County; she called LCSO and later filed for an injunction. She was granted the injunction but dropped it in February 2022 under the advice of her attorney because she was not being cooperative with the process, according to the affidavit. Sometime after February, the victim turned 16, and any further stalking became a misdemeanor, the detective noted.
In May 2022, a homemade sign appeared at an undisclosed location with “Ray Liberty” on one side and “Libby” on the other. Pruitt is alleged to have told the victim that if he got her pregnant from the sexual battery, he would name their daughter Liberty Ray, after himself and his mother, the affidavit states. In July, another sign with “8” “0” “8” appeared across from the girl’s home. In a forensic interview, the girl said Pruitt would send her “0” and that meant she had to “stay inside the circle” and she could not have any other friends or trust anyone but him.
In August 2022, Pruitt followed the girl from her high school, trying to force her off the road as she made her way to her cousin’s apartment in Eustis. The victim’s mother called Eustis Police Department and Pruitt called LCSO, claiming to be a “father figure” to the girl. Later the same month, one of Pruitt’s employees followed her and attempted to give her a note from Pruitt; the girl pulled into Tavares Police Department and reported the incident. Less than two months later, at an October high school football game, a different employee of Pruitt’s approached the girl and asked, “How’s Libby?’ referring to their hypothetical child. The girl also reported getting anonymous texts referring to “Will.”
Almost exactly a month later, another homemade sign showed up on the side of State Road 19 near County Road 48, that said, “He’s OK!” and “3.” Pruitt had just had shoulder surgery and 3 is his favorite number, according to the affidavit.
William Pruitt PHOTO: Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office
And the stalking still continued.
Thanksgiving weekend, the girl spotted Pruitt driving by her house in a beige jeep that did not belong to him; and on Dec. 1, as the girl parked in her usual spot at her high school, she spotted yet another homemade sign taped in front of her parking spot that read “Liberty 3.” The sign was located and collected by the SRD and the following day, the teen filed for an injunction, and it was granted, according to the affidavit.
On Dec. 7, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office obtained a warrant for Pruitt for two counts of sexual battery on a victim 12 or older while utilizing a deadly weapon. According to that probable cause affidavit, Pruitt held a gun to the girl on two separate occasions and raped her in his truck.
He was arrested Dec. 9 by the U.S. Marshal Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force with the assistance of the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office on a traffic stop in Live Oak. According to that probable cause affidavit, agents received information Pruitt may be attempting “suicide by cop,” but he was taken into custody without incident. Pruitt was held in the Suwannee County Jail until Friday when he was transferred to the Lake County Jail, where he is currently being held, and arrested for stalking and aggravated stalking.
EUSTIS, Florida—A woman, apparently angry at her grandfather after an argument about money, set her mattress on fire Monday and almost set a vehicle on fire, but changed her mind, she told Eustis Police Department, according to an arrest affidavit.
Shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, EPD and Eustis Fire Department responded to a house fire at 2220 Titcomb Street; the victim told EPD he was sitting on the porch following an argument with granddaughter, Autumn Rose Walker, 22, when she came outside and said, “You’ll remember this,” and ran off down the road, the affidavit states.
Autumn Rose Walker PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
The victim looked inside the front door and saw smoke, went around to the back door and saw more smoke, and he rescued his dog and called 9-1-1, according to the affidavit. A witness told officers he saw a white female standing near the rear of a green SUV and she had what appeared to be a white rag and lit it on fire; when he came out of the daycare the home was on fire, the affidavit states.
Another witness told police she saw a woman stumbling down the road and provided a photo she took to police.
Officers located Walker walking down Orange Avenue near Cricket Hollow Lane several hours later, wearing a long sleeve shirt, black pants and one sock—the sock matched a singed sock found on the scene of the fire, the arresting officer noted in the affidavit.
Walker was uncooperative, refused to answer questions and said she just wanted to sit down on the sidewalk. One officer began to walk down the sidewalk to search for evidence while another officer continued to speak with Walker, and she told the officer she set her mattress on fire, according to the affidavit.
Crews battle a fire on Titcomb Street in Eustis Monday night. Autumn Rose Walker was arrested for arson. PHOTO: Jolie Fowler/Inside Lake
Walker told EPD she was arguing with her grandfather about money and was “frustrated and wanted to escape from him.” She said she set the mattress of fire using a Seneca cigarette because she “did not want to have a place to come back to,” and she felt the only way to stay away from the house was to set the mattress on fire, so she did not have a place to sleep.
She told police when she left her bedroom the mattress was on fire, and she went outside and lit her sock on fire. She said she was going to put it in the gas tank of the SUV but changed her mind and left. Walker said she knew her grandfather was in the house and figured he would put the fire out.
Walker was arrested for domestic arson and upon searching her, police found a blue lighter and a pack of Seneca cigarettes and Walker said that was the lighter she used to torch the mattress. Before she was placed in the back of a patrol vehicle she reportedly exclaimed, “I’m going to kill him!”
Walker was transported to the Lake County Jail, where she is being held on no bond.
CASSELBERRY, Florida—The teenager accused of opening fire at the Light-Up Eustis event in 2020 is in the Seminole County Jail, accused of pushing an elderly woman to the ground and snatching her purse, according to affidavit filed by Casselberry Police Department in Seminole County earlier this month.
Brycen Williams, 19, is accused of following a 76-year-old woman out of a device repair store on Howell Branch Road in Casselberry, pushing her to the ground and snatching her purse around 6:45 p.m. Dec. 30. The elderly woman suffered cuts to her thumb and arm and was bleeding when Casselberry Police Department (CPD) arrived; Seminole County Fire Rescue responded and rendered aid to the woman.
Brycen Williams PHOTO: Seminole County Sheriff’s Office
The woman was unable to identify Williams, but the repair store showed police video surveillance and two witnesses came forward and stated they saw Williams standing over the victim, pick something up and run, They tried to follow him and observed a black female throw an item toward a restaurant dumpster in the same plaza, the affidavit states.
CPD searched the area by the dumpster and found the victim’s purse, missing her phone, bank card and food stamp card.
The following week, the repair store and a neighboring restaurant provided the video showing the purse snatching to police and CPD released the video to local news outlets. A woman who identified herself as Williams’ cousin told police he was the robber. She told police she wanted to clear her name “since she was with Williams,” the affidavit states.
The woman said she confronted Williams about the attack, and he was “nonchalant” and laughed it off, stating, he was not worried about going to jail because the police did not know who he is. Williams was arrested Jan. 5 for robbery by sudden snatching, battery on a person over 65 and petit theft and is being held in the Seminole County Jail on $21,000 bond.
Eustis Police officers are seen here investigating following a shooting at Light-Up Eustis in this 2020 file photo. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake
In January 2021, Williams was arrested for aggravated battery with a firearm, shooting into an occupied vehicle, aggravated battery with a firearm-great bodily harm and five counts of aggravated assault with a firearm after a woman was shot in the arm at Light-Up Eustis Nov. 27, 2020. The charges were later dropped after “the identifying victim substantially changed their testimony and is unable to identify the defendant,” a document filed by the state attorney’s office states. It is unknown which victim changed their testimony.
OCALA, Florida—In an effort to streamline delivering justice to those who hurt animals, State Attorney Bill Gladson has created an Animal Cruelty Task Force for the Fifth Judicial Circuit that includes Lake, Citrus, Hernando, Marion and Sumter counties, his office said in a press release last week.
The task force includes the Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC,) county animal services, and local law enforcement agencies and the goal is for law enforcement, animal services and animal protection organizations to work together to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty crimes throughout the circuit, according to the press release.
State Attorney Bill Gladson PHOTO: Florida Bar
“My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting animal cruelty cases, and I am grateful for the team which shares our commitment,” Gladson stated. “The reach of these crimes goes beyond harm to innocent animals; these criminals pose a risk to the entire community.”
Animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund, nearly 70 percent have criminal records.
ORANGE COUNTY, Florida—A Leesburg man is dead after running off the road, striking a guardrail and overturning in the truck he was driving Sunday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The 77-year-old man was driving a 2022 Toyota Tundra southbound on State Road 429, when he lost control for an unknown reason at mile marker 28, shortly before 10:30 a.m. Sunday. He ran off the road, struck a guardrail and overturned, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release.
He and his 73-year-old passenger, a Eustis woman, were transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where the man was pronounced deceased. The Eustis woman was seriously injured, but is in stable condition, Crescenzi said.
LAKE COUNTY, Florida—For the second time in less than a month, Lake County is scheduled to open two cold weather shelter locations in anticipation of this weekend’s near-freezing temperatures.
Both locations open Friday; Trinity Assembly of God, 200 Urick Street, Fruitland Park will open at 5:30 p.m. and remain open through 7 a.m. each day, Friday through Sunday, and LifePointe Church, 3551 East Orange Avenue will be open 5 p.m. through 8 a.m. each day through Sunday, according to Lake County Emergency Management.
A warming shelter will also be open from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Salvation Army, 2605 South Street, Leesburg,
Lake Xpress will provide free transportation to cold weather shelters for those who need assistance traveling to a shelter. Schedules are available on Lake Xpress’ website. Residents who do not have access to a Lake Xpress fixed route must call 352-742-2612 to arrange transportation.
Friday night, cold temperatures and breezy winds will bring windchills in the upper 20s to lower 30s. A Wind Chill Advisory has been issued for east Central Florida, according to the U.S. National Weather Service, Melbourne.
TAVARES, Florida—A homeless man known to many in Eustis and Tavares and described as a “nice guy” has passed away.
Clyde Edmond Brooks, 60, was well known to law enforcement and had been trespassed from many businesses but he was a “nice guy,” several law enforcement officers in Lake County told Inside Lake. When in Eustis he often could be seen in the area of the post office and officers said even when they had to arrest Clyde for trespassing after warning, he never gave them trouble and was always polite.
Known to many as just “Clyde,” he loved football, especially the Dallas Cowboys.
“We always talked about football, he was a huge Dallas Cowboys fan,” an officer told Inside Lake. “He was always happy to see me and would tell the firefighters and EMTs, ‘That’s my buddy.’
Clyde was found unresponsive Tuesday morning by a mail carrier outside of a Tavares business on Alfred Street and was transported to AdventHealth Waterman, where he died from an apparent medical episode.
