Mount Dora

Low Bond on DUI Charge was an Error, Troopers Say. Suspect Turns Himself in on Upgraded Charge

TAVARES, Florida—The man accused of possessing cocaine and driving drunk in a crash that killed a 5-year-old boy turned himself in at the Lake County Jail Wednesday on a DUI manslaughter charge.

Daksh Wadhwa, 30, of Tavares, turned himself in just before 11 a.m. Wednesday after troopers issued a warrant for his arrest in the boy’s death Tuesday afternoon.  He is being held on $30,000 bond but sources close to the investigation told Inside Lake he is already in the process of bonding out. Turning in his passport was a condition of the bond, and it was turned in to the Lake County Clerk of Court Wednesday morning.

Wadhwa was driving a 2022 BMW 740I westbound on County Road 448 near Shirley Shores Road at 8:30 a.m. Saturday when he veered into the eastbound lane and both he, and the driver of a 2008 Honda Civic swerved to the left to avoid a collision. The right front of the BMW struck the right side of the Honda, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release.

The driver of the Honda, a 29-year-old Mount Dora woman, was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center with serious injuries; her passenger, a 5-year-old boy identified as her son in social media posts, was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children with critical injuries. He succumbed to his injuries late Sunday night, Crescenzi said.

Wadhwa, who was unsteady on his feet and had alcohol emanating from his breath, according to the arrest report, provided a breath sample and his BAC was .189, more than twice the legal limit of .08. He has extensive traffic citation history; according to Lake County Clerk of Court online records Wadhwa has had 18 tickets since 2010.

He was arrested for DUI with serious bodily injury, possession of cocaine and smuggling contraband into a correctional facility. He was released on $3,000 bond Saturday.

Our trooper completed a thorough investigation, determined impairment, obtained a breath test result of 0.189, and charged the driver appropriately for DUI and possession of cocaine. After the crash investigation, the driver was immediately booked into the Lake County Jail,” Crescenzi said.

Many of our readers questioned why the bond was so low.

“The trooper errantly entered the original bond amount on the arrest report for the initial DUI charge. It was not reported as an error until the driver had already bonded out. Training has been completed with the trooper to provide the correct bond schedule,“ Crescenzi told Inside Lake.

Low Bond on DUI Charge was an Error, Troopers Say. Suspect Turns Himself in on Upgraded Charge Read More »

Man Accused in DUI Crash that Killed 5-year-old Boy Turns Himself in on DUI Manslaughter Charges

TAVARES, Florida—The man accused of killing a young boy in a DUI crash turned himself in at the Lake County Jail Wednesday morning on DUI manslaughter charges, according to Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Tara Crescenzi.  

Daksh Wadhwa, 30, of Tavares, is accused of driving drunk Saturday on County Road 448 and killing the Mount Dora boy and seriously injuring his mom.

This is a developing story and Inside Lake is working on getting more details.

Boy Dies From Injuries in Saturday DUI Crash, Charges Upgraded to DUI Manslaughter
Drunk Driver Caused CR 448 Crash that Left 5-year-old in Critical Condition Saturday Morning, Troopers Say

Man Accused in DUI Crash that Killed 5-year-old Boy Turns Himself in on DUI Manslaughter Charges Read More »

Boy Dies From Injuries in Saturday DUI Crash, Charges Upgraded to DUI Manslaughter

TAVARES, Florida—The 5-year-old boy who was critically injured in a crash on County Road 448 Saturday morning has died, according to Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Tara Crescenzi.

Daksh Wadhwa, 30, of Tavares, was driving a 2022 BMW 740I westbound on County Road 448 near Shirley Shores Road at 8:30 a.m. Saturday when he veered into the eastbound lane. Both he and the driver of a 2008 Honda Civic swerved to the left to avoid a collision, and the right front of the BMW struck the right side of the Honda, Crescenzi said in a press release.

The driver of the Honda, a 29-year-old Mount Dora woman, was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center with serious injuries; her passenger, a 5-year-old boy identified as her son in social media posts, was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children with critical injuries. He succumbed to his injuries late Sunday night, Crescenzi said.

PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Wadhwa, who was unsteady on his feet and had alcohol emanating from his breath, according to the arrest report. He provided a breath sample and his BAC was .189, more than twice the legal limit of .08. He was arrested for DUI with serious bodily injury, possession of cocaine and smuggling contraband into a correctional facility. He was released on $3,000 bond Saturday; the charge has since been upgraded to DUI manslaughter, Crescenzi said Monday.

Many of our readers have questioned why Wadhwa’s bond was so low; we are working on getting information from FHP and the Lake County Jail for clarification.

Boy Dies From Injuries in Saturday DUI Crash, Charges Upgraded to DUI Manslaughter Read More »

Drunk Driver Caused CR 448 Crash that Left 5-year-old in Critical Condition Saturday Morning, Troopers Say

TAVARES— The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash they say was caused by a drunk driver Saturday morning.

Daksh Wadhwa, 30, of Tavares, was driving a 2022 BMW 740I westbound on County Road 448 near Shirley Shores Road at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. He veered into the eastbound lane, and both he and the driver of a 2008 Honda Civic both swerved to the left to avoid a collision, and the right front of the BMW struck the right side of the Honda, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release.

The driver of the Honda, a 29-year-old Mount Dora woman, was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center with serious injuries; her passenger, a 5-year-old boy, also of Mount Dora, was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children with critical injuries.

Wadhwa provided a breath sample, and his BAC was .189, above the legal limit of .08. He was arrested for DUI with serious bodily injury, possession of cocaine and smuggling contraband into a correctional facility. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $3,000 bond.

Drunk Driver Caused CR 448 Crash that Left 5-year-old in Critical Condition Saturday Morning, Troopers Say Read More »

Family Seeking Answers After Woman Found Dead in Astor Sunday

ASTOR, Florida—The family of a woman found dead Sunday afternoon wants answers about her death and is urging anyone with information to come forward.

Tracy Nicole Beckwith, 40, of Mount Dora, was found dead in her on again/off again boyfriend’s vehicle around 3 p.m. Sunday after she failed to return the vehicle, according to a Lake County Sheriff’s Office report. The vehicle’s owner installed a GPS tracker on the vehicle prior to the incident and used it to find her location. His son found the vehicle in the 18700 block of State Road 40 and Beckwith was inside, deceased.

LCSO Lt. John Herrell told Inside Lake Monday it is just too early in the investigation to tell if foul play was involved and the cause of death was unknown at press time; deputies and Beckwith’s family are awaiting a report from the medical examiner.

Tracy Beckwith and her 4-year-old son, Spencer. PHOTO: Courtesy of the Beckwith family

A member of Beckwith’s family reached out to Inside Lake Monday and said the circumstances of Beckwith’s death are suspicious and they want answers. Beckwith was the mother of a 4-year-old boy and has struggled with some personal issues recently and had been known to hang out with at least one man with a violent history. Inside Lake is not naming him at this time because he has not been charged with a crime.

Beckwith’s family is asking anyone who has information on her death, or her whereabouts over the weekend prior to her death, to come forward. If you have information, call LCSO at 352-343-2101 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS, Crimeline callers can remain anonymous.

Family Seeking Answers After Woman Found Dead in Astor Sunday Read More »

Jeep Fire Spreads to Eustis Home Late Friday, Displaces Residents

EUSTIS, Florida—A vehicle fire that began late Friday night destroyed two vehicles and spread to a home on South Exeter Street leaving the home uninhabitable, sources told Inside Lake.

Eustis Fire Department, Mount Dora Fire Department, Tavares Fire Department and Lake County Fire Rescue battled the blaze throughout the early morning hours beginning around 11:30 p.m. Friday and continuing until 4 a.m. Saturday, a source told Inside Lake. Lake EMS also responded to the scene.

When fire crews arrived at the home at 573 South Exeter Street, near Eustis High School, a jeep was fully involved, and the fire spread to the roof of the home. No one was injured, but the home is uninhabitable. The cause of the fire was unknown at press time.

Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo

Jeep Fire Spreads to Eustis Home Late Friday, Displaces Residents Read More »

Man Shot Thursday Remains Hospitalized, Eustis Police Investigating 3 Persons of Interest

EUSTIS, Florida-Eustis Police Department is continuing to investigate a shooting that left a man hospitalized Thursday afternoon.

EPD responded to Lee’s Food Market, 1333 East Orange Avenue and found a man shot above one of his eyes, EPD Chief Craig Capri told Inside Lake.

The man was taken to a local hospital and has not been able to talk to detectives yet, Capri said. No one has been arrested in the shooting, but police know who is involved, Capri said.

“We know who the players are,” he said.

Few details have been released about what led to the shooting, but a detective working the case said there was an altercation between a group of females and other parties got involved in the parking lot of the store; some of the incident was captured on surveillance video. The shooter fled in a vehicle that was later spotted in the area and pulled over.

The driver of the vehicle dropped off Dominic Alexander Brokenborough, 34, of Mount Dora, nearby and officers believed he fled on foot. He was apprehended by road patrol officers behind a nearby business and said he did not know officers were trying to pull the vehicle over. The driver, who also said he was unaware officers were attempting to stop him, was detained and released. Inside Lake is not naming him because he has not been charged with a crime at this time. Both the driver and Brokenborough, along with a third man, are persons of interest in the shooting. Brokenborough told police he was trying to break up the altercation, but detectives are still investigating. Detectives are obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle seized on the traffic stop and are continuing to piece together what led to the shooting.

“There is no threat of danger to the public,” Capri said.

Dominic Brokenborough, 34, is facing drug charges after a traffic stop Thursday. The vehicle he was in is suspected of being involved in a shooting about an hour before the stop, according to an arrest affidavit. Brokenborough is a person of interest in the shooting. PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Brokenborough is facing drug charges after officers found six baggies containing a substance that tested positive for fentanyl and cocaine, in addition to numerous pieces of drug paraphernalia in his backpack. According to his arrest affidavit, he was charged with possession and is being held at the Lake County Jail on $3,000 bond.

The investigation into the shooting remains active and Inside Lake will continue to monitor the case for any breaking updates. If you have information, call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.

Man Shot Thursday Remains Hospitalized, Eustis Police Investigating 3 Persons of Interest Read More »

FHP Releases Details in Friday Morning Fatal Crash Near Mount Dora

ORANGE COUNTY, Florida—The Florida Highway Patrol has released details about the crash that killed a 28-year-old man before sunrise Friday morning.

The Sumterville man was traveling southbound on Orange Blossom Trail, also known as U.S. Highway 441, on a 2007 Harley Davidson Road King, when he was struck by 2007 Kia Sedona attempting to make a left turn onto Orange Blossom Trail off Willow Street, about 5 miles from the Lake County line around 6: 25 a.m. The intersection is in Orange County but has a Mount Dora address.

The left side of the Sedona struck the front of the motorcycle, killing its rider. The driver of the Sedona, a Mount Dora man, was transported to AdventHealth Apopka with minor injuries, according to FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi.

The crash closed all the southbound lanes and one northbound lane of Orange Blossom Trail for several hours and remains under investigation.

Motorcycle Fatality Closes Most of Orange Blossom Trail Near Mount Dora Friday Morning
Previous story on Friday’s fatality.

FHP Releases Details in Friday Morning Fatal Crash Near Mount Dora Read More »

Motorcycle Fatality Closes Most of Orange Blossom Trail Near Mount Dora Friday Morning

ORANGE COUNTY, Florida— A fatal crash has closed the southbound lanes and the inside northbound lane of Orange Blossom Trail at Willow Street, about 5 miles from the Lake County line Friday morning, according to Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Tara Crescenzi.

The intersection is in Orange County but has a Mount Dora address.

The crash involves a 2007 Kia Sedona being driven by a 37-year-old Mount Dora man and a 2007 Harley Davidson being ridden by a 28-year-old Sumterville man. The crash occurred around 6:25 a.m., killing the motorcycle rider and the Mount Dora man was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Crescenzi said.

The crash is still in the preliminary stages of the investigation and FHP has not released how the crash occurred.  

This is a developing story.

FHP Releases Details in Friday Morning Fatal Crash Near Mount Dora
Update.

Motorcycle Fatality Closes Most of Orange Blossom Trail Near Mount Dora Friday Morning Read More »

Tavares Police and LCSO Join Forces for Operation Aware

Operation Aware will provide wristbands and a database for first responders and the special needs community.

TAVARES, Florida—Two law enforcement agencies have joined forces to provide a new tool to the community that will give first responders valuable information when responding to calls for service in the special needs community.

Nearly a year in the making, Tavares Police Department began its Operation Aware initiative in November 2021 and has since teamed up with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office to provide wristbands to members of the community that may require a different response from law enforcement.

“We are big on community policing,” TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake last year. “There are always ways we can be better,” she said, “and there are always opportunities for the community to teach us how to better serve them.”

Operation Aware is a “total approach” to the issues facing the special needs community and will provide education, outreach and follow up,” Sullivan said.

Newly-appointed Tavares Police Chief Sarah Coursey worked with Sullivan to get this program up and running. “Operation Aware is near and dear to my heart; it gives us the opportunity to serve our community in a unique way when our response requires a different approach,” Coursey told Inside Lake.

The wristbands are available for community members who have intellectual and developmental disorders, including, but not limited to, autism, dementia. PTSD and Alzheimer’s, according to Sullivan. Loved ones and caregivers are encouraged to reach out to TPD or LCSO and register special needs individuals to get them a wristband and enter them into the database.  

The bright blue wristbands will immediately let law enforcement officers know they are interacting with an individual with special needs, and provide them with vital information including names, addresses, emergency contacts and medical conditions. Officers and dispatchers will have access to the information and individual addresses will be flagged so the officer is aware of any special circumstances before they arrive to the call. Officers will know if the individual is non-verbal, has a sensitivity to lights and sirens and any other pertinent information that would be helpful to officers. They will also help reunification by giving officers and deputies information immediately that can be shared with media outlets and on social media, Sullivan said.  

The wristbands will also be a tool for the public; they will have a number and a QR code that can be scanned and will inform the public to call 9-1-1. The wristband never needs to be charged.    To register, please visit https://tavares.org/1327/Operation-Aware or https://lcso.org/oa/

People Helping People, Tavares Police Department Creates Special Needs Database

Tavares Police and LCSO Join Forces for Operation Aware Read More »

Scroll to Top