Unincorporated Lake

CLERMONT, Florida—The crash that closed the eastbound lanes of Hammock Ridge Road for several hours Monday claimed the life of Clermont man, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. A 2017 Mack box truck was disabled in the eastbound outside lane of Hammock Ridge Road shortly before 9:30 a.m. Monday with its hazard lights on and traffic warning triangle markers placed in the roadway, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release. A 2003 Dodge Ram 1500, being driven by a 37-year-old Clermont man, was traveling in the same lane and attempted to switch lanes to avoid the disabled box

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

CLERMONT, Florida—A 5-year-old girl and three adults were killed just after midnight Wednesday when the Dodge Durango they were traveling in left the roadway and struck a tree, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release. The 2008 Durango being driven by a 24-year-old Orlando man was traveling southbound on County Road 561 when it failed to negotiate a curve near Florida Boys Ranch Road in unincorporated Clermont. The Durango ran off the road and struck a tree. The driver, a 48-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman, all of Orlando and a 5-year-old Clermont girl were all

CLERMONT, Florida—A Davenport woman apparently upset about the way someone was caring for her animals, pepper sprayed three adults and a child last week and is now facing three counts of battery, one count of child abuse and one county of burglary, according to an arrest affidavit. Dominique M. Glaspey, 19, was “extremely upset” that the woman who was caring for her animals left one inside of a vehicle while she went into a local business, according to the affidavit. Glaspey went to the woman’s home on Greater Groves Boulevard in unincorporated Clermont Saturday night and wanted her animals back,

CLERMONT, Florida—A Clermont woman died in a single-vehicle crash shortly after midnight Wednesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The 32-year-old woman was driving a 2015 Mercedes Benz SUV northbound on County Road 561 near Cypress Cove Lane when she lost control and left the roadway at 12:19 a.m. Wednesday, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release. The woman collied with a tree stump, causing the SUV to overturn and eject her. She was pronounced dead on the scene, and she was not wearing a seatbelt. The crash remains under investigation.

CLERMONT, Florida—A man who smacked a 14-year-old on the buttocks as she walked through a local Walmart with her family was arrested for lewd or lascivious molestation Friday. The girl’s father told a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy that a man, later identified as Derik Manuel Bonet-Rodriguez, 28, of Clermont, walked past his wife, daughter and an unnamed female and swung his right arm back and “intentionally struck the buttocks of the 14-year-old with an open hand,” at Walmart, 550 U. S. Highway 27, Clermont around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, the arrest affidavit states. The man then left on a bicycle

CLERMONT, Florida—A Clermont woman who shot her husband last month and left him in a vegetative state was arrested on a warrant for attempted murder Wednesday and is being held on $50,000 bond. Teresa Marie Kemme, 57, stands accused of shooting her husband during an altercation on March 27 at their home on Lake Katherine Circle. According to a probable cause affidavit, a witness told Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Kemme’s husband, who is not named, attempted to start a physical fight with Kemme’s son and Kemme walked into the home. The witness then walked the victim into the house

FOUR CORNERS, Florida—The Lake County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate a shooting that left a man dead Tuesday and have released the shooter’s name. Christopher Darrick Deloatch, 36, shot Dejuan Dior McWilliams, 31, around noon Tuesday when he tried to enter Deloatch’s apartment uninvited, LCSO Lt. Fred Jones said. McWilliams was found deceased on the third floor of an apartment building at Cagan Crossings, 16343 Cagan Crossing Boulevard in the Four Corners area, also known as Citrus Ridge. Jones said the pair were involved in a confrontation at Deloatch’s doorway. The investigation is ongoing.

FOUR CORNERS, Florida—A person was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon after a confrontation at the doorway of an apartment at Cagan Crossings in the Four Corners area The black male, whose identity has not been released, was found deceased around noon Tuesday by Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies, on the third floor of an apartment building LCSO Lt. Fred Jones said. Detectives have found the shooter and the deceased male knew each other and a confrontation occurred at the doorway of the apartment at 16343 Cagan Crossings Boulevard. The Four Corners area is also known as Citrus Ridge. No other

CLERMONT, Florida—A man who pleaded guilty to several counts of contracting without a license, grand theft, and failure to obtain workers compensation insurance in Pasco County early this month was served with a Lake County warrant Friday while serving his sentence, charging him with two of the same crimes. Eric Lee Manning, of Dade City, was served with the warrant for contracting without a license and grand theft just two days before his 34th birthday after being accused of swindling a Clermont woman out of more than $4,000 dollars in 2021, according to a probable cause affidavit. Manning is alleged

CLERMONT, Florida—A bicyclist was killed Thursday after he was struck by a car, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Witnesses told FHP the bicyclist, a 45-year-old Clermont man, was eastbound on the bike trail on State Road 50 and County Road 455, when he ran the stop sign and entered the direct path of a sedan that was southbound on County Road 455 at 3:30 p.m. near Clermont, FHP Lt. Kim Montes said in a press release. The impact killed the cyclist, who was wearing a helmet. The 16-year-old Montverde girl driving the sedan was not injured.   The crash

CLERMONT, Florida—A man was arrested Saturday for neglect of an elderly disabled person after he left his wheelchair-bound grandmother without help in deplorable conditions, according to an arrest affidavit. Michael Dale Plant’s grandmother called the Lake County Sheriff’s Office twice Saturday morning and reported Plant had not come home the night before. The woman, who suffers from dementia and recently been released from the hospital, told LCSO she feared something may have happened to Plant responder her home. Deputies made entry into her home due to her being immobile and in a wheelchair, the affidavit states. When a deputy entered

CLERMONT, Florida— Two more charges were added Wednesday, increasing his bond to $100,000, to a man accused of raping an 18-year-old student last week as she walked to her bus stop.   Brian Terick Wilkerson, 18, of Clermont is facing a charge of attempted kidnapping and assault with intent to do violence, in addition to sexual battery, kidnapping and false imprisonment charges he was originally arrested for on Monday by Lake County Sheriff’s Office detectives. Wilkerson is accused of raping a woman as she walked to her school bus stop at Carrington at Four Corners apartments in unincorporated Clermont around

CLERMONT, Florida—A man accused of raping an 18-year-old student Wednesday as she walked to her bus stop has been arrested just five days after the attack. Brian Terick Wilkerson, 18, of Clermont is facing a charge of sexual battery, kidnapping and false imprisonment after he was identified as the man who raped one victim and accosted two more, according to a probable cause affidavit. The first victim told police she was walking to her bus stop at Carrington at Four Corners apartments in unincorporated Clermont around 6:20 a.m. Wednesday when a man, later identified as Wilkerson, approached her from behind,

CLERMONT, Florida—A man who claimed he stole a car and broke into a home because he believed he was drugged at a bar is facing a trio of felonies after residents of the burglarized home detained him and called the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Early Saturday morning, LCSO responded to a report of a stolen car at McDonald’s, 16832 Corner Center Drive, Clermont and found that the victim left his car running in the parking lot. A man, later identified as Larry Lopez-Santana, 35, was captured on video at 2:15 a.m. walking up to the red Ford Focus, getting in

CLERMONT, Florida—A 17-year-old boy with a “history of violence” is accused of killing the family dog with a sword Saturday and leaving it in the woods near his house. Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home in unincorporated Clermont over the weekend on a report that Avery Featherston, 17, had killed the family dog with a sword and buried it in the woods. Deputies found a sword in the boy’s bedroom that still had animal hair on it, according to an arrest affidavit.  The boy’s stepfather showed deputies where he believed the dog may be and they found