Tavares

Man Who Had “Lapse In Judgment” Turns Himself In After FDLE Agents Find Child Pornography On His Phone

TAVARES, Florida—A Windermere man who lived in Clermont in October turned himself in at the Lake County Jail Thursday on a warrant for two counts possession child pornography.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Timothy Ray Holmes, 37, messaged a Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) detective who was acting as an underage decoy on the app, Whisper on Oct. 14. Holmes asked the detective for a photo, and she sent him a photo of an employee who was 14 or 15 years old at the time the photo was taken and told Holmes she was 13. Holmes advised he was 37.

Timothy Holmes PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

The conversation continued through Oct. 26 and Holmes identified himself to be a 37-year-old military veteran named Tim; he sent who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, six unsolicited photos of his penis and asked for sexual photos of the girl. The WCSO detective subpoenaed subscriber information for the IP address used to message the detective and found it belonged to Holmes at his apartment on Town Center Boulevard.

A Lake County judge granted a search warrant on Feb. 14 for Holmes’ apartment and on Feb 16, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent contacted Holmes and met him in the parking lot of his apartment complex, the affidavit states.

Holmes admitted using the Whisper app to communicate with who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, admitted sending photos of his penis and asking the girl to take sexual photos of herself.

Holmes said the situation was a “lapse in judgment, stupid on his part” and “just conversations and he never met the decoy in person. Holmes handed over his phone and spontaneously told agents they would find photos of a 10-year-old girl in the Anon Chat app. Agents found a sexually explicit photo of a young girl and ended the preview of the device so they could obtain a search warrant for the phone, according to the affidavit. An additional photo was found after a forensic search of the phone.

A Warrant was issued for Holmes’ arrest Wednesday, and he turned himself into the Lake County Jail Thursday, where he was released on $4,000 bond.

Man Who Had “Lapse In Judgment” Turns Himself In After FDLE Agents Find Child Pornography On His Phone Read More »

Man Confronted By Homeowner As He Attempts To Steal ATV, Runs Out Of His Slides and Drops His Phone. Text Messages Reveal His Plan

SORRENTO, Florida—A burglary suspect who was being chased by the homeowner he attempted to steal an ATV from, dropped his phone and ran right out of his slides last week; and the found phone led to the capture of both him and his partner in crime, according to an arrest affidavit.

 Before daylight Thursday, a Sorrento resident observed a male, later identified as Tyler Ray Trapp, 22, enter her back porch and take an ATV. The woman woke her husband, who went outside and confronted Trapp.

As Trapp attempted to leave the property, the male victim yelled and Trapp took off on foot, running out of his white Nike slides and dropping his phone, according to the affidavit.

The victims turned the phone and slides over to Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies and a detective took over the case. After obtaining a search warrant for the phone and looking through it, the detective determined the phone belonged to Trapp—the phone was logged into all his social media accounts, a T-Mobile account was registered to Trapp, text messages referred to him by name and he found a text conversation between Trapp and Jeremy Bradford Williams, 41, discussing the planned theft of the ATV.

That text conversation contained several statements, including: “I have a gig where we can get an ATV and a dump trailer; how are we going to get the trailer and the ATV out of the area; lets just get the ATV tonight because my friend won’t let me borrow the wrecker for the trailer; do we need bolt cutters; will we need a key for the ATV; are you sure there are no cameras at this house; where will you be waiting to pick me up in case something goes wrong.”

A neighbor of the victims who own the ATV had a dump trailer in their driveway, the detective noted in the affidavit.

After gathering evidence from the dropped phone, the detective began surveilling Williams’ residence less than 24 hours after the attempted burglary of the ATV. A red truck pulled up to the residence and LCSO spoke to a man who was there to buy tools he had already partially paid for. He was released and shortly after Trapp and Williams pulled up and were detained. Williams was “misleading” during the interview and would not give his “full involvement” in the burglary, the detective noted. Trapp, however, was more forthcoming. He admitted to the burglary of the ATV and told LCSO there were several stolen items on Williams’ property, including the tools the man came to buy earlier. Those were stolen from Home Depot, according to the affidavit. He also said they stole items from Tractor Supply Co.

Williams gave consent to search his property and the stolen items were located and taken into evidence. The car the pair were in was registered to a couple in Missouri and Williams originally said it belonged to his wife. He later recanted that statement and said he did not know who it belonged to. Trapp said Williams obtained the car, but he thinks it might be stolen and just not reported yet. Trapp also said Williams is involved in drug activity and there may be drugs in the car.

LCSO searched the car before it was towed away, and a black box was found in the car that contained Xanax, fentanyl and 66 grams of methamphetamine. Williams also had $1,600 cash.

Trapp and Williams were both arrested for burglary, grand theft, unlawful use of a two-way communication device and dealing in stolen property. Williams is facing additional charges of trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of fentanyl, possession of Xanax and possession drug paraphernalia.

Trapp was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $40,000 bond. Williams is being held at LCJ on $56,5000 bond.

Trapp was arrested earlier this month for burglary and possession of burglary tools after Tavares Police caught him in the garden center of Ace Hardware, 509 South Duncan Drive, shortly before 3 a.m. Feb. 12. He was released on $7,000 bond in that case and that case is still pending.

Man Confronted By Homeowner As He Attempts To Steal ATV, Runs Out Of His Slides and Drops His Phone. Text Messages Reveal His Plan Read More »

Eustis Man Crashes Through Guardrail, Takes Out $50,000 Electrical Box, Flees, Arrested for DUI

TAVARES, Florida—A Eustis man who was driving under the influence took out a $50,000 electrical box for a traffic light, crashed through a guardrail, fled the scene, and had someone coming to pick him up at the next intersection when Eustis Police caught up with him, according to an arrest affidavit.

Shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday, Tavares Police responded to the intersection of U.S. Highway 441 and David Walker Drive on a report of a crash and later met with Eustis Police who had the vehicle responsible for the crash stopped at the next intersection near Sonny’s BBQ, according to an arrest affidavit.

An EPD officer told the TPD officer she believed the driver, Sean Donegal Pearce, 25, was under the influence due to his glassy bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and slow movements. The TPD officer could smell alcohol on Pearce as she spoke to him, she noted in the affidavit.

Sean Pearce PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Pearce openly admitted he had been drinking and told police he is not a frequent drinker. He agreed to perform field sobriety exercises and struggled with completing them and was arrested for DUI and taken into custody. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he provided two breath samples that registered at .13 and .12, well over the legal limit. Pearce was released from LCJ on $2,500 bond. He was also ticketed for leaving the scene of a crash with property damage.

Eustis Man Crashes Through Guardrail, Takes Out $50,000 Electrical Box, Flees, Arrested for DUI Read More »

Tavares Police Release Names of Those Cited In Underage Alcohol Sting

TAVARES, Florida—Tavares Police Department has released the names of the four restaurant employees accused of serving minors Friday night.

TPD utilized three confidential informants for its undercover operation and each one used their actual state issued identification, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake. No fake IDs were used in the operation. One informant is 20 and will not turn 21 until close to the end of 2022 and the other two informants are under 18, according to a report.

Around 7:30 p.m., the informants went to Dog House, 201 West Ruby Street and sat at the bar. The 20-year-old informant ordered a vodka and tonic and was asked for identification. The informant produced the identification that stated she was 20 years old and Kayla Maznaritz, 29, of Tavares “looked at her ID for a very long time and eventually asked if she was 21,” the report states. The informant said she was 21 and Maznaritz gave her identification back and served the vodka and tonic. The other two teenagers were asked for identification and said they forgot it. They were not served.

Maznaritz was removed from the restaurant and issued a misdemeanor citation that requires an appearance in court. Maznaritz told TPD she had her manager look at the identification and the manager confirmed the informant was 21, but the informant said Maznaritz was the only one who looked at it.

At 8:40 p.m. all three informants entered Puddle Jumpers, 111 West Ruby Street and sat at a table. The 20-year-old ordered a vodka and tonic and the teenagers each ordered a beer. Dorothy Fox, 49, of Tavares looked at each of their IDs, complimented their photos and handed them back. All three minors were served, and each identification had a large red box with yellow lettering stating when the individual would turn 21.

Around 9 p.m., the trio went to Tiki West, 118 West Ruby Street and sat at the “oyster bar,” according to a report. The 20-year-old informant ordered a vodka and tonic and was asked for identification. The informant produced it and was served by Gabriella Shelton, 29, of Tavares. The second informant produced identification and was not served, and neither was the third informant who said they did not have their identification, the report states.

At 9:15 the trio went to the last restaurant that would serve them Friday night, Buster Tubbs, 110 South New Hampshire Avenue. They sat at a table and ordered a vodka and tonic and beers, according to the report. Server Gerri Roos, 49, of DeLand, asked for their identification because her boss “was around” but she “really don’t care,” the report states. She glanced at two of the identifications and did not look at the third, according to the report.

Fox, Shelton and Roos were all issued misdemeanor citations, along with Maznaritz and TPD turned over its findings to to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the agency charged with issuing liquor licenses and regulating alcoholic beverage laws, TPD Lt. Sarah Coursey told Inside Lake Friday.

TPD has seen an uptick in minor crimes committed by juveniles lately and stopped a minor walking downtown with a beer earlier this month. “We were informed there were some issues downtown, so we acted quickly to try to prevent further problems like fights, DUIs and disturbances,” Coursey said.

The informants attempted to buy alcohol at four other establishments Friday night. Hemingway’s Wine Beer and Cigar Bar, 126 West Ruby Street; Kalua Beach Bar, 181 South Joanna Avenue, O’Keefe’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, 115 S. Rockingham Avenue and Ruby Street Grille, 221 East Ruby Street all denied the minors.

Tavares Police Release Names of Those Cited In Underage Alcohol Sting Read More »

Rivalry Between Juvenile Gangs Responsible For Multiple Shootings, Police Say. Several Law Enforcement Agencies Working Together

EUSTIS, Florida—Tavares Police arrested a teenager last week on a juvenile pickup order for shooting at an apartment with children inside earlier this month while another group of children played basketball just 350 feet away, and Eustis Police say it is just one shooting in a string of violent encounters between two rival gangs that has lasted for more than a year.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Feb. 7, EPD responded to a drive-by shooting in the 1200 block of East Hazzard Avenue, and found a bullet hit a home and a tree, along with four shell casings in the roadway, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Police spoke to witnesses and found that two cars pulled up to the children playing basketball and asked where someone was by their nickname, “Cherry Lake.” “Cherry Lake” is a known gang member, affiliated with the “510 Gang.” Inside Lake is not naming “Cherry Lake” by his real name, because he has not been charged with a crime. The males then got back into one of the vehicles and left; another witness described the same vehicle driving by her apartment and firing shots.

The “4wayy” gang has been investigated for several shootings dating back to November 2020, according to Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri. Police believe there is a rivalry between “510 Gang” that is comprised of mostly juveniles who live in or grew up in Eustis, and “4wayy” that is comprised of mostly juveniles who live in or grew up in Mount Dora. Police are still investigating the motive behind the rivalry; they have received information that it started over stolen guns, a female, drugs, and trash talking, according to an EPD detective working the case.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Dora Police Department and Tavares Police Department have all been working together, gathering intelligence and trading information, Capri told Inside Lake. Capri’s own officers have been working hard to talk to witnesses and gather evidence to make arrests.

“I am very proud of the men and women of Eustis Police Department and the work they have put in on these cases,” Capri said.

This rivalry began more than a year ago and there have been 15 to 20 shootings reported to law enforcement involving these two gangs in a little over a year, and police believe there are more that have been unreported, Capri said, and most were drive-by shootings where no one was injured. The home on Hazzard Avenue has been shot at, at least four times in the last few months, an EPD detective close to the investigation said. Police are still working to figure out exactly what started it, Capri said. Though it is believed to have begun earlier in November 2020, on Nov. 27, 2020, a woman, who was an innocent bystander, was shot in downtown Eustis following the city’s annual “Light Up Eustis” festivities. She was standing in the brick area near Wells Fargo Advisors and Sol De Mexico when she was hit by one of the three shots fired. This reporter was the only media on scene following that incident. Brycen Jacobe Williams, then 17, was arrested less than two months later for the shooting.

In this most recent shooting on Feb. 7, a tipster showed police a Snapchat story posted by Williams that showed EPD cars on the scene with the caption, “Ain’t Nomoee Who Dat, We Shoot Dat.”

Gang members from both sides have utilized social media to brag and get “street credit,” the detective told Inside Lake. Videos and photos were discovered on social media showing the car suspected in the Feb. 7 shooting near the shooting location on the same date. In those videos, a white Dodge Dart, the car suspected in the shooting, can be seen in the photos and videos, according to the affidavit. The photos and videos were recorded just six minutes before the shots were fired.

Eustis Police investigate a shooting at Sunset Island Park on Jan. 22. A 17-year-old boy was shot in what police believe was a random attack. Police are investigating multiple shootings that are due to a gang rivalry. PHOTO: Inside Lake

EPD, LCSO, MDPD and LCSO stepped up patrols in response to this shooting and the following day, Feb. 8, a white Dodge Dart was spotted speeding less than a half of a mile from the shooting scene on Hazzard Avenue around 10:45 p.m. And EPD officer attempted to pull the Dodge over and it fled several blocks. The car suddenly pulled over and at least one passenger bailed out of the car and fled on foot.

The driver, Joseph Antwon Baker, 21, of Tavares was taken into custody and searched. Police found a small bag of marijuana, his wallet, $20, a scale and a Vienna sausage, according to the arrest affidavit. Baker told EPD there were two people in his vehicle who fled from the scene. Baker said once EPD got behind the car, the front seat passenger, Artavious “Kutt” Williams, 16, put a gun to his head and said, “If you stop, I’m going to kill you.”

Editor’s note: Although Brycen Williams, who was arrested for the Light Up Eustis shooting, and Artavious Williams are both said to be gang members and have the same last name, they are not related according to EPD.

Baker was arrested for feeling and eluding, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $7,000 bond.

Baker told police Robert “Swag” Sharp Jr. texted him on Feb. 7 to play basketball. He picked Sharp up, and they played at Carver Pak in Eustis and then went home. He denied any shots were fired from his car; however, Baker did identify Sharp from a photo on social media and confirmed Sharp was standing in front of Baker’s Dodge Dart in the photo.

On Feb. 9, in a second interview, Baker admitted he was driving and Williams aka “Kutt” was in the passenger seat while Sharp was in the back. Baker said Williams stood outside the window and fired shots at the apartment of Hazzard Avenue. Two other individuals were also in the backseat, according to Baker, but Inside Lake is not naming them because they have not been charged with a crime at this time.

Williams and Sharp have both been arrested for the Feb. 7 shooting, according to EPD. TPD picked up Sharp and it is unclear when Williams was picked up. They are facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, improper exhibition of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a minor.

Police also believe the shooting at Sunset Island Park on Jan. 22 involves some “4wayy” members, but the shooting was random, Capri told Inside Lake. Thomas Saliba, 17, was shot in the face during a 3-year-old’s birthday party, but was not targeted, Capri said. It is believed that the individuals involved in that shooting just randomly decided to shoot up a park, he said. One person has been arrested in that case.

LCSO, EPD, MDPD and TPD are continuing to work together, and more arrests are forthcoming, Capri said.

Rivalry Between Juvenile Gangs Responsible For Multiple Shootings, Police Say. Several Law Enforcement Agencies Working Together Read More »

Four Tavares Restaurants Busted Selling Alcohol To Minors

TAVARES, Florida—In an effort to deter a small uptick in minor juvenile crimes downtown, Tavares Police Department performed underage alcohol buys Friday and four of the eight establishments they tried to buy from sold alcohol to minors, according to TPD Lt. Sarah Coursey.

“We were informed there were some issues downtown, so we acted quickly to try to prevent further problems like fights, DUIs and disturbances,” Coursey told Inside Lake. “One of our officers stopped a minor walking downtown with a beer just a few days ago.”

Buster Tubbs, 110 South New Hampshire Avenue, Puddle Jumpers Lakeside Grill & Bar, 111 West Ruby Street; Tavares Dog House, 201 West Ruby Street and Tiki West Raw Bar and Grill all sold alcohol to minors, according to Coursey.

“The buyers showed their IDs at all of the establishments. Some served regardless and others didn’t bother checking,” Coursey said.

Hemingway’s Wine Beer and Cigar Bar, 126 West Ruby Street; Kalua Beach Bar, 181 South Joanna Avenue, O’Keefe’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, 115 S. Rockingham Avenue and Ruby Street Grille, 221 East Ruby Street all denied the minors.

Employees who sold to the minors were given a misdemeanor citation that requires an appearance in court and TPD will be sending its findings to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the agency charged with issuing liquor licenses and regulating alcoholic beverage laws, Coursey said.

Four Tavares Restaurants Busted Selling Alcohol To Minors Read More »

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Domino’s and Delivery Driver In 2020 Death Of Pedestrian

TAVARES, Florida—A lawsuit has been filed in the death of a pedestrian who was killed while walking with her boyfriend down State Road 19 in Umatilla in 2020.

Rebecca “Becky” Lynn Carpenter, 39, was walking northbound along the shoulder of State Road 19 on the south end of Umatilla near the Dollar General that had recently opened with her boyfriend, Russell “Rusty” Gibbons, when she was struck by a sedan, also traveling northbound around 8 p.m. May 30, 2020.  The sedan was being driven by Frederick Martin Cole, of Eustis who was 29 and working for Domino’s, 1936 North State Road 19, Eustis at the time of the crash. Carpenter was pronounced dead on the scene; Gibbons was not hit, the Florida Highway Patrol said in 2020.  

The vehicle that struck Rebecca “Becky” Carpenter in 2020. Courtesy photo

According to the lawsuit filed in Lake County Circuit Court against Cole and ASR Pizza Inc. dba Domino’s Pizza LLC on Monday, Cole was “negligent and careless in the operation of his motor vehicle as to collide with Rebecca Carpenter, a pedestrian. As a direct and proximate result of the negligence of the defendant Frederick Martin Cole, the decedent, Rebecca Carpenter suffered serious and permanent injuries which led to her death.”

The suit, filed on behalf of Carpenter’s minor daughter, states ASR Pizza Inc. dba Domino’s Pizza LLC is vicariously liable for Cole’s actions. The plaintiff, who is represented by George Anderson III of Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys, is seeking more than $30,000 in damages.    

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Domino’s and Delivery Driver In 2020 Death Of Pedestrian Read More »

Friends and Colleagues Remember Judge T. Michael Johnson

TAVARES, Florida— “A friend for the ages, for a lot of people.”

That is how retired Public Defender Howard “Skip” Babb describes his longtime best friend and former coworker T. Michael Johnson, who passed away Monday after suffering a heart attack.

Well known and well-respected, Johnson, who served as a circuit judge was appointed to the bench in 1995 by then-Gov. Lawton Chiles, and served until his retirement in 2011, and was a senior judge at the time of his passing. He presided over many trials in Lake County, including the first murder trial this reporter covered at the beginning of her professional career in 2005. He also presided over the trials of Donte Hall and Dante Hall, identical twins accused of robbery and murder in Eustis in 2006, a case that made national headlines.

Before he was appointed judge, Johnson worked at the Fifth Circuit Public Defender’s Office for 14 years under Babb in numerous roles, including chief assistant. During his time as a public defender, he represented Richard Henyard, who was convicted and later executed for the murders of two young sisters. Henyard was also convicted in the rape and attempted murder of the girls’ mother.

Babb said Johnson was born and raised in Sumter County and began his professional career at Sumter Correctional Institution.

“I was lucky to get him,“ Babb told Inside Lake. You are who you hire, and he was a good hire.”

Mike Graves, Phil Kairalla, T. Michael Johnson, Skip Babb and Mike Lupton tailgating at a Florida State University football game.

“Judge Johnson was a highly regarded, talented and effective defense attorney, who transferred his skills seamlessly to the judiciary. As a judge, he strove to be fair and was always practical in helping the parties come to a resolution. His sense of humor was legendary,” said James Hope, a former prosecutor and current criminal defense attorney, who has practiced law in Lake County for 35 years.

Johnson is survived by his wife, Michelle Morley, and she currently serves as a circuit judge in Sumter County. Kelly Bagwell, who is a paralegal for Hatfield and Stack in Tavares, credits Johnson and Morley for her decision to become a paralegal. She originally planned to be a nurse and after working for Morley, she changed her career path.

Judge. T. Michael Johnson marrying Kelly and Sterling Bagwell.

“They were so influential in my life,” she told Inside Lake. “He was just amazing.”

Johnson holds another special place in Bagwell’s life—he married her and her husband Sterling, 19 years ago. He recently told her they were the only couple he married that were still together.

Numerous posts and comments could be found about Johnson on social media Monday and Tuesday. “He touched a lot of people,” Babb said. “It’s a sad day.

Friends and Colleagues Remember Judge T. Michael Johnson Read More »

BREAKING NEWS: Tavares Police Release Body Cam Footage in NFL Player’s Arrest

Publisher’s note: The following video contains explicit language.

TAVARES, Florida—Body cam footage has been released in the arrest of Jacksonville Jaguars’ player Lerentee’ Zavonne McCray, 31.

Tavares Police Department released the footage Wednesday morning in the Jan. 16 arrest of McCray.  The video shows McCray pulling into the parking lot 7-Eleven at the corner of U.S. Highway 441 and Banning Beach Road in Tavares playing very loud music. Officers from TPD were arresting an individual for drug possession following a traffic stop and were being assisted by a sergeant from Astatula Police Department, according to a TPD report.  

In the video, McCray attempts to put gas in a TPD patrol car and says, “I just need you to take care of my son.” An officer tries to stop him, and he struggles with McCray over the gas nozzle. McCray then asks the officer to take him home and says, “I thought I seen something I didn’t see,” and the officer tells him to walk away.

 McCray then went to the back of his truck and removed a child’s bicycle and placed it on the hood of the truck and began “talking in circles.” McCray then laid on the ground as if he wanted to be handcuffed, the officer noted in the report.

Earlier that morning, McCray, 31, fled from Fruitland Park Police Department when an officer attempted to pull him over for speeding, according to an arrest affidavit. An officer spotted a white Dodge Ram traveling on County Road 25 at a “high rate of speed” and utilized her radar to find the truck was going 88 mph. The officer attempted to stop the Ram at C.R. 25 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard by activating her lights and sirens and the driver, later identified as McCray, put his left arm out of the window and flipped his middle finger at the officer, according to the affidavit.

About 15 minutes later after fleeing FPPD, McCray pulled into the gas station in Tavares and was eventually arrested.

McCray was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, where he was arrested by FPPD after he was medically cleared. TPD conducted an inventory of McCray’s truck and found a small bag of marijuana and a Benelli SuperNova shotgun.

McCray is facing a charge of fleeing and eluding and was released from the Lake County Jail on $5,000 bond. McCray played for the University of Florida from 2008 to 2012 and has been a Jacksonville Jaguar since 2017.  

BREAKING NEWS: Tavares Police Release Body Cam Footage in NFL Player’s Arrest Read More »

NFL Player Flees Fruitland Park Police, Attempts To Pump Gas In Tavares Police Car, Taken To Hospital For Erratic Behavior

TAVARES, Florida—A Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end was arrested in Tavares early Sunday morning after fleeing Fruitland Park Police.

Lerentee’ Zavonne McCray, 31, fled from FPPD when an officer attempted to pull him over for speeding, according to an arrest affidavit. An officer spotted a white Dodge Ram traveling on County Road 25 at a “high rate of speed” and utilized her radar to find the truck was going 88 mph. The officer attempted to stop the Ram at C.R. 25 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard by activating her lights and sirens and the driver, later identified as McCray, put his left arm out of the window and flipped his middle finger at the officer, according to the affidavit.

The officer began to chase McCray and an FPPD sergeant joined in, reaching speeds up to 100 mph, the affidavit states. McCray was driving in “an extremely reckless manner,” swerving across all three southbound lanes of traffic and FPPD terminated the stop.

About 15 minutes later, McCray pulled into 7-Eleven at the corner of U.S. Highway 441 and Banning Beach Road in Tavares. Officers from Tavares Police Department were arresting an individual for drug possession following a traffic stop and were being assisted by a sergeant from Astatula Police Department, according to a TPD report.

PHOTO: NFL

McCray, who appeared to know the APD sergeant, gave him a fist bump and then retrieved his wallet. McCray then walked over to a TPD officer’s car, opened the fuel door and walked over to the pump attempting to buy some gas, according to the report. The officer told McCray that was not necessary and closed the fuel door. McCray opened the door again and inserted the fuel nozzle into the patrol car. The officer attempted to take the nozzle from McCray, and he forcefully grabbed the officer’s wrist, and the officer pushed him back, the report states.

McCray then went to the back of his truck and removed a child’s bicycle and placed it on the hood of the truck and began “talking in circles.” McCray then laid on the ground as if he wanted to be handcuffed, the officer noted in the report.

McCray was handcuffed due to his erratic behavior and was not making sense when he spoke. The TPD officer allowed McCray to lean on his knee as they spoke, and McCray fell asleep. Officer called Lake EMS to the scene and as McCray was placed on a stretcher, FPPD informed TPD they had charges for McCray due to him fleeing the earlier traffic stop.

McCray was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, where he was arrested by FPPD after he was medically cleared. TPD conducted an inventory of McCray’s truck and found a small bag of marijuana and a Benelli SuperNova shotgun.

McCray is facing a charge of fleeing and eluding he was released from the Lake County Jail on $5,000 bond.  McCray played for the University of Florida from 2008 to 2012 and has been a Jacksonville Jaguar since 2017.  

NFL Player Flees Fruitland Park Police, Attempts To Pump Gas In Tavares Police Car, Taken To Hospital For Erratic Behavior Read More »

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