Eustis

Name of Deceased and 9-1-1 Call Released in Eustis Love Triangle Shooting, Witness Speaks Only to Inside Lake

EUSTIS, Florida—The name of the man shot and killed in Eustis Wednesday morning has been released.

Eddie Alexis Vazquez Muniz, 47, succumbed to gunshot wounds after being transported to a local hospital Wednesday following the altercation. According to Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri, Muniz had been in an ongoing dispute with the shooter for several months over a woman and was waiting for the shooter to walk out of his apartment at about 7 a.m. Wednesday. Muniz put his two young children in a vehicle and set up a tripod with his phone to record the altercation and attacked the 31-year-old shooter when he came out of his apartment. The shooter had a permit to carry the gun and he has been released from custody.

He called 9-1-1 after the shooting and is cooperating with police. He was questioned Wednesday and has since been released.

Listen to the 9-1-1 call below. 

 

“We feel very comfortable our shooter is actually the victim,” Capri said.

Capri said the police were not aware of the ongoing feud between the pair until it escalated into the shooting Wednesday.

“Today it escalated when our person who is deceased initiated this confrontation today and basically attacked our shooter, hit him multiple times in the head with what appeared to be brass knuckles or some other type of weapon. We found a pair of brass knuckles next to the deceased. He proceeded to chase our shooter around the apartment complex, striking him several times in the head,” Capri said Wednesday afternoon.

Brass knuckles found near the deceased Wednesday morning. PHOTO: Eustis Police Department

The victim was dazed from the multiple blows to his head and when saw Muniz reach into his waistband, he was in fear for his life and pulled his own firearm and fired multiple shots striking Muniz.

An employee of Countryside Diner, 1602 State Road 19, Eustis, who wished to remain anonymous, was outside on the phone when she heard multiple gunshots ring out behind the restaurant and saw people running. She rushed inside to tell several EPD road patrol officers who were eating breakfast at the restaurant what she heard and locked the back door, she told Inside Lake.

She said all the officers ran outside toward where the gunfire came from, Devonshire Apartments, 1799 County Road 19A and one officer quickly returned to his patrol vehicle to grab his medical kit.

“When I saw the yellow tape go up, I knew something was going on,” she said.

Name of Deceased and 9-1-1 Call Released in Eustis Love Triangle Shooting, Witness Speaks Only to Inside Lake Read More »

Eustis Love Triangle Leaves One Man Dead Wednesday

EUSTIS, Florida—A man has died following an altercation over what police believe is a love triangle, according to Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri.

EPD responded to Devonshire Apartments, 1799 North 19A, Eustis around 7 a.m. Wednesday and found a man, 47, who had been shot multiple times. Emergency responders rendered aid to the man and transported him to an area hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds, Capri said.

The shooter is in custody, and police have recovered the firearm, but EPD is not calling him a suspect yet because the investigation is still ongoing and active, and it may be a self-defense situation. At this time, police believe the deceased man and the shooter, a 31-year-old man, were fighting over a female and it escalated into the shooting; this has been an ongoing issue between the pair, Capri said.

“It appears to be a dispute over a woman, and there is no threat to the public,” Capri told Inside Lake.

This is a developing story.

Eustis Love Triangle Leaves One Man Dead Wednesday Read More »

Eustis Man Killed in Volusia County Crash, Boy, 5, and Infants Unhurt

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Florida—A Eustis man who had two 3-month-old infant boys and a 5-year-old boy in a pickup truck with him was killed Tuesday morning when he crashed into a utility pole attached to a tractor-trailer, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The Eustis man, 34, was driving a 2016 Dodge Ram 1500 eastbound on State Road 44, near Paradise Drive, close to the Lake County/Volusia County line when he attempted to pass a commercial vehicle and a tractor-trailer at the same time, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release.

“Due to oncoming traffic in the westbound lane of travel, (the Eustis man) swerved back into the eastbound lane of travel,” Crescenzi said.

The Eustis man failed to slow down or stop for the tractor-trailer ahead of him and the windshield of the Ram struck a utility pole attached to the tractor-trailer and then the Ram rear-ended the tractor-trailer. The Eustis man was pronounced deceased on the scene, and his passengers, two 3-month-old boys and a 5-year-old boy were not injured. All three boys were transported to Halifax Health Medical Center as a precaution, Crescenzi said.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 25-year-old DeLand man, was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.

Eustis Man Killed in Volusia County Crash, Boy, 5, and Infants Unhurt Read More »

6-Year Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering Investigation Results in 17 Federal Indictments

LAKE COUNTY, Florida—A six-year, multi-state drug trafficking investigation has resulted in the indictments of 17 people—most with ties to Lake County.

According to the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating Dudzinski Poole, aka “Zink” aka “Dirty” who they say is responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl on commercial planes, trains and through the mail, according to a press release. The defendants in the case played different roles in the drug trafficking organization, including suppliers, distributors, couriers and courier coordinators. Each defendant is charged with drug trafficking conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Poole and Wildwood resident, Melvin Tyrone Patterson Jr., 31, aka “Goon” are also facing charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Each defendant is facing 10 years to life in federal prison.

Authorities say under the direction of Poole, couriers flew to California from Florida with large sums of money to buy drugs and transported the drugs back to Florida through checked luggage.

“The flights were typically between the Orlando International airport (MCO) in Florida and the Palm Springs Airport (PS) or the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California,” the press release stated.

More than 350 flights were taken during a two-year period, flight records show, and trains were used to transport large amounts of methamphetamine from Orlando to Virginia. In April 2022, a courier was arrested at Virginia train station with approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine.

Poole and his co-conspirators had multiple stash houses and received hundreds of mailed packages that contained 1 to 10 pounds of methamphetamine from California and fentanyl and other drugs were mailed from China. Poole provided various addresses to ship the drugs to and investigators identified nearly 400 packages that were shipped from 2021 to 2023.

Dudzinski “Zink” Poole                         PHOTO: Zink Poole/Facebook

Poole, well-known in Lake County, especially in Mount Dora and Eustis, is listed on Sunbiz as the registered agent of Munyun Entertainment LLC. Authorities say he used the business to promote concerts with legitimate music artists and paid them with the proceeds from drug sales. He comingled drug proceeds with the profits from the ticket sales in the same business account. Many of these concerts were held in Eustis and Mount Dora.

Along with Poole and Patterson, 12 of the 17 defendant’s names have been released.

Andrew Woodruff Jr., 38, aka “Smurf” of Mount Dora. Woodruff was arrested by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in June 2022 in another large-scale drug investigation, “Operation Sneak-A-Peek,” and has remained in the Lake County Jail since his arrest.

Michael Andre Chester, 48, aka “Dre” of Apopka.

Samantha Tiesha King, 32, aka “Mamp” of Altamonte Springs.

Felisha Denise Williams, 34, aka “Little Momma” of Apopka.

Rodrieka Lashay Manning, 25, aka “Drieka” of Apopka.

Janice Denise Anderson, 65, aka “Butter” of Mount Dora.

Oveda Denise Miller, 60, aka “Gangsta Granny” of Mount Dora.

Roland Richardson, 63, of Mount Dora.

Latonya Sharee Conley, 46, aka “Hershey” of Mount Dora.

George Nelvin King Jr., 46, of Altamonte Springs.

Jose Ivan Carbajal, 33, aka “Primo” of California.

Diego Navarro-Martinez, 32, aka “Shooter” of California.

Previous stories

Man with Lake County Connections Arrested on Federal Drug Warrant – Inside Lake

Team Effort in Operation Sneak-A-Peek Nets Largest Fentanyl Haul in County History – Inside Lake

 

6-Year Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering Investigation Results in 17 Federal Indictments Read More »

Lottery Lucky Streak Continues in Lake County

EUSTIS, Florida—A Winter Park woman has claimed a $1 million prize from the Florida Lottery she won from a ticket she purchased in unincorporated Eustis, according to the Florida Lottery.

Mary Walker, 56, of Winter Park, bought the $10 DIAMOND MINE 20X ticket at Circle K, 31734 East State Road 44, in the Pine Lakes area of unincorporated Eustis and recently claimed her prize. She chose to take her winnings in a one-time lump sum payment of $695,000 and claimed it at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee.

Circle K may be the lucky spot. A sign was spotted at the store located at 2754 East Orange Avenue, Eustis, near Abrams Road this week stating the store sold a $1 million winning ticket. The lucky person who bought that ticket remains a mystery.

Lucky Streak: For the Third Month in a Row, Lake County Resident Claims $1 Million Lottery Prize – Inside Lake

Lottery Lucky Streak Continues in Lake County Read More »

Multitude of Crashes Keeps Law Enforcement Busy Saturday

LAKE COUNTY, Florida—It was a busy Saturday for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol.

Deputies and troopers responded to a multitude of vehicle crashes in the Eustis, Paisley and Umatilla areas Saturday, according to LCSO Lt. Fred Jones. At County Road 42 and Deerhaven Road, a truck flipped and before deputies arrived, the driver fled the scene.

“The bloodhound and helicopter conducted an extensive search. The driver was not located,” Jones told Inside Lake.

The second crash was at County 437, south of State Road 44 in Eustis. The driver left the road, struck an oak tree and suffered severe head trauma. The driver was extracted from the vehicle and airlifted to AdventHealth Ocala; no other information was available at press time.

A third crash, at County Road 450A, just east of Crystal Lane in Umatilla, occurred around 10:45 p.m.

“When deputies arrived, they found the car split into two parts. The driver could not be located. An extensive search was conducted using a bloodhound and helicopter. The driver was eventually located at a friend’s house down the road from the crash,” Jones said in an email.

The 45-year-old Eustis man was driving a 2001 Acura CL Coupe when he crashed and told troopers he walked away from the crash because he did not have his phone, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi told Inside Lake.

The driver was transported by ground to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford with non-life-threatening injuries, Crescenzi said.

If you have information on any of the crashes, call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.

Multitude of Crashes Keeps Law Enforcement Busy Saturday Read More »

Man Arrested at Downtown Eustis Park Less than 12 Hours After He was Trespassed

EUSTIS, Florida—An Altoona man remains in the Lake County Jail after trespassing at a downtown Eustis park less than 12 hours after he was told to stay away by Eustis Police Department.

EPD officers trespassed Wayne Anthony Sarlo, 47, from Ferran Park in downtown Eustis at 8:45 p.m. Friday and around 8:30 a.m. Saturday an EPD sergeant spotted Sarlo and thought he looked suspicious. Upon checking Sarlo’s name, the sergeant found Sarlo had just been trespassed from the park the night before.

Sarlo was arrested and transported to LCJ, where he is being held on $1,000 bond.

Man Arrested at Downtown Eustis Park Less than 12 Hours After He was Trespassed Read More »

Eustis Convicted Felon Shoots Stolen Gun at Man During Argument, Arrested on Multiple Charges

EUSTIS, Florida—A Eustis man is being held in the Lake County Jail on no bond after firing a shot at another Eustis man Saturday and punching him in the face after the man threw him out of his house following an argument, according to an arrest affidavit.

Albert Watkins III, 61, was at an unidentified man’s home in Eustis when the man began talking about someone close to the victim. Due to Marsy’s Law, the victim’s name and the name of the person who Watkins was talking about are redacted from the affidavit. The victim, upset about what Watkins was saying, told him to leave and Watkins became argumentative and reportedly said, “I’m going to (expletive) you up!”

The victim told police he grabbed a pole and again told Watkins to leave his home and Watkins walked out, followed by the victim, who dropped the pole. Watkins then said, “Alright then, we can fight like men,” and pulled out a Remington 1911 .45 caliber handgun and fired one round in the direction of the victim. He missed, punched the victim in the face and fled the scene.

Eustis Police Department responded and found Watkins nearby on Danvers Street and took him into custody. He denied shooting at the victim and said the victim threatened him with the pole and he left the scene and walked to a friend’s house. While officers were looking for the gun used in the shooting, a citizen approached them and said they saw someone hiding an object in the brush and leaves under a tree and EPD found the loaded gun; the imprints on the rounds matched a shell casing found where the shooting occurred. Police ran the serial number on the firearm and found it was stolen out of Eustis in 2022.

Watkins was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery, discharging a firearm in public, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and grand theft of a firearm. EPD requested Watkins be held on no bond and the request was granted.

Eustis Convicted Felon Shoots Stolen Gun at Man During Argument, Arrested on Multiple Charges Read More »

Ham Radio Field Day at Lake County Institute of Public Safety Showcases Lake Amateur Radio Association’s Ham Communication

TAVARES, Florida—The Lake Amateur Radio Association (LARA) hosted its annual Ham Radio Field Day event June 24 and 25 at the Lake County Institute of Public Safety, drawing enthusiasts from far and wide. The event, captured in a captivating photo, featured the club’s president, Glenn Casselman, and his spouse, Laura, who is also a Ham radio enthusiast. The picturesque location provided the perfect backdrop for a day filled with showcasing mobile command vehicles from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Fire Rescue, and, of course, the Lake Amateur Radio Association.

Established in 1952 by a group of Lake County/City radio amateurs, LARA has steadily grown over the years and now boasts a membership of more than 130 dedicated individuals. Not only do they own their own property, but they have also constructed a state-of-the-art clubhouse onsite. LARA’s primary focus lies in the fun hobby of Ham radio and service to the community. Furthermore, the club’s three VHF repeaters and three UHF repeaters, some of which are linked to Echolink, DMR and the IRLP network, enable worldwide communications, amplifying the club’s impact and reach.

PHOTO: Mark O’Keefe/Special to Inside Lake

The Ham Radio Field Day event at the Lake County Institute of Public Safety serves as a testament to LARA’s commitment to promoting the invaluable role of amateur radio in emergency situations. The event not only highlighted the association’s advanced communication capabilities but also fostered a sense of camaraderie among radio enthusiasts and local public safety agencies. As LARA continues to expand its membership and community involvement, their dedication to serving as a vital link during times of crisis remains unwavering. For more information, visit www.k4fc.org

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Man Found Dead Monday Identified as 1981 Super Bowl Winner

EUSTIS, Florida—Eustis Police Department has released the name of the man who was found dead near a cell phone tower off David Walker Drive Monday morning.

Joseph Campbell, 68, was reported missing by a friend to Tavares Police Department prior to being found by a passerby around 8 a.m. Monday, TPD Chief Sarah Coursey told Inside Lake.  

EPD is investigating the death, but it does not appear to be suspicious, EPD Capt. Ken Toler said Monday. Campbell was a former NFL player and played for the Oakland Raiders in 1981 when they won the Super Bowl, according to Raiders.com. The team is now known as the Las Vegas Raiders.

In 2007, Campbell was struck by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle in Pennsylvania and suffered serious injuries, including a head injury. He recovered and moved to Eustis in 2010 and could often be seen riding his bicycle around the city.

PHOTO: Raiders.com

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