EUSTIS, Fla.—A cold weather shelter and warming station are scheduled to open this week in anticipation of colder temperatures, officials with Lake County government announced late Monday morning.
According to the U.S. National Weather Service, lows in Lake County are expected to be between 33 and 38 degrees between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The cold weather shelter is scheduled to be open from 5 p.m. to 7.a.m. Monday through Friday at LifePointe Church, 2551 East Orange Avenue, Eustis; and the Salvation Army will open a warming station from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 2605 South Street, Leesburg. Residents who need transportation to the shelter or the warming station can call Lake County Connection at 352-742-2612 to make arrangements.
Graphic: U.S. National Weather Service
To sign up for cold weather text updates from Lake County government, text COLD to 888-777. Faith-based and nonprofit organizations that would like to provide sheltering assistance are asked to call Lake County Emergency Management at 352-343-9420.
MOUNT DORA, Fla.—A home was reduced to rubble and trapped a resident New Year’s Eve night after an explosion in unincorporated Mount Dora, a neighbor told Inside Lake.
The home on West Main Street in Mount Dora Estates, formerly known as Riley’s Park, “exploded,” around 9:30 p.m. with the resident inside, according to a neighbor, Jeremy Jenkins. The man was initially trapped by rubble and debris but was able to get out and he was transported to an area hospital for treatment. Jenkins provided video to Inside Lake that showed the aftermath and described what he saw.
Video courtesy of Jeremy Jenkins
Jenkins was “sound asleep” when his wife, Dottie heard something hitting the side of the house and then a “huge explosion,” he told Inside Lake. She woke him up and when they went outside, “debris covered the ground like snow and several windows on the side of our house had been blown out.”
Other neighbors came outside, and they realized their neighbor’s car was in the driveway buried under the debris. They heard the man from underneath the rubble and began digging him out. First responders arrived at the scene and rendered aid to the man until he was transported by helicopter to a local hospital. His condition and the cause of the explosion were unknown at press time.
LAKE COUNTY, Fla.—At press time Christmas Eve, the jolly fellow best known as Santa Claus was last spotted in Lithuania and had delivered more than 3 billion gifts, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD.)
Little boys and girls can track the big guy’s movements online as he makes his way across the world with his trusty reindeer crew, by visiting NORAD Tracks Santa.
NORAD began tracking Santa in 1958 after taking over the duty from the U.S. Air Force.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.— West Palm Beach Police Department is investigating after a man who grew up in Mount Dora and Eustis was killed in a hit-and-run Friday night, just three days before his birthday.
At 11:05 p.m. Friday, a 911 caller reported that a man was unconscious and lying in the roadway of the 2700 block 45th Street, just west of Interstate 95, WPBPD said in a press release.
West Palm Beach Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene and pronounced Drew Robert Winters, 44, deceased on the scene. WPBPD Traffic Homicide investigators believe Winters was crossing 45th Street from north to south when he was struck by a silver sedan that fled the scene. Winters was thrown into the air and landed on the roadway on the inside westbound lane.
Drew Winters/Facebook
The investigation closed westbound 45th Street for about four hours and police are searching for a silver sedan with front-end and windshield damage, according to the release. If you have information on the crash, call Det. Dan Dillard at 561-822-1629 or Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 1-800-458-8477. Crime Stoppers callers may be eligible for a reward.
MOUNT DORA, Fla.—The holiday season in Lake County kicks off Saturday in Mount Dora with the city’s annual Light Up Mount Dora event.
4 to 6 p.m. Donnelly Park: Holiday program hosted by Magic 107.7’s Chad & Leslye
4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Elizabeth Evans Park: Live music and a special appearance by Buddy the Elf
6 to 9 p.m. Sunset Park: Main Street Leasing Christmas tree lighting, photos with Santa
6:30 p.m. Sunset Park: Fireworks over Lake Dora
7:30 p.m. Elizabeth Evans Park: Drone show hosted by John Brown of Fox 35 Orlando
Bring blankets or chairs and admission to each event is free. Parking and shuttle buses will be available from 3 to 10 p.m. at the following locations:
First Baptist Church, 1000 E. 1st Street (no)charge
Highland Street Parking Lot, 1250 N. Highland Street (no charge)
Mount Dora Christian Academy, 301 W 13th Avenue (organization collecting a fee)
TAVARES, Fla.—The suspect in a brutal 2022 Mount Dora double murder is now competent to proceed, according to an order signed by Lake Circuit Judge Cary Rada last month.
Vickie Lynn Williams, 51, is accused of stabbing Darryl Getman, 83, and Sharon Getman, 80. The married couple was murdered in their Waterman Village home sometime between the hours of 11 p.m. Dec. 30, 2022, and 2 a.m. Dec. 31, 2022.
After allegedly murdering the couple, Williams stole their green Kia Soul and was still driving it when she was apprehended by a Savannah Police Department officer at a Georgia Amtrak station on Jan. 2, 2023. She was indicted later that month and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case that shocked Lake County.
In May, Williams was found incompetent to proceed and turned over to the Department of Children and Families (DCF.) While in its custody, Williams was evaluated and a “Competency Evaluation Report to the Court” completed in September and authored by Dr. Armando Collado Ph.D., was submitted to the Court and independently reviewed by Rada.
“The defendant’s appreciation of the charges, appreciation of the possible penalties, understanding of the adversarial nature of the legal process, capacity to disclose to counsel facts pertaining to the proceedings, capacity to manifest appropriate courtroom behavior, and capacity to testify relevantly are all acceptable,” Rada stated in his order.
Williams next plea negotiation conference is scheduled for Tuesday.
MOUNT DORA, Fla.—Mount Dora Police Department is investigating after a woman was robbed of her purse at gunpoint in a parking lot late Saturday afternoon.
The victim told police a black male, dressed in all black, wearing a ski mask and armed with a silver semi-automatic firearm, approached her as she was about to enter her vehicle in the parking lot of Viva Liquor 1 , 101 South Highland Street, around 5:40 p.m., according to MDPD.
The suspect took the woman’s purse and demanded her phone, but she refused to give it to him. He threatened to shoot her and then fled west on 1st Avenue toward Clayton Street in a silver SUV.
If you have information, call MDPD’s Criminal Investigations Unit at 352-735-7130.
MOUNT DORA, Fla.—Mount Dora Police Department is searching for an armed robber who robbed a customer at a liquor store late Saturday afternoon.
A suspect wearing all black and a ski mask robbed a customer at Viva Liquor 1, 101 South Highland Street, around 5:40 p.m. Saturday and fled the scene in a silver SUV. No other details were released Saturday night and police were still on scene investigating.
If you have information, call MDPD at 352-735-7130.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story contained incorrect information that the store was robbed.
TAVARES, Fla.—A transient Mount Dora woman is in the Lake County Jail on no bond after making multiple threats against three Tavares Police Department officers and one Mount Dora Police Department officer on Facebook Wednesday.
A tipster reached out to TPD on its Facebook page just before 9:45 p.m. Wednesday and stated, “Someone I know has made some alarming threats against your officers on Facebook. I would like to remain anonymous, but here are the threats on Facebook. Her name is Ernesta Presy.” The tipster followed the message with 11 screenshots from Presy’s Facebook page. A tip also came into Crimeline not long after, according to a report.
TPD notified MDPD of the threat against its officer and the department said it was familiar with Presy from previous contacts and confirmed she is a “homeless transient” in their area, the report states.
Presy, 27, is apparently upset about a March incident involving TPD; the type of incident is redacted from TPD’s report, but according to a lawsuit Presy filed against TPD, she was taken into custody under a Baker Act. Presy is representing herself “pro se,” without the assistance of an attorney. “Pro se” is a Latin term meaning “for oneself” or “on one’s own behalf.” Presy is also representing herself in a lawsuit against Lifestream.
Inside Lake obtained copies of the Facebook posts and the posts included a sticky note with the names and identification numbers of three TPD officers. The note was provided to Presy by an on-duty road patrol officer when she stopped by the department on Tuesday to inquire about the names of the officers involved in her Baker Act in March. In addition to the sticky note with the officer’s names, she posted one TPD officer’s photo three times, including updating her profile photo to a photo of the officer and on another post, she provided a link to the officer’s personal Facebook page. Presy posted numerous threats and concerning statements including:
“I don’t know about y’all but only I can die standing up for my rights! I said what’s up and what it’s gone be..”
“If Hitler went to heaven so will I for killing these mutha (expletive) who unlawfully arrested me –as soon this case shut down I’m turning off the tracker.”
“I’m getting a gun, and it will be used for those who unlawfully arrested me in March and those who held me hostage. I have to stop caring so much.”
“5 people will die.”
“After I shoot her I will stab u multiple times for all the times you made me cry and plead!!!”
“if ur innocent and you get in the way u will die too.”
Screenshots taken from Ernest Presy’s Facebook page.
TPD searched Facebook for Presy’s page and confirmed the posts that were sent in by the tipsters. A warrant was issued for her arrest for written or electronic threats to kill, and she was picked up by MDPD Thursday morning. She was transported to LCJ, where she is being held on no bond.
Presy was arrested in 2020 after being accused of striking her child’s father with a vehicle and driving through Eustis with him hanging onto the hood. He was able to jump off when Presy stopped at a traffic light. That charge was later dropped due to video evidence in the case creating reasonable doubt.
EUSTIS, Fla.—A Eustis Police Department road patrol sergeant is OK after a suspect slammed into his marked patrol truck while he was at a stop sign early Sunday morning.
An EPD road patrol officer was patrolling the area of Center Street and Orange Avenue at 12:50 a.m. Sunday when he spotted a white Ford speeding and driving recklessly eastbound on Orange Avenue, according to an arrest affidavit. The officer notified his sergeant, L. Arnold, the vehicle was traveling toward Abrams Road and the officer lost sight of it around Glover Street, according to an arrest affidavit.
Arnold was traveling on Abrams Road and after he stopped at the stop sign at Abrams Road and Orange Avenue, also known as State Road 44, the white Ford made a sharp turn onto Abrams Road and slammed into the left front fender of his truck, causing Arnold’s head to smack against the driver’s side window and shatter it, EPD Chief Craig Capri told Inside Lake.
The window of EPD Sgt. L. Arnold’s truck after his head shattered it when a car slammed into him at a stop sign early Sunday. The crash also damaged the left, front fender of the truck. PHOTOS: Eustis Police Department
Arnold called out on the radio he had been involved in a crash, exited his patrol truck and drew his firearm because he did not know if the driver struck him intentionally, the affidavit states. The driver, identified as Davonta Carter, 29, of Mount Dora, then got out of the vehicle and began running westbound on Orange Avenue.
Arnold gave chase and the first officer who spotted Carter speeding, pulled up and began chasing Carter at gunpoint too. After several commands to “stop,” Carter laid down in the middle of Orange Avenue and surrendered, the affidavit states. He was placed in the back of a patrol car that was parked in the middle of Orange Avenue and the officer moved the car to a nearby gas station.
Carter, covered in sweat, requested EMS to check him out, Lake EMS responded, and Carter refused transport; his passenger, Miavohni Wright, 23, of York, Penn., was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares with non-life-threatening injuries. Officers searched the vehicle and found a black and white Adidas bag with a 9mm handgun, two plastic bags containing crack cocaine and a bag of marijuana.
Carter was arrested for leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, driving while license suspended, reckless driving, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance, driving while license suspended and resisting without violence. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where staff advised he needed to be checked out by the hospital before being booked, due to being involved in a crash. He was transported to AdventHealth Waterman, where he was medically cleared, and transported back to LCJ, where he is being held on $41,000 bond.
