Inside Scoop

Sorrento Man Facing Multiple Charges After Shooting, Killing Man Friday Night

SORRENTO, Florida—A Sorrento man is facing a manslaughter charge and an aggravated battery charge after shooting a man and killing him Friday night, according to an arrest affidavit.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Quaker Ridge Avenue on a report of a person being shot, and when they arrived, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares where he succumbed to his injury and was pronounced deceased. The victim’s name is redacted from the affidavit.

The investigation revealed Wallace Mannin Kirkland, 59, had shot the man once in the chest with a semi-automatic pistol and based on several interviews, LCSO found that Kirkland and the victim had multiple verbal altercations in the past, the affidavit states.

Wallace Kirkland PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Prior to the shooting, Kirkland, his wife and a neighbor were standing on the side of Quaker Ridge Avenue when the victim drove by in a Can-Am Side-by-Side and Kirkland threw a beer can over the side-by-side as it drove past. The victim got out of the vehicle, approached Kirkland, and said something similar to “I’m going to kill you,” the affidavit states. Witnesses told LCSO they did not see a weapon in the victim’s hand, and he was outnumbered due to the neighbor standing with Kirkland. The victim was also smaller than Kirkland, whose booking sheet lists him at 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighing 250 pounds.

When the victim got within 3 to 4 feet of the victim, witnesses heard a gunshot and then the victim said he could not believe Kirkland shot him, according to the affidavit. The victim returned to the side-by-side, drove a short distance and appeared to pass out. LCSO obtained a search warrant and found a gun with one spent casing in the chamber.

Kirkland was arrested for manslaughter and aggravated battery with a firearm and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $40,000 bond.

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Person Airlifted After Being Rescued from Fire Sunday Night, Deputy Transported

ALTOONA, Florida—One person was rescued and airlifted for treatment and a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy was transported to the hospital following a structure fire Sunday night, according to Umatilla Fire Department.

Numerous agencies responded to the fire in addition to UFD and LCSO, including Eustis Fire Department, Leesburg Fire Department, Lake County Fire Rescue, Marion County Fire Rescue and Lake EMS, a UFD social media post stated. An exact address for the fire was unavailable at press time, but numerous social media posts and comments said the fire was in the Shockley Heights area.

UFD was first on the scene of the fire that had one person trapped inside. The unidentified person was rescued and airlifted to a local hospital and a deputy was transported to an area hospital to get checked out, according to UFD. The fire was extinguished.

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Apopka Man Accused of Rubbing Up Against 2 Elderly Women in Tavares Saturday

TAVARES, Florida—An Apopka man has been released from the Lake County Jail after two elderly women accused him of rubbing up against them while he was aroused in a Tavares store Saturday, according to an arrest affidavit.

Tavares Police Department responded to the area of Banning Beach Road and U.S. Highway 441 Saturday morning on a report of man masturbating at the register of a nearby business. Inside Lake is not naming the business because it may identify one of the victims.

A TPD corporal spotted a man fitting the complainant’s description of the suspect and carrying a bag from the business where the alleged incidents occurred at a nearby car dealership off U.S. Highway 441. The man, identified at Zehran Wilcox-Maxwell, 25, appeared to be getting into a vehicle as TPD approached him and asked where he had been, the affidavit states.

Wilcox-Maxwell said he was at another store in the area and the corporal asked him if he was at the business where the incidents were reported. He said, yes, and TPD asked him if there was anything he wanted to tell him about. Wilcox-Maxwell said he was in store to buy some items and then came back; TPD told him there was an allegation he was masturbating at the register and Wilcox-Maxwell denied it and told TPD to go check the cameras. Another officer arrived and stayed with Wilcox-Maxwell while the corporal went to the store where the incident allegedly took place, according to the affidavit.

When TPD arrived at the store, a 70-year-old woman said Wilcox-Maxwell pushed up against her once and an employee of the store, who is over 65, twice. Both women started giving TPD more details and said he was aroused while doing it. Wilcox-Maxwell did not expose his penis, but both women said it was “protruding from the front of his shorts,” the affidavit states.

Another customer overheard the conversation and said she had a similar experience with the man, but only provided her name and number before leaving the store.

TPD reviewed the store’s surveillance video and Wilcox-Maxwell is seen in several areas of the store. The cameras did not cover the areas where he touched the women, the corporal noted.

In one frame, Wilcox-Maxwell is seen with his hand near his crotch in a “stroking motion consistent with how someone would pleasure themselves,” the affidavit states.

Police spoke to the two victims and one victim said Wilcox-Maxwell asked her if the store carried drapes and she took him to an aisle to show him. She said he pushed up against her buttocks with an erection and she tried to move away; when she turned to walk away, and he came up behind her and did it again. The second victim told police Wilcox-Maxwell appeared to be masturbating and he approached her and “bumped” into her hip with an erection, according to the affidavit.

When confronted with the allegations, Wilcox-Maxwell denied them and said he has psoriasis on his inner thighs, and he was just scratching himself. He also denied touching any of the women.

Wilcox-Maxwell was arrested for two counts of battery on a victim over 65. According to Florida law, the incidents fall under the battery statute and are not considered sex crimes. He was transported to LCJ, where he was released on $4,000 bond Saturday night.

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FHP Searching for Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed Umatilla Man in Marion County

MARION COUNTY, Florida—The Florida Highway Patrol is searching for an SUV that hit a Umatilla bicyclist early Friday morning, killing him.

The 44-year-old man, identified by his sister as Patrick Williams, was riding in an unknown direction in the outside southbound lane of U.S. Highway 441 near Del Webb Boulevard in an unknown direction, when he was struck by an SUV traveling south.

The SUV struck the bicycle and fled the scene; the bicycle was not equipped with illumination devices, FHP said. Williams was pronounced deceased on the scene by Marion County Fire Rescue shortly before 5 a.m. Friday. FHP is searching for the driver and the vehicle they believe to be a silver or grey Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, or C Series/K Series 1500, 1500 HD, 2500 HD or 3500 HD between the model years of 1994 and 1998. If you have information, call *FHP on your cell phone.

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Clermont Man Accused of Exposing Himself to Teen Last Year Turns Himself In

CLERMONT, Florida—A man accused of exposing himself to a teenager last year when she dropped off a food delivery turned himself in on a warrant Thursday.

Last May, a 17-year-old girl was helping her mom deliver food for a delivery service when they went to an apartment at Sundance at Clermont Apartments on Johns Lake Road. The girl went upstairs to deliver an order to a customer named “Cody,” according to a probable cause affidavit.

The man, later identified as Cody Ray Baker, 28, opened the door and took the food from the girl and she noticed his penis sticking out of his pants. The girl got scared and ran downstairs to her mother and a few minutes later “Cody” sent a message through the delivery app that stated, “yo you’re cute lol,“ the affidavit states.

The teen’s mom contacted Clermont Police Department and the teen provided a description of the man and officers went to Baker’s apartment attempted to speak with him, but no one answered to the door, according to the affidavit.

CPD located a photo of Baker and later, during a photo lineup, the girl stated two of the photos looked similar to the suspect, but she was unable to positively identify him. CPD made several more attempts to speak with Baker in person and obtained a phone number for Baker. When CPD called the number, an officer asked if she was speaking with Baker and he said, “yes,” and then hung up when she identified herself. Baker then blocked her number.

A warrant was issued for Baker’s arrest July 10, 2022, for exposure of sexual organs and he turned himself in at the Lake County Jail Thursday. He was released a little more than three hours later on $1,000 bond.

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Motorcycle Crash Kills Leesburg Man, Injures Leesburg Woman

TAVARES, Florida—A late night motorcycle crash killed a Leesburg man and injured a Leesburg woman Wednesday night, according to Tavares Police Department.

A TPD officer was parked in the parking lot of the Tavares Recreational Park (TRP) boat ramp off U.S. Highway 441 and witnessed a 2007 Harley-Davidson with two riders appear to lose control near the entrance shortly before midnight, Courtney Sullivan, TPD Public Information Officer, told Inside Lake.

Gerald Hoffman, 48, was pronounced deceased on the scene and Laura Hoffman, 47, was transported to a local trauma center and suffered minor injuries. Neither rider was wearing a helmet and it is unknown which rider was operating the motorcycle, Sullivan said.  The crash closed the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 441 for more than four hours and remains under investigation.

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Astatula Man Killed Tuesday Night While Walking on U.S. Highway 441 in Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, Florida—An Astatula man was killed Tuesday night when he entered the northbound outside lane of U.S. Highway 441/Orange Blossom Trail, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 62-year-old man was walking in a westerly direction and entered the northbound lane of U.S. Highway 441/Orange Blossom Trail near Stoneybrook Hills Parkway around 11:30 p.m., Trooper Migdalisis Garcia said in a press release.

The man, who was not in a marked crosswalk, was struck by a van being driven by a 62-year-old Altamonte Springs woman; he suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased on the scene. The driver of the van was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares with minor injuries.

The crash remains under investigation.

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Substitute Teacher Arrested For Child Abuse After Letting 7th Grader Hit Vape In Class. “I Was Just Trying To Fit In.”

EUSTIS, Florida—A substitute teacher was arrested Friday for child abuse after letting a 7th grade student hit a vape pen, because she was just trying to fit in, according to an arrest affidavit.

The student told the Eustis Police Department school resource officer (SRO) he and his friend were talking in their last class period Tuesday when the friend made a comment about vaping and Jennifer Gaine Hale, 50, of Mount Dora said she had one, the affidavit states; Hale was substituting at Eustis Middle School and in charge of the class.

The boy walked up to her desk and Hale pulled out a multi-colored nicotine vape and asked him if he wanted to “hit it.” Hale told the boy not to tell anyone because she did not want to get into trouble, according to the affidavit. The boy hit the vape once and gave it back to Hale. Hale is alleged to have told him to be careful because there was a salt-like substance on it, but the boy did not know what it was.

Another student reported the incident to the school’s administration and the EMS principal questioned Hale on Wednesday while she was on campus substituting for another class. Hale reportedly admitted the misdeed and told the principal, “I was just trying to fit in.”

The principal escorted Hale off campus and told her not to return and reported the incident to Lake County Schools Human Resources and reported it to the SRO.

The following day, the SRO and the principal met with the boy’s mom, who was “very upset” and told the SRO she wanted to press charges, the affidavit states. Hale was arrested for child abuse at her home in Mount Dora Friday and booked into the Lake County Jail; she was released Sunday on $1,000 bond.

Hale is no longer employed by Lake County Schools, LCS Administrative Coordinator of Communications Sherri Owens told Inside Lake Monday morning.

Substitute Teacher Arrested For Child Abuse After Letting 7th Grader Hit Vape In Class. “I Was Just Trying To Fit In.” Read More »

Late Night Crash Kills Bicyclist

SORRENTO, Florida—An Apopka man was killed Friday night after he rode his bicycle into the path of a pickup truck Friday night, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Shortly before 10:30 p.m., a 28-year-old Apopka man was driving a 2006 Ford F-150 westbound on State Road 46 east of Deal Drive when a westbound bicyclist, a 36-year-old Apopka man, began traveling southwest and entered the direct path of the truck, FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi said in a press release.

The bicyclist was pronounced deceased on the scene and the pickup driver and his passenger, a 2-year-old boy, were not injured, Crescenzi said.  

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Fourth Annual Lake County Back the Blue Walk Scheduled for Saturday

TAVARES, Florida—Law enforcement and supporters will join forces for the fourth annual Lake County Back the Blue Walk at Wooton Park Saturday morning.

Scheduled for 9 a.m., this is one of many law enforcement events around Lake County held in May during Law Enforcement Appreciation Month. In its fourth year, the walk began in 2019 to show support for law enforcement during a time when the “defund the police” movement was making its way across the country, event organizer Shannon Cook told Inside Lake. Representatives from several law enforcement agencies and numerous public officials are expected to be in attendance.

“The good ones needed to know they were appreciated,” Cook said.

Cook has always had respect for law enforcement officers and the job they do, she said. Her close friend, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Wayne Koester, was killed in the line of duty Feb. 9, 2005. Koester, who was 33 at the time, and two other deputies were ambushed while responding to a domestic violence call. All three deputies were shot, and Koester succumbed to his injuries; the other two deputies recovered. Jason Wheeler was shot and paralyzed during his capture and convicted in Koester’s death. Cook was also close to Chris Daniels, who was serving as Lake County Sheriff when he was tragically killed in a charity bus race in 2006 on his birthday.

Shannon Cook shows off one of the many gifts she has for the law enforcement officers who attend the walk Saturday. PHOTO: Shannon Cook

Cook told Inside Lake it is important the community show its support for all of the good officers and those who were lost in the line of duty. Usually a one-woman show, Cook has some help this year from Wayne Koester’s brother, Victor Koester, Jolie Fowler, owner of The Car Doctor Automotive Specialist Inc., in Eustis, Lt. Kristin Thompson of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Nina Rosania, who is very active in the community, especially in her efforts helping out small businesses in Lake County.

Participants will meet a 9 a.m. at Wooton Park, 100 East Ruby Street, Tavares. The first stop will be the Lake County Administration Building, then a stop at the Tavares Public Safety Complex and the walk will end at Kalua Beach Bar with lunch. Donuts will be provided before the walk by Lake Tire & Auto in Tavares, and a hot dog lunch will be available at Kalua Beach Bar, provided by the restaurant and Duct-Man Mechanical LLC in Eustis.

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