Mount Dora

3 killed, 1 critically injured in early morning crash near Howey-in-the-Hills

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla.—Three women were killed and another woman was critically injured after the SUV they were in hit a pole, overturned several times and ejected all four of them Sunday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Just after 3:15 a.m., a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee was traveling northbound on State Road 19 near Saint Florian Lane when the driver, a 30-year-old Mount Dora woman, failed to negotiate a curve, FHP said. The Jeep ran off the road, struck a pole and overturned several times, ejecting the driver, and her three passengers, a 32-year-old woman, a 28-year-old woman, and a 26-year-old woman, all of Eustis. None of the women were wearing seatbelts.

The driver and one passenger were pronounced deceased on the scene, and two passengers were transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where one of them died. The 26-year-old Eustis woman remains in critical condition.

 

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FWC to host series of virtual public meetings on bear hunting proposals

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is holding a series of virtual public meetings to collect feedback directly from Florida residents on proposals for highly-regulated black bear hunting in Florida that will be presented to commissioners at FWC’s May meeting. The content covered in all meetings is identical, and it is not necessary to attend more than one virtual public meeting.

The meeting dates and times are as follows:

At the Dec. 2024 commission meeting, the FWC’s Bear Management Program gave commissioners a five-year update on implementing the 2019 Florida Black Bear Management Plan, highlighting recent bear management and research efforts. Following the presentation, the Commissioners directed staff to return to a future Commission meeting to propose options for implementing a potential bear hunt.

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Dash cam released of FHP PIT maneuver that flipped stolen truck near Mount Dora in January

MOUNT DORA, Fla.—Inside Lake has obtained dash cam footage from the Florida Highway Patrol, capturing the moment a trooper executed a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver to stop a fleeing suspect earlier this year.

Inside Lake first reported in January on the arrest of Corey Michael Wakefield, 21, of St. Cloud. Wakefield was arrested on numerous charges after fleeing from a trooper who attempted to stop him for speeding in what was later found to be a stolen truck.

Around 9 p.m. Jan. 15, the trooper was conducting traffic enforcement on U.S. Highway 441 near Natoma Boulevard in Mount Dora and observed a gray Chevy Silverado traveling 85 miles per hour in a 50 mile per hour zone in the northbound inside lane. The trooper pulled out to stop the truck and it entered the left turn lane for Lincoln Avenue, ran the red light, performed a U-turn and headed southbound, according to an FHP arrest report.

The trooper gave chase and Wakefield blew through the red light at State Road 46 while traffic was actively passing through the intersection; Wakefield continued to flee at speeds of more than 110 miles per hour, entered Orange County and as the pair approached Ola Beach Drive, the trooper executed a PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver, flipping the truck onto the north shoulder of U.S. Highway 441, known as Orange Blossom Trail in Orange County.

 

Wakefield sustained numerous injuries, including a broken foot and a wound on his right hand that was bleeding profusely, the report states. He claimed another man was driving but troopers quickly found out that man is currently serving a prison sentence. Wakefield kept digging in his pockets, ignoring numerous commands from the trooper. Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived to assist, and upon searching Wakefield, an OCSO deputy found a wallet and a sock that contained his Florida identification card, $337, a debit card in his name, 14 Alprazolam pills commonly known as Xanax, nine Clonazepam pills commonly known as Klonopin, and a white powdery substance later identified as a mixture of cocaine and fentanyl. The 2014 Chevy Silverado Wakefield was driving was found to be stolen out of Lake County last year.

The above video contains explicit language. 

Wakefield was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries and arrested while he was at the hospital. During an interview, he said “possession” and “that’s the only thing you got,” the report states. A check of Wakefield’s name found his license was revoked more than two years ago and he has multiple warrants out of Maryland, but only with in-state extradition.

Wakefield is facing charges including possession of Alprazolam, Clonazepam and fentanyl; grand theft of a motor vehicle, reckless driving, aggravated fleeing with injury or property damage, resisting without violence, giving false information to a law enforcement officer and driving on a suspended license. He has been held in the Lake County Jail on no bond since his arrest.

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Mount Dora man killed in single-vehicle Tavares crash

TAVARES, Fla.—Tavares Police Department is investigating after a man was found deceased in his crashed vehicle by a passerby early Wednesday morning.

At 12:50 a.m., a 911 caller reported he was walking and saw overturned truck in an open construction field in the area of Dead River Road and Sierra Drive approximately 50 yards from the roadway. Police are unsure how long the 2018 Chevrolet pickup truck was there before it was discovered, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan said, and are asking anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact them.

The driver, Michael Winterbottom, 63, of Mount Dora, was found in the truck and pronounced deceased on the scene.

TPD has also publicly identified the pair critically injured in a unrelated motorcycle crash Friday morning. Everett Swift, 74, and Janice Swift, 82, both of Leesburg and Michigan, were riding a 2003 Harley-Davidson motorcycle southbound on State Road 19 and failed to slow for traffic stopped at the traffic light at Dead River Road. The motorcycle slammed into the back of a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado, throwing the pair from the motorcycle. Everett Swift and Janice Swift were each airlifted to area hospitals with critical injuries. They have since been released and are undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation facility, Sullivan said.

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FHP PIT maneuver takes down fleeing suspect in two-county pursuit that reached speeds of 110 mph last week

MOUNT DORA, Fla.—A St. Cloud man remains jailed on a litany of charges stemming from a pursuit that ended with a PIT maneuver.

Around 9 p.m. Jan.15, a Florida Highway Patrol trooper was conducting speed enforcement on U.S. Highway 441 near Natoma Boulevard in Mount Dora and observed a gray Chevy Silverado traveling 85 miles per hour in a 50 mile per hour zone in the northbound inside lane. The trooper pulled out to stop the truck and it entered the left turn lane for Lincoln Avenue, ran the red light, performed a U-turn and headed southbound, according to an FHP arrest report.

The trooper gave chase and the driver, later identified as Corey Michael Wakefield, 21, blew through the red light at State Road 46 while traffic was actively passing through the intersection; Wakefield continued to flee at speeds of more than 110 miles per hour and entered Orange County. As the pair approached Ola Beach Drive, the trooper executed a PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver, flipping the truck onto the north shoulder of U.S. Highway 441, known as Orange Blossom Trail in Orange County.

Wakefield, covered in blood, sustained numerous injuries, including a broken foot and a wound on his right hand that was bleeding profusely, the report states. Wakefield claimed another man was driving but troopers quickly found out that man is in prison until 2026. He kept digging in his pockets, ignoring numerous commands from the trooper. Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived to assist and set up a perimeter, and upon searching Wakefield, an OCSO deputy found a wallet and a sock that contained his Florida identification card, $337, a debit card in his name, 14 Alprazolam pills commonly known as Xanax, nine Clonazepam pills commonly known as Klonopin, and a white powdery substance later identified as a mixture of cocaine and fentanyl. The 2014 Silverado Wakefield was driving was found to be stolen out of Lake County in December.

Wakefield was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries and arrested while he was at the hospital. During an interview, he said “possession” and “that’s the only thing you got,” the report states. A check of Wakefield’s name found his license was revoked in December 2022 and he has multiple warrants out of Maryland, but only with in-state extradition.

Alleged relatives of Wakefield showed up at ORMC and claimed a Sorrento man was driving during the pursuit. Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies traveled to the Sorrento man’s home and verified he was in good health and did not have injuries consistent with a rollover crash.

Wakefield is facing charges including possession of Alprazolam, Clonazepam and fentanyl; grand theft of a motor vehicle, reckless driving, aggravated fleeing with injury or property damage, resisting without violence, giving false information to a law enforcement officer and driving on a suspended license. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on no bond.

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Cold weather shelter and warming station scheduled to open this week

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.

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VIDEO: New Year’s Eve explosion rocks neighbors near Mount Dora, sends resident to the hospital

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.

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BREAKING NEWS: Santa Claus is coming to town

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.

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Man with ties to Mount Dora and Eustis killed in South Florida hit-and-run crash

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.

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Holiday season kicks off Saturday with Light Up Mount Dora

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)

For more information, visit:  https://mountdoraholidays.com/

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