Leesburg

Breaking The Glass: LCSO Makes History With First Female Captain

The following story was published under a different headline in another publication.  

LEESBURG, Florida — History was made Wednesday as longtime Lake County Sheriff’s deputy Christie Mysinger was appointed as the first-ever female captain at LCSO at a ceremony at Leesburg High School. 
LCSO Sheriff Peyton Grinnell is the first sheriff to appoint a woman to his command staff. 
“It’s history in the making, “ Grinnell told Lake Legal News. He said he chose Mysinger for a number of reasons, including her college education and her ability to think outside the box. “She has excelled in everything she has been assigned to,” he said. “She thinks outside the box, she doesn’t hesitate; that’s important to me because I learn from my employees.” He noted how well she supervised the school resource unit and how important school safety is, along with forging into the unknown with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Mysinger, a 30-year veteran, rose through the ranks in her career, starting at LCSO when she was just 20 years old. At 20, Mysinger looked so young, someone once reported her to LCSO for driving her “dad’s patrol car,” she remembers with a laugh.

Becoming a captain was one of Mysinger’s goals from the start of her career and being appointed the first female was something she never envisioned.
“It is both an honor and a huge responsibility. Not only am I being given the opportunity to forge a new path, but I also have the responsibility of being a role model for the many young women who are just beginning their careers in law enforcement.” 
Mysinger has served in numerous different capacities at LCSO, including road patrol, field training officer, mounted patrol, community services, public information officer, DARE and most recently as lieutenant in the school resource unit — her third time in the unit. She served first as a deputy, later as a sergeant and finally as lieutenant. 

“Every time I came back to the unit, I was a higher rank,” Mysinger told LLN earlier this week.”
Mysinger will now serve as captain over support services, emergency management bureau, aviation and communications.

Grinnelll gave a small speech to his deputies and attendees and said how blessed they are to work in Lake County — a county that is so supportive of law enforcement. He thanked all of his deputies for “holding the ‘thin blue line,’” and said, “All of you make me look good.” 

Mysinger was joined by 21 other deputies who were also promoted Wednesday, Todd English and Skott Jensen were appointed to major; Russ Edwards, Michael Marden, Mysinger and Shawn Vance were appointed to captain; Cameron Crews, Fred Jones, Tim O’Brien and Bill Reed were promoted to lieutenant; Tim Beary, Sandi Chessher, Jasen McCormick and Billy Walls were promoted to sergeant and Brandon Barnard, Joe Brocato, Austin Chandler, Richard Dolen, Adam Kelly, Charles Pendergrass, Todd Rowley and Jarrod Strickland were promoted to corporal. Captain positions and above are appointed by the sheriff, lieutenant positions and below are earned through testing and an interview.  

Major Chris DeLibro announced each deputy’s name and they walked across the stage to get their certificate and pose for a photo with Grinnell. Newly-promoted Lt. Fred Jones stopped in the middle of the stage, pointed out towards the crowd and yelled, “I love you, mama,” which drew cheers and applause from the audience and it was an extra special day for newly-appointed Capt. Michael Marden, Wednesday was also his birthday and DeLibro led the audience in a rendition of the “Happy Birthday” song.

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Shots Fired In Leesburg McDonald’s Drive-Thru Across From Mall, Carnival

The following story was previously published on Lake Legal News.

LEESBURG, Florida – A Tavares man accused of firing several shots in the air in the drive-thru of a local restaurant Friday night was arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and discharging a firearm in public shortly after the incident, according to an arrest affidavit.

Just after 9:45 p.m. Friday, Leesburg Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to McDonald’s, 10402 U.S. Highway 441, across from Lake Square Mall on a report of a shooting. An outdoor carnival was being held at the mall at the time of the shooting.

Witnesses told LPD a black male, wearing all black and a beanie on his head had fired a gun into the air and fled the scene on foot with a white female, according to the affidavit.

LDP and LCSO began searching the area and a deputy located the pair and ordered them to the ground and they were searched, and no weapons were found, the affidavit states. The female, who was not identified in the affidavit, told police she was with the male, identified as Damien Scott Boyd, 28, and his wife in the wife’s vehicle in the drive-thru lane at McDonald’s.

The unidentified female said Boyd and his wife began arguing about relationship issues and the argument escalated with Boyd reaching into the glove compartment and retrieving his wife’s gun. Boyd got out of the vehicle and fired several shots in the air and put the gun back in the glove compartment.  He allegedly told his wife, “I’m done,” and walked away with the unidentified female.

Boyd’s wife cooperated with law enforcement on scene and allowed them to take the gun, according to the affidavit.

Boyd, who was convicted of a 2018 armed robbery in North Carolina, was arrested and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $11,000 bond.

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Leesburg Police Record Victim’s Controlled Telephone Call To Yalaha Man She Says Sexually Violated Her

The following story was previously published on Lake Legal News.

LEESBURG, Florida — “Thirty seconds is a long time after someone says stop.”

Those were some of the words a victim spoke to her accused rapist in a recorded phone call last month after telling Leesburg Police the man forced himself on her, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The victim, whose age is unknown, told police she was at a party on Nov. 25 and around 2 a.m. on Nov. 26, Eric Daniel Coffie, 25, said he was going to go pick up food and more drinks, according to a probable cause affidavit. The victim was concerned that Coffie had been drinking and offered to ride with him, she told an LPD detective.

The pair went to a local fast food restaurant and then Coffie drove her to an empty parking lot in Leesburg where he told her he was supposed to meet someone. Coffie began talking to the victim and complimenting her and she laughed it off because she had never “thought about him that way,” she told police. Coffie allegedly touched her thigh and she pushed him away and attempted to get out of the locked vehicle. Coffie, of Yalaha, pulled the victim by her left arm and she fell into the backseat while trying to get away from him, the affidavit states.

Coffie climbed on top of her and held her down, and when she tried to escape, Coffie is alleged to have grabbed the victim’s wrists and held them above her head before pulling her shorts down and raping her. The victim told him no several times and told him to stop, but Coffie kept saying he was almost finished, according to the affidavit.

When he finally stopped, he just stared at her, the victim said and then began to apologize. The victim took out her phone and began to record their conversation. During three separate recordings, the detective heard a male’s voice say, “I said I’m sorry, I really shoulda stopped. I’m sorry I didn’t.” The victim could be heard saying, “You didn’t stop when I kept saying stop.” The male also said, “I was just drunk, just trying to finish, just trying to get my (expletive) and I wasn’t listening.”

After the rape, Coffie drove to a convenience store and bought alcoholic beverages and then went back to the party, the victim told LPD. After returning to the party, the victim went into a bedroom and went to sleep. She did not shower before contacting police and turned her clothing over to an officer, the affidavit states.

The victim called Coffie while police recorded the call that lasted 13 minutes and 37 seconds. The following is an excerpt from that call.   

“Do you realize the amount of times I had to say stop? Like when I said ‘stop’ you kept going. Don’t you think you should have stopped when I said stop,” the victim asked Coffie.

“Yeah,” Coffie said in the recorded call.

“How long did it take you to realize I was serious and was telling you to stop,” she asked.

“I only did a couple of more strokes and then I stopped,” Coffie said.

“Even after I said stop though,” the victim responded.  

“It wasn’t like I was going for a long (expletive) time, it was maybe like 30 seconds, then I stopped,” he said.

“Thirty seconds is a long time after someone says stop,” the victim said.  

Some of the conversation was unintelligible and Coffie attempted to suggest the sex was consensual in the beginning, the detective noted in the affidavit.

A warrant was issued for Coffie’s arrest Monday and he was arrested later that day for sexual battery on a victim over 12. He was released the same day from the Lake County Jail on $25,000 bond.

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Leesburg Convenience Store Clerk Sees The Inside Of A Jail After Lottery Audit Uncovers Theft

The following story was previously published on Lake Legal News.

LEESBURG, Florida — A convenience store clerk was arrested for grand theft and possession of marijuana after she was captured on video stealing lottery tickets, according to an arrest affidavit.

Leesburg Police responded to Circle K, 3300 West Main Street Saturday and a manager told an officer another manager observed an employee handling lottery tickets suspiciously the previous day. After a lottery audit, it was found around 36 scratch-off lottery tickets, valued at $800 were unaccounted for. The complaining manager told police after reviewing surveillance footage, she found that the cashier, Angelique Rose Gayle Williams, 18, took multiple tickets and scanned them, looking for winners.  Williams then cashed in winning tickets for a total of approximately $60 and threw the tickets in the trash.

The video later showed Williams counting the money and putting it in her back pocket, according to the affidavit. When Williams arrived for her shift Saturday, she was arrested and searched and found with a small bag of marijuana. Police asked Williams if she had taken the lottery tickets on other occasions and she refused to answer, but “advised it was not just her,” the affidavit states.

Williams was taken to the Lake County Jail, where she was released on $3,000 bond.

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Mount Dora Man Arrested On DUI Manslaughter Charges, Regarding 2019 Christmas Eve Crash That Killed Eustis Family

The following story was previously published on Lake Legal News.

LEESBURG, Florida — A drunk man who killed three members of the same family in a tragic Christmas Eve crash was more than double Florida’s legal limit, had amphetamines and benzos in his system and was driving nearly 50 mph over the posted speed limit, according to a crash report released by Leesburg Police Department Thursday.

Zachery Maurice Waldo, 34, of Mount Dora is facing a slew of charges stemming from the night of the crash and he added two more charges after striking a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy’s car and fleeing from law enforcement before his capture Wednesday night.  

On Christmas Eve 2019, Waldo was driving a 2019 Dodge Ram around 8:30 p.m. eastbound on Dixie Avenue approaching Dozier Court, when a 2018 Toyota Corolla being driven by Christopher Smith attempted to make a left turn on Dozier Court from westbound Dixie Avenue, said Leesburg Police Capt. Joe Iozzi last year.

The event data recorder (EDR) for the Ram recorded the Ram’s speed at 84.5 mph one tenth of a second from the time of impact, but just 2 seconds before the Ram was traveling at 96.3 mph, according to the report. The posted speed limit is 35 mph, and a witness told LPD the Ram did not slow down, and the brake lights did not illuminate. A witness also put Waldo behind the wheel just the crash and DNA confirmed, Iozzi told Lake Legal News.

The front of the Ram struck right side of the Toyota, killing Smith, 44, and his wife, Jessica Smith, 35, both of Eustis. They were pronounced dead on the scene. The couple’s two children,11-year-old Hunter and 13-year-old Hailey, who were passengers in the Toyota, were taken to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children for treatment. Hailey succumbed to her injuries and died on Christmas Day.

Waldo and his passenger, Kevin Cunningham, 33, were taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center for their injuries. LPD obtained hospital records and Waldo was found to have an alcohol level twice the legal limit, along with amphetamines and benzos in his system, according to the report.

Upon searching the Ram, LPD found a loaded Ruger .40 caliber handgun stolen from Mount Dora, six sandwich bags containing 157.8 grams of marijuana and six cell phones, according to the report.  

LPD obtained a warrant for Waldo’s arrest earlier this month and had been looking for him in the Leesburg area, Iozzi said. “He was pretty transient.”

On Wednesday night, LCSO deputies and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) were performing surveillance and spied Waldo get into a black Dodge SUV. Waldo drove out of a neighborhood on Chain O Lakes Road and rolled a stop sign at County Road 44, according to an arrest affidavit. An LCSO deputy attempted a traffic stop and Waldo sped off, running other vehicles off the road. Multiple USMS and LCSO units attempted to stop Waldo and he struck an LCSO patrol car and crashed through a fence on Tall Oak Court, the affidavit states.

Waldo fled on foot and hid in the bushes of a home on Grand Island Oaks Circle and asked for a ride from a man returning home from work. The man denied him the ride and Waldo took off again and jumped over a fence to Laurel Crest Court. He was found lying on the ground wearing nothing but underwear, the affidavit states.  

Waldo was taken into custody and transported to the Lake County Jail. He is charged with three counts of DUI manslaughter, DUI with serious injury, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of paraphernalia, fleeing and eluding and aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer.

He is being held in the LCJ on $148,000 bond. “I think it’s a pretty solid case,” Iozzi told LLN Thursday.

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DNA From A Cigar Tip Cracks Home Invasion Case Involving 97-Year-Old WWII Veteran Who Was Found Unconscious

The following story was previously published on Lake Legal News. OKAHUMPKA, Florida — The tip of a Black & Mild cigarillo left at the scene of a home invasion and robbery of a 97-year-old World War II veteran led to a suspect’s arrest Wednesday, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. In July 2019, the elderly victim went to a local convenience store to purchase some items, and when he arrived home, he was met at his back door by a suspect armed with a gun, later identified as Kevin Eugene Leeks Jr., 29, said LCSO Lt. John Herrell. Family members later found the victim unconscious with head injuries and found his wallet was missing. Detectives found the tip of a Black & Mild cigarillo at the scene and collected it for processing, Herrell said. During the course of the investigation, detectives obtained surveillance video from the convenience store where the victim made his purchases; on the video, Leeks is observed buying the same type of cigarillo and leaving within minutes of the victim. Detectives obtained a search warrant for Leeks’ DNA and the sample was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing. FDLE matched Leeks’ DNA to the cigarillo tip and to DNA found on the victim’s pants, Herrell said. On July 13, 2019, just two days after the home invasion, Leeks was arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon by Leesburg Police. According to Lake County Clerk of Court records, that case is still open.  It’s unconfirmed whether the gun — a Taurus .380 — is the same gun used in the home invasion, Herrell said. A detective spoke with Leeks while he was in jail on the firearm charge and he admitted it was him in the store’s surveillance video, according to a probable cause affidavit. He refused to answer questions about the home invasion. Leeks’ was picked up Wednesday at a motel in Leesburg by the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force. He is charged with home invasion/robbery and theft from a person 65 or older. He is also charged with failure to appear on a prior case where he was charged with driving with a suspended license. He is being held on $79,000 bond.  

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