UMATILLA, Florida—A man who allegedly threatened a group of people with a gun scaring a woman so much she urinated on herself, is being held in the Lake County Jail on $26,000 bond.
Jeremy Forest Mitchell, 29, is accused of accosting the woman about some money she allegedly owed him Saturday, according to an arrest affidavit.
The woman told a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy she was riding her bicycle with her friend on State Road 19 Saturday night when Mitchell came up on his skateboard asking about the money. Her boyfriend apparently saw the altercation, approached Mitchell, and asked, “Why are you talking to my girl?” the affidavit states.
Mitchell, of Yalaha, is then alleged to have pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the trio and said, “I’m going to cap all three of y’all!”
The group backed up and the woman urinated on herself out of fear, she told LCSO. She pulled out her phone and told Mitchell she was going to call law enforcement and Mitchell put the gun away, grabbed his skateboard and fled the area.
Deputies located Mitchell and the victim positively identified him as the perpetrator, according to the affidavit. Mitchell denied the accusations against him and denied talking to anyone that evening. He was taken into custody and found with a small amount of marijuana; deputies did not find a gun.
Mitchell was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of marijuana.
TAVARES, Florida—The man accused of killing his daughter’s boyfriend last month has died.
James M. Carlton, 57, was accused of shooting Austin Graham, 26, in the head and killing him on June 22 after the pair stopped to talk to each other on Whitney Road in unincorporated Leesburg. Graham was Carlton’s daughter’s boyfriend, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Fred Jones told Inside Lake.
Carlton, of Fruitland Park, fled the scene and was arrested for murder later that day at a bar in Marion County and held in the Marion County Jail until he was transferred to the Lake County Jail on Monday.
On Thursday night, Carlton was having a “medical issue” and after being evaluated by a nurse at the jail, he was transported to a local hospital, where he passed away, Jones said.
There was no use of force, and no foul play is suspected, Jones said.
EUSTIS, Florida—A pair of teenagers arrested last month for several vehicle burglaries are facing more charges.
Matthew Hanners, 18, of Eustis, was arrested twice this week, first on Wednesday and again on Thursday, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office online booking records.
In June, numerous neighborhoods on the east side of Eustis were hit with thieves, including, but not limited to, Blue Lake Estates, Misty Oaks, Summer Glen, Brookshire, Horizon Oaks and Hillcrest over the past few weeks, EPD Capt. Jon Fahning told Inside Lake last month.
Hanners and Casey C. Johnson, 19, of Leesburg, are accused of stealing many items, including guns, gift cards, jewelry and electronics. On June 16, the pair were arrested for several charges related to the burglaries; Hanners was released on $21,000 bond on June 21 and Johnson has been held in LCJ on $33,000 bond since the arrest.
On Wednesday, two charges were added to Johnson, armed burglary and petit theft and he was given ROR (released on his own recognizance) on the added charges, according to online jail records, but is still being held on the first set of charges. Hanners was arrested Wednesday for burglary and petit theft and was released on $6,000 bond. On Thursday, he was arrested again—this time for two counts of burglary, armed burglary, grand theft and two counts of petit theft. He is being held in LCJ on $33,000 bond. Hanners was also given ROR for two of his charges, burglary and petit theft.
Hanners’ and Johnson’s next court date is scheduled for July 11.
TAVARES, Florida—Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell has a message for those dealing drugs in Lake County…to be continued.
Announcing the largest fentanyl haul in Lake County history at a press conference Thursday, Grinnell spoke to members of the media about a 4-month operation that resulted in 27 people facing drug-related charges after detectives with multiple agencies targeted three high-level drug traffickers and their associates across the county.
Cliff “Sneak” Johnson, 40, Andrew “Smurf” Woodruff, 37, and Charles, “Cuz” Carter, 50, who have collectively been arrested 75 times for felonies, were the main targets of “Operation Sneak-A-Peek” Grinnell told reporters Thursday afternoon.
“Mr. Johnson goes by the street name, “Sneak,” and our detectives took a peek and what Mr. Sneak was up to; hence, the name of this operation,” Grinnell said.
Detectives from LCSO, Clermont Police Department, Eustis Police Department, Leesburg Police Department and Mount Dora Police Department, DEA, FBI, Homeland Security and the Fifth Circuit State Attorney’s Office investigated the trio and found that fentanyl was coming from Mexico into California and Texas and making its way to Lake County, either by shipping methods or transported by vehicle, Grinnell said.
“This was truly a team effort,” Grinnell said.
PHOTO: Bonnie Whicher/Inside Lake
Detectives traveled to Georgia and throughout Florida to crack the case, according to the sheriff.
Detectives recovered a large amount of drugs, including 3.1 pounds of fentanyl, 1.11 ounces of fentanyl pills, 22 pounds of methamphetamine, 2 pounds of cocaine, 1.2 ounces of crack cocaine, 5.7 ounces of heroin, 10 ounces of MDMA and 15 pounds of marijuana. Thirteen guns were recovered, three of which were stolen, in addition to $12,000 in cash, four vehicles and three pill presses. The drugs have a wholesale street value of nearly $300,000 Grinnell said.
Johnson, of Leesburg, is being held in the Sumter County Jail on no bond and is facing 23 charges, including trafficking, conspiracy to commit trafficking, unlawful use of a two-way communication device and possession of numerous different drugs; Woodruff, of Mount Dora, is being held in the Lake County Jail on no bond and is facing four charges, racketeering, conspiracy to commit trafficking in fentanyl and methamphetamine and, unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Carter, of Leesburg, is charged with conspiracy to commit trafficking in fentanyl and cocaine, and conspiracy to commit racketeering. He is also being held in LCJ on no bond.
The operation also revealed the suspects were dealing Isotonitazene, commonly known as ISO, a synthetic opioid that can be 20 to 100 times more potent than fentanyl, Grinnell said.
Seventeen suspects have been arrested and cops are still looking for nine more.
Grinnell had a message for those he calls “pushers of poison.”
“Operations like these save lives and put the pushers of poison behind bars. So here in Lake County, I say, to be continued.”
State Attorney Bill Gladson said some of the charges carry minimum mandatory prison sentences of at least 15 years.
Several documents in each of the suspects’ cases have been sealed and many details of the undercover operation are not available.
PAISLEY, Florida—A Lake County Fire Rescue firefighter is fighting for his life after two masses were found on his brain after being rushed to the hospital earlier this month.
Blake Kocielko, 28, of Deltona, was rushed to Central Florida Regional Medical Center in Sanford after experiencing blurred vision and sudden dizziness while at home on June 19, according to a GoFundMe started by his brother Colton. Colton also works for Lake County Fire Rescue and is currently working on his firefighter certification, he told Inside Lake.
Blake went through testing and two masses were found and one was determined to be a tumor, Colton said. Medical personnel were unable to reach the other mass.
“The tumors were not excised completely because more testing needs to be done first – but the neurosurgeon feels confident that they are cancerous. This is undoubtedly a devastating blow for Blake, his friends and family, and all of us here at Lake County Fire Rescue,” Lake County Firefighters stated in a Facebook post.
Blake was released from Central Florida Regional Medical Center in Sanford Thursday and is awaiting a second craniotomy at Shands Hospital in Gainesville to remove as much of one of the tumors as possible, Blake wrote in a GoFundMe update Monday.
“I am currently awaiting my second craniotomy procedure at Shands to attempt to remove as much of the tumor attached to my left lobe that they can and from there I will begin a treatment plan and begin the long road to recovery and hopefully return to healthy. I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you, no words of encouragement or support has gone unnoticed, and I truly couldn’t thank everyone enough,” Blake stated in the update.
Blake is expected to undergo the surgery in the next two weeks, Colton said. “Hopefully, that will relieve some of the symptoms.”
Blake worked for a private ambulance company before joining Lake EMS in 2018, “to work alongside me,” Colton, 30, said of his little brother. He joined Lake County Fire Rescue in 2021 and is currently stationed in Paisley.
Blake and his longtime girlfriend, Jordan, have a rescued Yorkie named Survivor and their pug, Milo, passed away unexpectedly while Blake was in the hospital.
If you would like to donate to Blake to aid in his expenses and recovery, please visit GoFundMe-Blake’s Fight
FOUR CORNERS, Florida—A 35-year-old Lakeland man was killed in the early morning hours Friday as the result of a hit and run and at least one vehicle running him over, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The man was riding a bicycle southbound at 4:45 a.m. on U.S. Highway 27 near U.S. Highway 192 in the bicycle lane when an unknown vehicle failed to maintain the outside lane and struck the bicyclist, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release.
The impact ejected the bicyclist and he landed in the outside lane, where a witness saw at least one vehicle, possibly two, strike the man and continue traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 27. The bicyclist was pronounced dead on the scene, Crescenzi said.
Troopers believe the vehicle that initially struck the man may be a semi, due to tire marks, Crescenzi said. Anyone with information is asked to call FHP at 407-737-2213 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
LEESBURG, Florida—The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the man killed in Leesburg Wednesday afternoon.
Austin Graham, 26, was shot in the head by James Carlton, 57, of Fruitland Park. Graham was Carlton’s daughter’s boyfriend, LCSO Lt. Fred Jones told Inside Lake.
Shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday, Graham and a witness were driving down Whitney Road near State Road 44, when the victim recognized Carlton’s vehicle. The two vehicles stopped, and Graham got out to greet Carlton and had a short conversation with him, the witness told LCSO.
After the brief conversation, Carlton shot Graham and fled the scene; Graham was transported to UF Health Leesburg, where he was pronounced dead, Jones said. Carlton was found at a bar in Marion County and multiple law enforcement agencies responded and took him into custody without incident, Jones said.
Carlton was arrested for first degree murder and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he is being held no bond.
Jones said detectives are still investigating the case and have not released a motive.
LEESBURG, Florida—A man was shot in the head and left on the side of the road in unincorporated Leesburg Wednesday, and the suspect fled to a Marion County bar, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Fred Jones.
At 2:50 p.m., the 26-year-old victim and a witness were driving down Whitney Road near State Road 44, when the victim recognized James Carlton’s vehicle. The two vehicles stopped, and the victim got out to greet Carlton and had a short conversation with him, the witness told LCSO. Inside Lake
After the brief conversation, Carlton 57, shot the victim and fled the scene. The victim was transported to UF Health Leesburg, where he was pronounced dead, Jones said in a press release. Carlton was found at a bar in Marion County and multiple law enforcement agencies responded and took him into custody without incident.
Carlton, of Fruitland Park, was arrested for murder and transported to the Marion County Jail. His booking information and mugshot were not available at press time.
LCSO has not released a motive for the shooting or the relationship between the victim and Carlton.
TAVARES, Florida—The man who was found dead Wednesday after apparently jumping from Dead River Bridge has been identified by Tavares Police Department.
Michael Wayne Newman, 50, of the Bassville Park area of Leesburg was found after a witness reported seeing him jump from the bridge around 5 p.m. Wednesday, TPD Lt. Sarah Coursey told Inside Lake.
First responders used sonar technology to quickly find Newman after receiving the report. There is no known cause of death at this time, “We are awaiting results from the medical examiner’s office,” Coursey said.
UMATILLA, Florida—A 64-year-old DeLand man was killed when he failed to negotiate a curve on County Road 450 Saturday morning, the Florida Highway patrol said Saturday.
Shortly before 10:45 a.m., the man was traveling eastbound on a 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle when he failed the negotiate a curve on County Road 450, also known as East Collins Street, near 9th Avenue, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release.
The motorcycle left the roadway and overturned; the man was pronounced dead on the scene. He was not wearing a helmet.
