Leesburg

Leesburg Man Accused of Robbing 2 Seminole County Banks in Less than 2 Hours Wednesday

Inside Scoop, Leesburg / By

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Florida—A Lake County man is in the Seminole County Jail after deputies say he robbed two banks Wednesday in under two hours—and it is not the first time he has been accused of the same crimes.

Duwane Edward Gilmore, who turns 36 years old in five days, is accused of attempting to rob SeaCoast Bank, 2695 West State Road 434 in Altamonte Springs just before 1:15 p.m. Wednesday. According to a probable cause statement, Gilmore entered the bank and handed a teller a note demanding money, he then said he wanted $10,000 and the grabbed at his waistband as if he had a gun and reportedly said, “You’re gonna make me.”

The teller ducked down and pushed a panic button and Gilmore left the scene with the note. He did not get away with any cash.

Just one hour and 25 minutes later Gilmore went to Bank of America, 5320 State Road 46, Sanford and passed a note to the teller, but before she could read it Gilmore demanded money, told her not to push any buttons and not to do anything stupid, according to the statement. The teller gave him more than $3,000 and he left the bank with the note and the money.

Still images taken from bank surveillance video Wednesday. PHOTOS: Seminole County Sheriff’s Office

Surveillance video at a nearby Publix showed Gilmore pulling into the parking lot in a 2014 Ford Escape and walking toward the Bank of America. A short time later the video shows Gilmore running from the area of Bank of America and leaving in the Ford Escape. Gilmore drives to Lake Forest Boulevard and the camera at the guard shacks captures clear video of the SUV’s tag.

During its investigation, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office tracked down the registered owner of the Escape and found she shares a child with Gilmore, and he matched the description of the suspect in several surveillance videos. Later Wednesday, SCSCO found the SUV at Microtel Inn & Suites, 9700 U.S. Highway 441, Leesburg and soon took Gilmore into custody. He was transported to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford, where he is being held on $35,000 bond.

In 2014, Gilmore was accused of robbing a bank in Orange County and one in Seminole County. Gilmore was arrested for both of those crimes, but both of those cases were later dropped.

Leesburg Man Accused of Robbing 2 Seminole County Banks in Less than 2 Hours Wednesday Read More »

Crash Claims Life of Leesburg Motorcyclist

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Unincorporated Lake / By

LEESBURG, Florida—A Leesburg motorcyclist was killed Sunday night after crashing into a tree, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 60-year-old man was riding 2019 Harley-Davidson Street Glide westbound on Plantation Boulevard approaching Old Plantation Boulevard in unincorporated Leesburg, when he ran off the road and struck a tree around 9 p.m. Sunday, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release.

He was transported to Orlando Health South Lake Hospital Emergency Room – Blue Cedar in Leesburg, where he was pronounced deceased. He was not wearing a helmet. This was the second fatal motorcycle crash in Lake County Sunday. A 51-year-old man of Enterprise in Volusia County was killed when he attempted to pass a Chevrolet Silverado in unincorporated Umatilla in a no-passing zone Sunday afternoon. He struck the side of the truck, was thrown from the bike and suffered fatal injuries.

Motorcyclist Killed in Umatilla After Attempting to Pass Pickup Truck in No-Passing Zone, Witness Speaks Only to Inside Lake

Crash Claims Life of Leesburg Motorcyclist Read More »

Leesburg Man Accused of Torching Masonic Lodge Facing More Charges  

Inside Scoop, Leesburg / By

LEESBURG, Florida—A man who admitted setting the Leesburg Masonic Lodge ablaze is now facing more charges.

Luke Pratt, 22, of Leesburg is facing five counts of manufacturing an explosive device with intent to harm after the devices were found in his home on Casteen Road, according to an arrest affidavit.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the Hazardous Devices Team responded to the home after Pratt’s mother reported finding the devices. Pratt, who was already a suspect in the arson and has since been arrested for the crime, is accused of making five devices from plastic, ammonium nitrate. aluminum powder and large fireworks that were “sufficient to cause great bodily harm,” an LCSO certified bomb technician stated in the affidavit.

Pratt reportedly confessed to the arson and told investigators he considered using the explosive devices to destroy the Masonic Lodge but determined it was “too dangerous.”   During questioning, he told an investigator with the Department of Financial Services, Division of Investigative and Forensic Services, Bureau of Fire, Arson and Explosive Investigations he was mad at what the lodge stands for and he believed “they” were following him, according to a probable cause affidavit in the arson case.

PHOTO: Leesburg Fire Rescue

He said he sat in the parking lot of a nearby bowling alley with binoculars and waited until everyone exited the building before smashing the front door with a baseball bat and dousing the entire building with gasoline before setting it ablaze with matches. The crime was captured on video and Pratt was identified as the perpetrator in the video by several people, according to the affidavit.

A warrant for arson and burglary was issued for Pratt’s arrest Thursday and he turned himself in at the Lake County Jail just before midnight Friday. On Sunday, the five charges for the explosive devices were added, increasing his total bond to $65,000.  

Leesburg Man Accused of Torching Masonic Lodge Facing More Charges   Read More »

PHOTO: Leesburg Fire Rescue

Leesburg Man Accused of Torching Masonic Lodge Told Investigator He was Mad at What Lodge Stands For and Believed He was Being Followed

Inside Scoop, Leesburg / By

LEESBURG, Florida—A man who admitted setting the Leesburg Masonic Lodge on fire turned himself in late Thursday.

Luke Scott Pratt, 22, of Leesburg told an investigator with the Department of Financial Services, Division of Investigative and Forensic Services, Bureau of Fire, Arson and Explosive Investigations he was mad at what the lodge stands for and he believed “they” were following him, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Pratt told the investigator he sat in the parking lot of a nearby bowling alley with binoculars and waited until everyone exited the building, located at 200 Richey Road, before smashing the front door with a baseball bat and dousing the entire building with gasoline before setting it ablaze with matches. The crime was captured on video and Pratt was identified as the perpetrator in the video by several people, according to the affidavit.

Explosive devices were recovered from Pratt’s home, located within a mile of the lodge, and a relative told the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Pratt admitted to starting the fire while he was at her home in Marion County. She called the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Pratt was Baker Acted.

The investigator secured a search warrant for Pratt’s home and vehicle and found a pair of binoculars and a hat that matched the hat Pratt was wearing in the surveillance video. Journals that detailed Pratt’s dislike for the Masonic Lodge were found in his home, according to the affidavit.

A warrant for arson and burglary was issued for Pratt’s arrest Thursday and he turned himself in at the Lake County Jail just before midnight Friday. He is being held on $15,000 bond.

PHOTO: Leesburg Fire Rescue

Leesburg Man Accused of Torching Masonic Lodge Told Investigator He was Mad at What Lodge Stands For and Believed He was Being Followed Read More »

Eustis Man Arrested for Painting Heart on Leesburg Bar Parking Lot

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Leesburg / By

LEESBURG, Florida—A Eustis man is facing a felony criminal mischief charge after admitting he painted a heart on the parking lot of a Leesburg bar, according to an arrest affidavit.

Timothy Scott Bombard, 36, was captured on video painting a white heart on the parking lot of Dirty South Saloon, 1850 U.S. Highway 441, Leesburg on June 16 and he was easily identified because he had previously applied for a job at the bar, the manager told a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Bombard apparently asked if the bar would keep a heart that was already painted there after the bar resealed and repainted the parking lot, the affidavit states.

The manager told Bombard they would not be keeping the heart and Bombard reportedly said he would come back and do it anyway, the manager told LCSO. Bombard also sent a text message to the manager’s boyfriend admitting he painted the heart and knew he could go to jail for it.

On Wednesday, Bombard went to the sheriff’s office and told an LCSO detective he did paint the large white heart on the parking lot in remembrance of someone who died in that spot, according to the affidavit.

Bombard was arrested for criminal mischief and walked over to the Lake County Jail, where he was later released on $2,000 bond.  

Eustis Man Arrested for Painting Heart on Leesburg Bar Parking Lot Read More »

PHOTO: Leesburg Fire Rescue

Rush Hour Crash Kills 3 in Leesburg Wednesday Morning

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Mount Dora, Umatilla / By

LEESBURG, Florida—Three people were killed Wednesday morning in a crash that shut down U.S. Highway 441 for several hours, according to Leesburg Police Department.

A blue 2020 Ford Mustang being driven by a 77-year-old male of Mount Dora was southbound on U.S. Highway 441 near Sleepy Hollow Road when it rear-ended a 2023 Hyundai Tucson being driven by a 69-year-old woman, just before 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, LPD Capt. Joe Iozzi said in an email.

The Mustang then traveled over the center median into the northbound lanes where it struck a gray 2013 Hyundai Sonata being driven by a 42-year-old Umatilla man. A black 2012 Chevrolet Silverado then collided with the Sonata. The driver of the Mustang and the driver of the Sonata were both pronounced deceased on the scene; a passenger in the Sonata, a 66-year-old man, was transported to an area hospital, where he later died, Iozzi said.

PHOTO: Leesburg Fire Rescue

“Preliminary findings suggest the 2020 Ford Mustang was at fault in the crash, but a full investigation is currently being conducted,” Iozzi said.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the LPD Traffic Unit at 352-787-2121.

This is the second triple traffic fatality in Lake County in less than a week; two women and a man were killed Friday on State Road 33 near Clermont after the pickup truck they were in struck a semi and a dump truck head-on.

Pickup Truck Hits Tractor-Trailer and Asphalt Truck Head-on Friday Morning, Killing 3 Mascotte Residents

Rush Hour Crash Kills 3 in Leesburg Wednesday Morning Read More »

File photo

Leesburg Man Arrested After Leaving Infant in Hot Car at Tavares Grocery Store

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Tavares / By

TAVARES, Florida—A man who told police he left an infant in the car because he did not want the rain to get her wet, was arrested for child neglect after Tavares Fire Department rescued the baby from a car with only the windows cracked open.

A man told Tavares Police Department he arrived at Publix, 2101 State Road 19, Tavares around 5:30 p.m. Sunday and parked next to a small, white car with the windows cracked open and noticed a baby in the car. He flagged down an employee who was gathering carts and she called 9-1-1, according to an arrest affidavit.

TFD and TPD arrived on the scene and found the baby in a rear-facing car seat behind the driver’s seat and TFD forced a window down and rescued the baby girl. Her exact age was not listed in the affidavit.

“The infant was visibly sweating and appeared clammy,” the arresting officer noted in the affidavit. “The infant also had labored breathing.”

TPD contacted a manager who made an announcement for the registered owner, Keita Jones, to come to customer service; Jones ran up shortly after the announcement and said he owned the vehicle and the baby was inside, the affidavit states.

Jones told police he was shopping for an Instacart order, and he did want to get the baby wet because it was raining; he said he left her in the car with the windows slightly down and he did not think he had been in the store very long. Surveillance video later showed the infant was in the car from 5:21 p.m. to 6:06 p.m. – 45 minutes.

TFD used a device to determine the temperature of the car seat and found it was between 100 and 105 degrees. Jones, 27, was arrested for child neglect and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $2,000 bond.

Leesburg Man Arrested After Leaving Infant in Hot Car at Tavares Grocery Store Read More »

Man Arrested Numerous Times in Lake and Orange Counties Arrested Again for Trafficking in Fentanyl

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Unincorporated Lake / By

LEESBURG, Florida—A man arrested, but never convicted, numerous times for a variety of offenses including vehicular manslaughter, witness tampering, trafficking in drugs and battery on a pregnant female in both Orange County and Lake County, has been arrested yet again, this time for trafficking in fentanyl, according to an arrest affidavit.

Emmanuel Cazeau, 39, of Eustis, was pulled over early Friday morning by Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies for a minor traffic offense as he pulled out of Circle K, at the corner of County Road 44 and County Road 473 in unincorporated Leesburg, according to an arrest affidavit.

Deputies asked for consent to search Cazeau’s vehicle, which he denied, and K9 Jim and his handler performed an open-air sniff on the vehicle. K9 Jim alerted to the odor of narcotics and Cazeau and his passenger were removed from the vehicle. Deputies searched the vehicle and found a small bag of a purple substance weighing 13 grams that field-tested positive for the deadly drug fentanyl, the affidavit states.

PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Cazeau was taken into custody and arrested for trafficking in fentanyl. The arresting deputy requested a heightened bond of $200,000.

“The defendant was found in possession of approximately 13 grams of fentanyl, which carries a 25 year-minimum mandatory (sentence) and a mandatory $500,000 fine. Even a small amount of fentanyl is known to lead to serious bodily injury and/or death; the defendant was in possession of such an excessive amount which is a serious danger to the community of Lake County,” the arresting deputy noted in the affidavit.

Cazeau was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on no bond on the trafficking charge and a bond revocation order.

According to LCSO online booking records, Cazeau has been arrested in Lake County seven times since 2019 for multiple offenses including drug trafficking and felony battery; the charges were dropped in each case, according to Lake County Clerk of Court online records.

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Man Arrested Numerous Times in Lake and Orange Counties Arrested Again for Trafficking in Fentanyl Read More »

PHOTO: Leesburg Police Department

Leesburg Police Seeking Information on Crash that Killed Lady Lake Woman Earlier this Month

Inside Scoop, Lady Lake, Leesburg / By

LEESBURG, Florida—Leesburg Police Department continues to investigate a crash that killed a pedestrian earlier this month.

Shortly before 2:30 a.m. May 20, Erica L. Davis, 40, was crossing U.S. Highway 27, also known as North 14th Street at West Main Street when she was struck by a 2019 black Toyota Corolla being driven by Zachary Sents, 32, of Webster.

Davis, of Lady Lake, was transported to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, formerly known as Ocala Regional Medical Center, with life-threatening injuries and later succumbed to her injuries. LPD is asking anyone with information about the crash to call the LPD Traffic Unit at 352-728-9860, extension 3838.

Leesburg Police Seeking Information on Crash that Killed Lady Lake Woman Earlier this Month Read More »

PHOTOS: Lake County Sheriff's Office

Second Arrest Made in 2022 Umatilla Murder

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Tavares, Umatilla, Unincorporated Lake / By

TAVARES, Florida—A second man has been arrested in the 2022 murder of a Umatilla man.

Deandre Bernard Anderson, 32, of Leesburg, was booked into the Lake County Jail on a warrant for first degree murder Friday, accused of killing Antwain “Lil Daddy” Hart, 31, on Nov. 8, 2022. Hart was found with at least one gunshot wound in front of a home in the Southside area of unincorporated Umatilla and died during transport to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Lt. John Herrell told Inside Lake last year.

Only Inside Lake was on the scene following the shooting.

Antwain “Lil Daddy” Hart was murdered in Umatilla in 2022. Deputies have arrested two men for his murder and are searching for a third man. PHOTO: Hart Family

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.

Earlier this year, Undray Tony Benson, 51, of Orlando, was arrested in Orange County, accused of Hart’s murder after LCSO developed leads in the case, but details of the murder and a motive are unclear because the probable cause affidavit in the case is sealed, according to Lake County Clerk of Court online records.

Anderson and Benson are both being held at LCJ on no bond.

A warrant has been issued for a third 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.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Umatilla Police officers investigate after Antwain “Lil” Daddy Hart was found shot Nov. 8, 2022.

Second Arrest Made in 2022 Umatilla Murder Read More »

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