Around the County

TAVARES, Florida—A 15-year-old male is in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice after accelerating towards an officer in training in a stolen SUV and then fleeing Tavares Police Department, according to TPD. Shortly before 3:45 a.m. TPD responded to Atwater Apartments 2570 Ann Road, after receiving a call from a citizen concerned about two dark-colored vehicles traveling through the parking lot with occupants who appeared to be wearing ski masks, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan said. One vehicle fled and was later located dumped off of Kurt Street in the City of Eustis. The occupants fled the

TAVARES, Florida—A convenience store clerk is behind bars after surveillance video showed him stealing lottery tickets and cash from his job on three separate occasions earlier this month, according to an arrest affidavit. On June 11, Tavares Police Department responded to Circle K, 933 County Road 448, Tavares on a report of an employee stealing. The manager told police a total of $5,700 in cash and $1,700 in lottery tickets were missing and she planned to fire and trespass Ronald Lee Sain, 19, when he arrived for work that night. The manager said Sain, of Tavares, began working at the

TAVARES, Florida—A woman armed with a knife who barricaded herself in a home Saturday morning is receiving treatment at a local mental health facility, according to Tavares Police Department. Around 9:20 a.m. Saturday, TPD received a 9-1-1 call reporting a woman was experiencing a mental health crisis, according to TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan. Officers responded to the 1000 block of Magnolia Circle and found the woman barricaded in a bedroom, armed with a knife and a Lake County Sheriff’s Office hostage negotiator responded to the scene to assist with the incident. Two TPD officers suffered superficial cuts to

TAVARES, Florida—Two people are in critical, but stable condition following a wreck that shut down U.S. Highway 441 for more than four hours Wednesday. Just before 2:10 p.m. Tavares Police Department responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting a crash near AdventHealth Waterman. The preliminary investigation revealed Carol Murphy, 77, was driving a silver 2013 Hyundai southbound on U.S. Highway 441 when she turned left on Waterman Way and was struck by a silver 2014 Ford Mustang being driven by a 17-year-old male who was traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 441, according to TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan. The front

TAVARES, Florida—Tavares Police Department continues to investigate the death of a woman found by her roommate last week. Danielle DeCurtis, 29, was found unresponsive by her roommate around 10:15 a.m. May 31 and pronounced deceased at the scene by Lake EMS about 10 minutes after they responded to the call in 1000 block of Maplewood Street, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake. TPD responded to the scene after road patrol deemed the death suspicious and began investigating. Lake County Sheriff’s Office CSI responded to the scene to assist in the investigation, along with the Medical Examiner’s office. “There

TAVARES, Florida—Tavares Police Department is investigating the death of a woman it is calling suspicious. TPD responded to a medical call in the 1000 block of Maplewood Street around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, along with Lake EMS, and less than 10 minutes later Danielle DeCurtis, 29, was pronounced deceased at the scene, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake. “(Her death) appears to be suspicious in nature,” Sullivan said. Detectives responded to the scene and secured a search warrant and were awaiting the Medical Examiner’s Office at press time. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office CSI also responded to the

TAVARES, Florida—A man accused of breaking his neighbor’s window and causing chaos in a convenience store Tuesday morning is in the Lake County Jail being held on $2,000 bond. A neighbor of Damon Hamilton Fish, 45, told Tavares Police Department before sunrise Tuesday that Fish was outside of his own home on Willow Court throwing a large trash can at his windows. Fish then walked into her yard and threw a bar of soap in a “sack” through her 14-year-old daughter’s bedroom window, causing $1,000 in damage, she told TPD. Fish left and apparently went to Circle K, 439 South