Tavares

Tavares Police Investigating Home Invasion, Shooting

TAVARES, Florida—Tavares Police Department is investigating a home invasion and shooting that occurred early Tuesday morning.

The 39-year-old male victim was alone at his home in the 1300 block of Alfred Street around midnight Tuesday when two men kicked in his door, according to TPD Lt. Jon Hall.

Two shots were fired by the suspects, described only as black males, and at least one struck the victim, Hall told Inside Lake. The man was transported to a local hospital where he remains with non-life-threatening injuries. It is still a very active investigation, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office CSI was on hand Tuesday morning assisting TPD.

If you have information, call TPD at 352-742-6200.

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California Convicted Murderer Accused of Stabbing and Beating Tavares Woman Held on $16,500 bond

TAVARES, Florida—A California man is being held on just $16,500 bond after his friend went to Tavares Police Department covered in blood Saturday morning, with her eye swollen shut and asked for help after he allegedly stabbed and beat her.

The victim, who appeared to have multiple stab wounds on her chest and shoulders, told TPD her friend, Oren Derell Warren, 57, of Sacramento, Calif., beat and stabbed her at her home in Tavares. She said Warren began arguing with her early Saturday morning over borrowing her car and he repeatedly choked her, kicked her and punched her, but she could not remember if she had been stabbed. “The evident stab wounds and her initial comment made to (a TPD corporal) showed otherwise,” the arresting officer noted in the arrest affidavit.

Due to the extent of her injuries, the woman was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where a TPD detective responded and gathered more information.

TPD patrol officers responded to the victim’s home and found the front door wide open, and Warren approached the officers and was held at gunpoint. He followed the officers’ directions and stated he had a knife on his hip. A TPD sergeant removed the knife and Warren was taken into custody.

Warren told police he was intoxicated Friday night and had just woken up. He said the pair were drinking and smoking marijuana and he did not remember anything else. Warren said he moved to Tavares from California after the victim invited him due to issues in California, but the victim told a different story.

According to the affidavit, the victim told police she has known Warren for several years and he recently moved to Florida from California but does not have a home or a vehicle. The victim said Warren reached out to her for assistance and she had fed him, allowed him to shower at her home and let him borrow her car occasionally, but he does not live with her. Warren told police he does live with the victim and pays her $600 per month and has his own room. Warren said the pair dated approximately 20 years ago and maintained a friendship.

Friday night, Warren wanted to go to a local bar for “karaoke night” and when they arrived the victim decided she did not want to be there. She told Warren she wanted to leave, and he became “instantly upset” and pushed her. The victim told police this was out of character for Warren, as he had never been violent with her before.

The pair drove back to the victim’s house and the victim started to get ready for bed. She realized her keys were missing and found that Warren had taken her SUV without permission. She called Warren multiple times and he did not answer his phone, the affidavit states. Warren arrived at the victim’s home around 5:30 to 6 a.m. Saturday and she confronted him about taking her vehicle.

Warren, who the victim believed was high on some sort of narcotic, told the victim “I’ll take it if I want” and became instantly angry and violent. The victim reminded Warren she has only helped him and there was no reason to be upset. Warren approached her and started hitting her on both sides of her head and stabbed her with a knife he keeps in his back pocket. The victim said he stabbed her in the shoulder, armpit and throat and then used both hands to strangle her to the point she could not breathe, and she told him, “You’re killing me.” Warren eventually let go, took her phone and forced her to go to the bathroom with him so she could not escape, she told police.

Warren reportedly said, “I should kill you, (expletive.) Police are gonna come and kill me too, but I don’t care cause I took you out.” He followed her into the bedroom and started hitting her and strangled her again; he let go and the victim was gasping for air. Warren sat on the edge of the bed and held her at knifepoint and the victim pretended to fall asleep. She waited until Warren fell asleep and she quietly exited the home. She drove to her husband’s house, and he immediately drove her to the police department for help.

Warren was arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, battery by strangulation, possession of a concealed weapon by a convicted felon, false imprisonment and deprivation of 911. The arresting officer requested a “no-bond” status, because of Warren’s criminal history, including a conviction for murder in California in 1984 and several other violent charges that were dismissed in California and Texas, in addition to Warren not having any ties to Florida except the victim.

However, Circuit Judge Michael Takac set the bond at $16,500, a deviation from the bond schedule for the 5th Judicial Circuit, which includes Lake County. According to Administrative Order A-2014-12 A, the suggested bond is $29,000.

The bond schedule is merely a suggestion, and it is not a binding order, Takac told Inside Lake Monday morning. He said he does not remember the particulars of Warren’s case but stressed that bonds are not a punishment.

“In the eyes of the legal system, he is still presumed innocent. You don’t set bond to punish people, you set the bond to make sure they show up to court,” Takac said.

California Convicted Murderer Accused of Stabbing and Beating Tavares Woman Held on $16,500 bond Read More »

Tavares Man Arrested After Biting Man’s Finger Off at Local Park

TAVARES, Florida—A Tavares man is being held in the Lake County Jail on $10,000 bond for biting part of a man’s finger off Sunday and admitting it to Tavares Police.

Shortly before 4: 30 p.m., TPD was notified that a man’s finger was bitten off at Summerall Park, 1001 Wells Avenue, Tavares and the victim was being treated at AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, according to an arrest affidavit.

TPD responded to the hospital and the victim said while he was at the park, Daniel Jermaine Campbell, 37, approached him and asked if he knew where someone was. The victim said he pushed Campbell back and Campbell bit off his left index finger. The victim’s finger was missing from the knuckle up, the arresting officer noted in the affidavit.

PHOTO: City of Tavares

Another officer responded to the park to canvas for witnesses and did not find any but did find the victim’s finger and it was placed into evidence, according to the affidavit. The incident was not immediately reported, Lt. Sarah Coursey told Inside Lake. By the time the finger was found, it was not viable and could not be reattached.

Officers went to Campbell’s home in Tavares and after detaining Campbell, he made “several spontaneous utterances stating that ‘he (the victim) punched me first’ and ‘I bit his finger off because he put it in my mouth’,” the affidavit states.

Officers asked Campbell why he did not call police, and he reportedly told them he thought the victim, “had gave it up.”

Campbell was arrested for aggravated battery with great bodily harm and transported to LCJ.

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Phantom Airborne Brigade to Decorate the Sky Over Tavares Saturday

TAVARES, Florida—Parachutes are scheduled to decorate the sky over Lake Dora when the Phantom Airborne Brigade presents its Phantom Family Day Water Jump Saturday at Tavares’ Wooton Park.

The first drop is scheduled for 10 a.m. with additional paratroopers jumping every 20 minutes. Four flights are scheduled with a total of eight passes and each pass will include 10 paratroopers jumping simultaneously, according to City of Tavares Director of Public Communications and Emergency Management Mark O’Keefe.

The aircraft, Tico Belle, is a WWII C-47 Skytrain and dropped paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne into Normandy on D-Day, Operation Market Garden in Holland and provided support for Berlin aircraft, O’Keefe said in a press release.

Spectators can view the jumps from the shoreline at Wooton Park, 100 East Ruby Street and the parking garage located at 100 North Sinclair Avenue will be open early; parking is free.

The Phantom Airborne Brigade in a non-profit veteran’s organization that gives Airborne-qualified veterans the opportunity to military static line jump after leaving active duty. Jumpers are all ranks and Airborne units, foreign and domestic and includes disabled and combat-wounded paratroopers.

Photo provided by the City of Tavares

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Tavares Police Train for the Worst Case Scenario

TAVARES, Florida—While a lot of people are out enjoying the Florida summer, law enforcement agencies around Lake County have been training and preparing for the “what if?”

Tavares Police Department invited Inside Lake to join them in active shooter training this week at Tavares Elementary School. They trained two days, for eight hours each, in the blazing July sun.

“We do this once a year,” TPD Lt. Sarah Coursey said Thursday, “Each sworn officer goes through the training.”

Tavares Police officers approach the entrance of Tavares Elementary School Thursday during the department’s annual active shooter training. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

TPD invited other local agencies to join them in the training, including Astatula Police Department, Eustis Police Department, Howey-in-the-Hills Police Department and Mount Dora Police Department. Lake County Schools Supervisor of Safety and Security Joseph Mabry also participated, and on Thursday, he portrayed the “bad guy” during several scenarios.

 Mabry, who is also a school guardian, told Inside Lake, the safety of the children is paramount, “It’s the most important thing we do,” he said. “We want our parents to feel safe; ultimately, it’s our responsibility.”

Coursey said TPD invited other local agencies to join them because if they were faced with an active shooter situation, many different law enforcement agencies would not hesitate to go to the scene and help, she said.

“They would all respond,” Coursey said. “It just goes to show what kind of law enforcement we have in Lake County.”  

Officers from MDPD participated in the scenarios and an EPD captain stopped by during training, Coursey said. Eustis Police Department and Leesburg Police Department also held their own active shooter trainings this month.

Led by TPD firearms instructors Sgt. Jason Mahaney and Officer Ben Carter, officers participated in the scenarios to prepare for multiple situations that could arise. Mahaney and Carter critiqued each officer’s response; telling each one what they did right, and what they did wrong.

“We’re not reinventing the wheel,” Mahaney said. “When it comes to stuff like this, there is no absolute. Any time we can change our view of certain things, we can improve. Nobody is going to get it right every time.”

Tavares Police Department officers participating in TPD’s annual active shooter training, July 2022. VIDEO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

Mahaney, who portrayed the active shooter for most of Thursday, explained what they teach officers to look for; stimuli and indicators to assess the situation immediately. Stimuli can be many things, like screams or the sound of shots and an indicator could be shell casings.

“In the presence of those indicators, you can at least get a path (to the shooter,)” he said.

Carter, a former Navy combat medic, watched officers as they entered the school, sometimes just a single officer, and some in groups. Officers faced different issues as they entered and made their way through the school. The issues were discussed, and solutions were created to prevent those issues from happening in an actual situation.

Tavares Police Sgt. Jason Mahaney, right, critiques Det. Dana Scola’s response during active shooter training at Tavares Elementary School Thursday, while Lt. Jon Hall and Lt. Sarah Coursey listen in. Officers participated in different scenarios this week and were critiqued by TPD firearms instructors Mahaney and Officer Ben Carter. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

Inside Lake is not providing tactical details about the scenarios in this story to ensure the safety of officers.

“We have to put ourselves in a position for the best possible outcome,” Carter explained.

Coursey, who was recently appointed TPD chief and assumes the position next month, said this training is one of the most important things they do each year.

“The large majority of us (TPD) are parents, it’s our promise to Lake County that we are going to protect your children and ours.”

Tavares Police Train for the Worst Case Scenario Read More »

Teenager Who Shot at Cops Transferred to Lake County Jail, Volusia Sheriff Says Missing Dad’s Body Found  

Editor’s Note: A YouTube link to dash cams and body cams released by LCSO is available at the bottom of the story. Due to its policies, YouTube has restricted the video to viewers aged 18 and up.

TAVARES, Florida—The teenager accused of shooting at Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Mount Dora Police officers Monday was transferred to the Lake County Jail Thursday—the same day his father’s body was found.

Jonny Ze Guiseppe Santiago, 18, is being held in LCJ on no bond on three charges of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding and discharging a firearm from a vehicle stemming from an incident in Lake County Monday.

On Sunday, Volusia Sheriff’s Office (VSO) began investigating after receiving a call from Santiago’s mother, who was in New York, shortly after 11 p.m. The woman said she was on the phone with her husband, Juan Santiago, 52, when she heard him arguing with Jonny. She heard a loud noise and the phone disconnected.

VSO responded to the home at 899 East Lehigh Drive, Deltona and found no one was home and the white Ford F-150 Jonny was known to drive was also missing. VSO deputies spotted the truck in nearby DeBary, but it fled, in addition to fleeing from Sanford Police after the truck left Volusia County.

VSO issued a BOLO (be on the lookout) for the truck Monday and LCSO Lt. John Herrell told Inside Lake LCSO received information the truck may be headed to Lake County.

LCSO utilized its helicopter, Eagle One, in the search and found the truck near the corner of U.S. Highway 441 and Eudora Road. Deputies attempted to pull him over around 4:45 p.m. and he fled south on U.S. Highway 441 to Limit Avenue and fired at pursuing deputies and Mount Dora Police officers on Donnelly Street, near downtown Mount Dora. The truck fled south on Donnelly Street before crashing into Traditional Congregation of Mount Dora, a synagogue located at 848 North Donnelly Street, where he opened fire again at deputies and officers. Two deputies and one MDPD officer returned fire, LCSO Lt. John Herrell said earlier this week.

Jonny Santiago PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Dash cam and body cam released Wednesday showed Santiago firing at law enforcement several blocks before he crashed and then firing multiple shots at them through his driver’s side window after he crashed. Two deputies and one MDPD officer fired back, striking Santiago multiple times. He crawled out of the truck and deputies immediately began rendering aid to the teenager.

Early Thursday afternoon, LCSO Sheriff Peyton Grinnell released video on the LCSO Facebook page because he felt several media organizations did not tell the whole story. This story is the first time Inside Lake published the videos and we chose to publish the videos in their entirety.

“When the video footage was aired on the different news stations, a few of the news stations, whether intentional or not, omitted or inaccurately narrated what was actually happening on the video. So, to make sure the citizens we proudly serve have the rest of the story, I’m providing you the same video released to the media outlets,” Grinnell said in the Facebook post.

“My deputies stayed in the fight with this armed individual to ensure he was taken off the street. The quick life-saving measures such as the application of tourniquets and pressure bandages applied by law enforcement officers after the suspect throws his gun out of the vehicle, may have helped save his life,” Grinnell said.

Late Thursday afternoon, VSO Sheriff Mike Chitwood announced the body of Juan Santiago was found in a lake in Orange County.

“A body that is believed to be missing father Juan Santiago has been located in Lake Avalon in Orange County. Our Major Case detectives are en route. Interesting note: Our suspect’s sister found the body while searching that lake,” Chitwood stated in a Facebook post.

He later said Jonny’s mother had an app that tracked Jonny’s location and Jonny’s sister found her father’s body wedged between some bushes in a remote location in Apopka.

It is unclear what additional charges Jonny Santiago is facing in Volusia County. “We’re not in a rush,” Chitwood said.

Body cam and dash cam released by LCSO. Due to its policies, YouTube has restricted the video to viewers aged 18 and up. This is beyond Inside Lake’s control; we appealed the decision and lost. Sensitive material, viewer discretion is advised.

Teenager Who Shot at Cops Transferred to Lake County Jail, Volusia Sheriff Says Missing Dad’s Body Found   Read More »

LCSO Sergeant Arrested for Solicitation of Prostitution

UPDATE: This story now contains Stone’s mugshot that was released after press time.

TAVARES, Florida—A Lake County Sheriff’s Office sergeant has been arrested for solicitation of prostitution after an investigation found he paid someone for sex for 8 months, with one encounter allegedly occurring on duty.

Sgt. Scott Stone, a 17-year veteran of LCSO turned himself in to the Lake County Jail on the warrant, LCSO Lt. John Herrell said in a press release.

In March, LCSO received “vague information from a citizen who advised there was a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office who was possibly paying for sex,” Herrell stated in the release.

The information was given to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and they began an investigation, interviewing subjects, reviewing digital forensics, and following up on tips, Herrell said. The investigation revealed Stone paid a subject for sex between June 2021 and February 2022. One encounter allegedly occurred while Stone was on duty, according to Herrell. Stone was a road patrol sergeant.

The details of the case have been sealed by the court, Herrell said, and disciplinary proceedings are currently underway.

Stone turned himself in at LCJ Wednesday and his bond was set at $1,000. His booking information and mugshot were not available at press time. 

Scott Stone PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

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Roommate Arrested in Death of Altoona Man who Suffered before Dying

TAVARES, Florida—A man already in the Lake County Jail for moving a man’s body and covering it with a sheet and couch cushions has been charged in his death, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Jesse “Cracker” Franklin Hill, 42, was arrested May 27 on a charge of tampering with evidence and is now facing a manslaughter charge, in the death of his roommate, Ernie Wayne Wilburn, 44, in Altoona in May.

On May 4, Hill made two “cryptic” emergency calls to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and deputies responded to 19331 East Altoona Road and found Wilburn covered in a sheet with cushions stacked on top of him and a puncture wound in his left rib area, according to the affidavit. LCSO also found a bloodstain indicating he was moved.

When LCSO read a search warrant for the property aloud, Hill reportedly asked if a specific area to the west side of the house was included, and he was informed it was; a Ruger .22 high-velocity air rifle was found in the same area.

An autopsy of Wilburn later found a .22 caliber pellet-style projectile in his lung, along with a significant blood clot in his chest cavity that indicated Wilburn “suffered for a significant time prior to his death,” the affidavit states.

Hill fled the residence during the investigation, according to the affidavit, later telling multiple sources he was “on the run” and “wanted for murder.”

LCSO caught up to Hill at a home in Eustis May 27 and he was arrested for tampering with evidence. He was held at the Lake County Jail on no bond until he was charged with manslaughter Friday; he is still being held on no bond on both charges.

A witness told LCSO Hill shot Wilburn with the air rifle because he was annoyed with him. The witness said Wilburn was outside a window yelling because he did not have a key and Hill shot him through the window. Hill told witnesses he did not believe the pellet gun would kill Wilburn, he just wanted him to go away.

Roommate Arrested in Death of Altoona Man who Suffered before Dying Read More »

Independence Day Events In Lake County

Independence Day Events In Lake County Read More »

Tavares Police Investigating Second Armed Robbery in Less than a Week

TAVARES, Florida—Tavares Police are investigating another armed robbery—the second one is less than a week.

Shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday, TPD and Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Golden Ox Liquors, 305 E. Burleigh Boulevard on a report of an armed robbery. The victim told police two black males with their faces covered, entered the store through the front door armed with guns, according to a report.

The two suspects approached the cash register, pointed their guns at the victim and demanded money. The victim complied and gave the robbers an undisclosed amount of cash, the report states.

The suspects, described as 5’10’ to 6 feet tall, wearing all black and possibly in their mid-twenties, walked around the counter and opened the door that leads into the Golden Ox Bar. The pair realized there were multiple patrons in the bar and then exited through the front door, according to the report.

They fled on foot and ran around the northwest corner of the business, the victim told TPD. TPD’s on-call detective responded to the scene, along with LCSO CSI to collect evidence.

This is the second armed robbery in Tavares in just five days. On Saturday, just before 10 p.m. two black males with their faces covered entered Sun Foods, 1165 East Alfred Street and took money from the register, TPD Lt. Sarah Coursey told Inside Lake Monday.

One of the suspects fired a shot, hitting some canned sodas and the duo fled the store on foot. An LCSO K9 responded and tracked their scent to a nearby apartment complex but was unable to locate them.

“We cannot determine at this time, but the robberies are possibly related,” Coursey said.

If you have information on either robbery, call TPD at 352-343-2101, extension 4.

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