Unincorporated Lake

GRAPHIC: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

Multiple law enforcement agencies search for missing Mount Dora mom Saturday

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Mount Dora, Unincorporated Lake / By

EUSTIS, Fla.—Only Inside Lake was on the scene as a large search was conducted Saturday by multiple law enforcement agencies for Mount Dora missing mom Nicole Baldwin.

Law enforcement officers and volunteers searched areas near the east side of Eustis for Baldwin, who has been missing since early November 2023. Inside Lake witnessed searchers on foot, along with additional searchers on ATVs and horses. The search spanned several hours and ended early in the afternoon Saturday.

PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

The search was planned for at least several weeks and a search of that magnitude involves a lot of preparation to coordinate with multiple agencies and units, MDPD Spokesperson Misty Sommer told Inside Lake.

“At this point in the investigation, Mount Dora Police Department is looking into all possible scenarios related to the search of Nicole Baldwin. This included a search, with our partner agencies, of nearby vacant lands that are in close proximity to her last known residence,” Sommer said.

Baldwin was last seen Nov. 2, 2023, at her Strathmore Circle home in Mount Dora and reported missing on Nov. 5, 2023. She was originally classified as “missing and endangered,” but a search warrant later stated police were looking for evidence in a second-degree murder investigation.

PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

This is the latest in a case that has seen many twists and turns; Baldwin’s husband, Brett, was arrested Dec.14, 2023 on federal child pornography charges and has been held on no bond in the Marion County Jail since his arrest. In January, investigators with MDPD and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement executed an electronics search warrant at the home of Terri Rogers, a volunteer and missing persons advocate who led several public searches for Baldwin. Rogers, who spoke exclusively with Inside Lake following the search, said investigators seized her phone, home security cameras, laptops and Amazon Alexa devices, among other electronics. Rogers has never been charged with a crime in this case.

Baldwin, 41, is described as a white female, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, 135 pounds with brown and dyed blonde hair, and hazel eyes. If you have information on Baldwin’s disappearance, call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS. Crimeline callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

Previous stories: Missing Person Advocate Says Law Enforcement Turned on Her in Missing Mount Dora Mom Case – Inside Lake

Feds: More than 2 Dozen Child Porn Images and Videos Found on Phone Seized in Missing Mount Dora Mom Case; Husband Planned to Move to North Carolina – Inside Lake

Husband of Missing Mount Dora Mom Being Held on Federal Charges – Inside Lake

Husband of Missing Mount Dora Woman Taken into Custody Thursday Morning – Inside Lake

Reward Offered for Information Leading to the Whereabouts of Missing Mount Dora Mother – Inside Lake

Community Search and Vigil Planned for Mount Dora Mom Missing a Month – Inside Lake

Major Law Enforcement Activity at Mount Dora Home of Missing Mom – Inside Lake

3 Weeks and Still No Sign of Missing Mount Dora Mom – Inside Lake

Mount Dora Woman Missing a Week, Daughter Wants Answers – Inside Lake

Multiple law enforcement agencies search for missing Mount Dora mom Saturday Read More »

PHOTO: Astatula Police Department

Astatula Police corporal suspended following domestic battery arrest

Astatula, Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Unincorporated Lake / By

ASTATULA, Fla.—An Astatula Police Department corporal is suspended and under internal investigation following an arrest for domestic battery last week.

Erick Capraun, 50, who has been with APD since 2016, was arrested by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office after his girlfriend said he had been drinking and pushed her Thursday afternoon.

She told deputies when she walked into the house in unincorporated Leesburg, Capraun started yelling at her over financial issues and pushed her in the shoulder. The argument ensued and he reportedly said, “stupid (expletive) I’m going to lose my dog.”

Capraun did serve as a K9 handler for APD, but the dog has been retired since his arrest, APD Chief Wally Hoagland told Inside Lake. “It was time,” he said.

Capraun told LCSO that the victim was intoxicated, and they were arguing about her driving while she was drinking. He said she was on the phone with an unknown male and told him she was going to leave him for the unknown male and then she pushed him, and he pushed her back. She told deputies he pushed her and when asked if she pushed him back, she said, “no, not that I can remember.” Capraun was arrested and changed his story while he was in the back of the patrol vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Deputies have responded to the home multiple times, including just five days before Capraun was arrested, for a similar issue, the arresting deputy noted in the affidavit.

Capraun will remain suspended from APD until the conclusion of the internal investigation, Hoagland said.

Astatula Police corporal suspended following domestic battery arrest Read More »

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Fatal crash shuts down 2 roads near Howey-in-the-Hills

Howey-in-the-Hills, Inside Scoop, Unincorporated Lake / By

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla.— A 73-year-old woman was killed Tuesday morning after a semi pulled out in front of her on State Road 19, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Around 7 a.m., a 43-year-old Palm Springs man was driving a semi eastbound on O’Brien Road; he attempted to make a left turn on State Road 19 and pulled out in front of a 2017 Toyota 4-Runner being driven by a Howey-in-the-Hills woman.

The SUV t-boned the semi’s trailer and the Howey-in-the-Hills woman was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased. The Palm Springs man was not injured.

At press time, State Road 19  and O’Brien Road were shut down.

Fatal crash shuts down 2 roads near Howey-in-the-Hills Read More »

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Clermont woman who was “acting strange and talking about having premonitions” arrested for killing husband

Clermont, Inside Scoop, Unincorporated Lake / By

CLERMONT, Fla.—A woman is facing a first-degree murder charge after shooting and killing her husband late Sunday night, according to an arrest affidavit.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to 10649 Lake Ralph Drive in unincorporated Clermont just before 10:10 p.m. on a report of a homicide and when they arrived, the complainant whose name is redacted from the affidavit, escorted a deputy into the home where Maria Jose Rodriguez, 40, was sitting in the dining room.

She was secured in handcuffs and placed in a patrol vehicle and deputies then found her husband, Andrew Rodriguez, 40, lying on his side in a pool of blood in a bedroom. Lake EMS pronounced him deceased 10 minutes after LCSO arrived on scene.

The complainant told deputies Maria Rodriguez was “acting strange and talking about having premonitions” prior to the shooting. Andrew Rodriguez contacted Maria Rodriguez’ mother and requested family members to come to the home. When the family told Maria Rodriguez they were going to take her to the hospital, she “freaked out,” followed her husband into the bedroom and shot him multiple times.

Maria Rodriguez then exited the bedroom with a notebook in her hand and stated how important the notebook was, according to the affidavit. Evidence found at the scene was consistent with Maria Rodriguez moving closer to her husband as she fired, an LCSO detective noted in the affidavit.

She was arrested for first-degree murder and transported to the Lake County Jail, where she is being held on no bond.

 

Clermont woman who was “acting strange and talking about having premonitions” arrested for killing husband Read More »

Leesburg woman arrested after boy tells his mom she touched him while he was sleeping

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Unincorporated Lake / By

LEESBURG, Fla.—The Lake County Sheriff’s Office quickly arrested a Leesburg woman early Saturday morning after a boy told his mother she inappropriately touched him while he was sleeping.

LCSO responded to a home in unincorporated Leesburg after the boy’s mom reported her son had called her “in a complete panic” and said he woke up to Anna Jackson, 38, rubbing his genitals and inner thigh, according to an arrest affidavit.

The boy, whose name is redacted because he is the victim of a sex crime, is between 12 and 15 years old, his exact age is also redacted. He told a deputy he was sleeping when he awoke to Jackson reaching under his clothes and touching his genital area. He said she got up and left the room but came back and began to touch him again. The boy said she only used her hands to touch him, and she touched him underneath his clothes.

He told her to stop, left the room and called his mom.

After speaking with the boy, deputies woke Jackson up and she said she had four to five small alcoholic drinks and did not remember anything except coming home and going to bed. Deputies questioned her about her sleeping habits, and she mentioned she had been single for a year, according to the affidavit. She also changed her story about the incident several times while being questioned.

Jackson was arrested for lewd and lascivious molestation and transported to the Lake County Jail, where she was released Monday on $10,000 bond.

Leesburg woman arrested after boy tells his mom she touched him while he was sleeping Read More »

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Man arrested last year for multiple thefts in Eustis nabbed by deputies after bailing out of stolen SUV in South Lake early Monday

Clermont, Eustis, Inside Scoop, Mount Dora, Unincorporated Lake / By

CLERMONT, Fla.—A man wanted for failure to appear in court for crimes in 2023 and now suspected of committing recent thefts in Eustis and Mount Dora, was apprehended after a Polk County license plate reader hit on the stolen SUV he was driving early Monday morning.

According to an arrest affidavit, around 4:45 a.m. Monday, the Polk County license plate reader hit on a black Honda SUV that was stolen in Mount Dora and Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputies located it traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 27 near U.S 192, approaching the Lake County line. PCSO’s Aviation Unit observed the Honda turn eastbound on Hartwood Marsh Road and then onto Lovers Lane. The vehicle then came to a stop in the 11000 block of Avalon Ridge Way and the driver, later identified as Jordan Makuannen, 19, fled on foot and attempted to hide behind a sand berm at Tarmac- Center Sand Mine.

PCSO’s Aviation Unit watched Makuannen from above while deputies on the ground deployed a PCSO K9 and Makuannen was located and taken into custody. Makuannen refused to identify himself to Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies but when he arrived at the Lake County Jail, jail staff was able to identify him, the affidavit states.

Jordan Makuannen in his October 2023 mugshot, left, and his mugshot taken after his arrest Monday.

Makuannen was already wanted for failure to appear on charges related to an October 2023 case in Eustis. Only Inside Lake reported in 2023 Makuannen’s stepfather turned him in after finding numerous identification cards in his home on East Atwater Avenue. Officers responded to the home and collected the cards that matched up to several victims of burglaries of both homes and vehicles in the area, some nearly two months old. The victims reported numerous items stolen, including guns, wallets, purses, electronics, cash and credit cards. Sixteen vehicle burglaries were reported during October 2023 and at least eight of them are within one half of a mile of the home on East Atwater Avenue, according to an affidavit in that case. In one incident, Makuannen is suspected of stealing a woman’s purse after entering her home on Blackberry Court, armed with a knife, while the victim was home.

EPD began watching Makuannen’s home on East Atwater Avenue in October and when he returned, officers knocked on the door and he fled from the back porch; he was taken into custody a few blocks away in the parking lot of a business on South Bay Street. He was arrested for eight charges, including armed burglary and grand theft and locked up on $65,000 bond. According to Lake County Clerk of Court online records, on Dec. 6, 2023, Makuannen’s public defender filed a motion to release him on his own recognizance because more than 30 days had passed since his arrest, and he had not been formally charged. About a week later, Circuit Judge Cary Rada granted the motion on the majority of his charges, reducing his bond to $16,000 and he bonded out Dec. 23, 2023. He failed to appear at subsequent court dates following his release, according to online records.

Eustis Police Department officers are seen here in October 2023 after apprehending burglary suspect Jordan Makuannen who fled from them. PHOTO:
Shannon Cook/Special to Inside Lake

On March 1, Makuannen was captured on surveillance video stealing a grocery order off of a porch on Morin Street in Eustis. In that incident, Makuannen is seen wearing tan pants and black slides as he takes several bags of groceries around 6 p.m. and again around five minutes later when he returns for a case of water.

Two days later, on March 3, LCSO attempted to pull over a Dodge Durango that had been stolen from a home on East Atwater Avenue—the same street Makuannen lives on and one of the vehicles he is suspected of burglarizing in October 2023.

The Durango fled and was later found abandoned at Club at Eustis Apartments behind Publix on David Walker Drive. Officers searched the Durango and found several grocery bags and items that matched what was stolen from the home on Morin Street.

Video surveillance captured Makuannen running through the apartment complex wearing the same black slides he was wearing when he stole the groceries two days prior, and another video showed Makuannen removing his black slides and leaving them on a staircase. EPD officers found the slides and collected them as evidence, but they did not find Makuannen.

After identifying Makuannen as the suspect in the grocery grab, EPD detectives secured a warrant for Makuannen’s arrest, as the court issued a warrant for his arrest for failure to appear. Makuannen apparently cut his hair, and stayed under the radar until he was apprehended Monday. He could be facing more charges in cases that are still under investigation, EPD Chief Craig Capri said.

He is being held in the Lake County Jail on no bond.

Previous story: Stepdad Turns Stepson in to Police After Finding Evidence of Multiple Burglaries in his Eustis Home Monday – Inside Lake

Man arrested last year for multiple thefts in Eustis nabbed by deputies after bailing out of stolen SUV in South Lake early Monday Read More »

LCSO investigates after a person was found deceased by EMS in a vehicle at a Leesburg gas station Friday. Courtesy photo

LCSO: No apparent foul play in death of man Friday

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Unincorporated Lake / By

LEESBURG, Fla.—Authorities have released the name of the man pronounced dead at a Leesburg gas station Friday and they do not believe his death was the result of foul play, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Dispatchers at Leesburg Police Department received a call from a person attempting to drive someone to the hospital Friday afternoon and they were instructed to pull over if they needed medical assistance, LCSO Cpl. Chanel Martin told Inside Lake Friday. Leesburg Police Department Capt. Joe Iozzi said investigators determined the incident began in LCSO’s jurisdiction and LCSO took over the investigation.

The driver pulled over at Wawa, 1400 North Boulevard, Leesburg and when EMS arrived, they pronounced John Michael Smith deceased, Martin said.

“The decedent, John Michael Smith, was turned over to the medical examiner’s office. There were no apparent signs of foul play, trauma, or a drug overdose,” Martin told Inside Lake. “He also had a medical history.”

Previous story: LCSO investigating after EMS pronounces person deceased at Leesburg gas station – Inside Lake

LCSO: No apparent foul play in death of man Friday Read More »

LCSO investigates after a person was found deceased by EMS in a vehicle at a Leesburg gas station. Courtesy photo

LCSO investigating after EMS pronounces person deceased at Leesburg gas station

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Unincorporated Lake / By

Update: LCSO: No apparent foul play in death of man Friday – Inside Lake

LEESBURG, Fla.—The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a death that occurred Friday.

Dispatchers at Leesburg Police Department received a call from a person attempting to drive someone to the hospital and they were instructed to pull over if they needed medical assistance, LCSO Cpl. Chanel Martin told Inside Lake.

They pulled over at Wawa, 1400 North Boulevard, Leesburg and when EMS arrived, they found a person was deceased, Martin said. Leesburg Police Department Capt. Joe Iozzi said investigators determined the incident began in LCSO’s jurisdiction and LCSO took over the investigation. Martin said LCSO detectives and the medical examiner are on scene and the investigation is ongoing. At press time person’s identity had not been released and the cause of death was unknown.

LCSO investigating after EMS pronounces person deceased at Leesburg gas station Read More »

Clermont man accused of exposing himself to minor in store parking lot in February

Clermont, Inside Scoop, Unincorporated Lake / By

CLERMONT, Fla.—An 18-year-old man is scheduled to be arraigned later this month on a charge of lewd and lascivious exhibition after being accused of exposing himself to a minor female in the parking lot of a busy store in February.

On Feb. 23, the girl told a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy she walked up to the vehicle she was riding in the parking lot of Kohl’s, 12305 U.S. Highway 27, Clermont when Ismael Torres Marchany, of Clermont, “startled her.” She said Marchany was making a “hissing” sound and when she turned around, he was exposing and touching himself, according to an arrest affidavit.

The victim became upset and started to cry and got into the passeneger side of the vehicle and told the woman she was with. The victim continued crying and began to panic and shake and the woman drove slowly through the parking lot and was able to get the make, model and license plate of the vehicle Marchany was driving. The victim and the woman went to their home in unincorporated Clermont and waited on deputies.

They gave the vehicle information to a deputy, and it came back to Marchany. The deputy contacted Marchany and met him on Thousand Trails Boulevard at Thousand Trails Orlando, an RV park in unincorporated Clermont. Marchany told the deputy he did not speak English and an officer from Clermont Police Department responded to the scene to translate, the affidavit states.

Marchany told law enforcement he works across the street from Kohl’s and was on a break. He said he went to Kohl’s parking lot to listen to music and as his break ended, he went to change into his uniform to go back to work.

“During the questioning he changed his words of time frame a couple of times, as well as stating that he had boxers on the entire time but ended fully nude in his vehicle,” the arresting deputy noted in the affidavit.

Marchany was not questioned about the minor female but brought her up on his own and said a female came up to his driver’s door when he was “looking away and not paying attention,” the affidavit states. Marchany said she startled him but at “no point did he touch himself in a sexual way. Marchany said he changed his clothes, went back to work and then went home.

Marchany was placed under arrest and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $5,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 18.

Clermont Police Department is also investigating a similar incident that occurred on Dec. 23, 2023, involving the same vehicle and more charges against Marchany are possible in that case.

Clermont man accused of exposing himself to minor in store parking lot in February Read More »

Eustis man held on no bond after baseball bat attack

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Unincorporated Lake / By

EUSTIS, Fla.—A baseball bat attack sent one man to the hospital by helicopter and another man to the Lake County Jail, late Sunday night, according to an arrest affidavit.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Waycross Avenue and Gables Drive, near Eustis around 10:30 p.m. Sunday after a witness reported she saw a man, later identified as Jamie Hoover Locklear, 41, strike another man in the head with a black metal baseball bat.

When deputies arrived, they found a man, who was not publicly identified, suffering from a “severe laceration” on his head, approximately 3 inches long, the affidavit states. EMS treated the man, and he was transported by air to Orlando Regional Medical Center as a trauma alert.

The witness told deputies she and Locklear exchanged words and she witnessed Locklear strike the victim with a bat. She described Locklear and provided the license plate number to a blue Dodge Durango Locklear left in.

Eustis Police Department officers located the SUV on South Mary Street and Locklear was arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was transported to LCJ, where he is being held on no bond.

Eustis man held on no bond after baseball bat attack Read More »

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