Eustis

EUSTIS, Florida— Two Orange County teenagers wanted in connection with armed burglaries and a stolen SUV that was used in an Orange County drive-by shooting were taken into custody Thursday after the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Gang Unit tracked them to Eustis Thursday.

The OCSO Gang Unit responded to a drive-by shooting in the early morning hours Thursday and a witness identified the vehicle involved in the shooting as a white Ford Explorer, according to an arrest affidavit.

Detectives with the OCSO Gang Unit discovered OCSO patrol units responded to a complaint the day before in reference to a stolen white Ford Explorer that was taken while two people, identified as Keyuon Daquan Newsome, 19, and X’Zavion Malik Jordon, 16, both documented gang members, were captured on video surveillance committing vehicle burglaries, according to the affidavit.

A wallet containing cash and debit cards was in the vehicle and the cards were used at 7-Eleven, 5570 North Orange Blossom Trail, in the Rosemont area of Orlando Wednesday. Newsome, of Apopka, and Jordon, of Orlando, were again captured on video surveillance purchasing items with the stolen cards and driving a Ford Sports Trac.

OCSO Gang Unit detectives determined the Ford belonged to Newsome’s mother and is registered to her address on Glover Street in Eustis. They conducted surveillance on the Ford and spotted Newsome and Jordon exiting an apartment at 101 Glover Street and walking back and forth to the Ford, the affidavit states.

Detectives later determined the duo were recording an Instagram live video while smoking marijuana and pointing guns at the camera.

The OCSO Gang Unit coordinated with Eustis Police Department, and they were positively identified on while on the rear patio; they saw law enforcement officers and ran into the apartment through a rear sliding glass door. They left the door open, and Newsome was observed attempting to conceal an item under a blanket.

Officers and deputies surrounded the apartment and after callouts, Newsome and Jordon exited the residence and were taken into custody while a search warrant was secured for the apartment. Upon searching the apartment, two guns—the same guns the pair were holding in their Instagram live video—were found to be stolen out of Apopka earlier this year.

Newsome and Jordon were arrested for possession of a firearm by a delinquent and grand theft of a firearm by EPD, according to an EPD detective. Newsome is facing armed burglary and grand theft of a firearm charges by OCSO and is being held in LCJ on no bond. Jordon is also facing an armed burglary charge in Orange County and was turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.

EUSTIS, Florida—An accused vehicle burglar is behind bars after he was caught on video entering one vehicle and attempting to enter a second one, according to an arrest affidavit.

Eustis Police responded to Blue Lake Estates off State Road 44 after a victim reported a possible vehicle burglary shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday. The victim allowed police to view video surveillance from his home that showed a man entering a vehicle and attempting to enter a second one, according to the affidavit.

About an hour later, EPD found Damon Cornelius Evans, 33, of Eustis, walking about a mile away from the neighborhood and identified him as the culprit. According to Evans’ online jail booking records, he lives in Blue Lake Estates on a different street, but he told police he is homeless.

Officers searched Evans and found a pair of Coach sunglasses in a case and a $100 bill. The items were taken into evidence and Evans was arrested for burglary to a conveyance. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $2,000 bond.

Evans was arrested earlier this year for grand theft, domestic battery and criminal mischief following an altercation with an ex-girlfriend. The charges were later dropped.

Blue Lake Estates has been hit with vehicle burglars several times this year; EPD has stepped up patrols in the area and made several arrests in the last few months.

EUSTIS, Florida—A man was arrested Saturday after walking into Eustis Police Department and emptying his pockets of the methamphetamine he was carrying, according to an arrest affidavit.

Eustis Police officers responded to EPD, 51 East Norton Avenue, shortly before 11:30 a.m. on a report of a suspicious person. When the first officer arrived, he found Anthony Maurice Bales, 25, of Eustis, in the lobby. On the bench next to where Bales was standing, the officer observed two small bags of a substance, later identified as methamphetamine, a pack of Swisher Sweets cigarillos and a blue pen, according to the affidavit.

A second officer arrived at EPD, and Bales was taken into custody. He told officers the items belonged to him, and he had been using methamphetamine for about four years. He said the last time he used was the day before, the affidavit states.

Bales was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $3,000 bond.