EUSTIS, Florida—The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that killed an elderly man and seriously injured a teenager Saturday afternoon.
The 73-year-old Villages man was traveling southbound in a 2021 Honda CRV on State Road 44 near Rory Lane in unincorporated Eustis just before 2 p.m. Saturday when he attempted to make a U-turn and entered the direct path of 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe also traveling southbound. The front of the Tahoe struck the left side of the CRV, according to FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi.
The impact ejected the Tahoe’s passenger, a 19-year-old male from Eustis; he was not wearing his seatbelt. He was transported to Central Florida Regional Medical Center in Sanford with serious injuries. The driver, of the Tahoe, an 18-year-old male, also of Eustis, was not injured; he was not wearing a seatbelt either, Crescenzi said in a press release.
The CRV’s driver, who was wearing a seatbelt, was transported to AdventHealth and pronounced deceased. The crash remains under investigation.
UMATILLA, Florida—A painted taillight that caught the attention of a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy began a series of events that ended in a trip to jail for a DeLand man Friday night after he was found with more than 125 grams of methamphetamine.
Shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, the deputy spotted a blue Mercedes with what the deputy thought was an inoperable taillight on State Road 19 south of Umatilla. As the deputy approached the car, it was apparent the lights were painted and the driver side taillight was painted darker, making it appear very dim, according to an arrest affidavit.
The deputy noticed the car’s high beam headlights were on and the driver failed to dim them as oncoming traffic approached. The car turned onto a side street and the deputy pulled off on the side of the road. Moments later, the car passed the deputy again, still with its high beams on and pulled into Circle K at State Road 19 and Ocala Street with the deputy close behind.
The deputy initiated a traffic stop and both the front passenger and rear passengers opened their doors. The deputy ordered them to remain in the car. The front passenger left his door ajar and the deputy spotted a fixed blade hatchet at his feet, the affidavit states, and he was removed from the car. Inside Lake is not naming either passenger because they were not charged with a crime.
While speaking with the passengers, LCSO noticed a glass pipe in the center console and a Umatilla Police officer arrived on scene to assist. LCSO asked the driver, Brandon Peter Torres, 36, to step out of the car and the deputy noticed a large clear bag protruding out of the front pocket of his hoodie. Torres was searched and found with a total of three bags of methamphetamine; one weighed 112 grams, the second weighed 15 grams and the smallest bag weighed just over 2 grams.
Torres was arrested for trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $51,000 bond.
LEESBURG, Florida—A fatal crash involving four vehicles has closed County Road 44 at Silver Lake Road in unincorporated Leesburg Monday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred around 7:20 a.m. Monday and killed a 42-year-old man from Eustis driving a 2004 Toyota Corolla, said FHP Lt. Tara Crescenzi.
A 23-year-old DeLand woman driving a 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, Crescenzi said; a Eustis man, 36, driving a 2004 Chevy Silverado and a 69-year-old Avon Park man driving a 2021 tractor trailer were not injured.
EUSTIS, Florida—A teenager is being held on $6,000 bond after flipping on red and blue lights as he pulled over near a disabled vehicle Tuesday night—in front of a Lake County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy.
Joshua Michael Mazenka, 18, of Umatilla, was driving a black 2011 Mercedes on State Road 19 in Eustis around 10 p.m. Tuesday when he saw a disabled vehicle, turned on his illegal red and blue lights and pulled over, according to an arrest affidavit.
An LCSO detention deputy on his way home, saw the disabled vehicle and as he attempted to pull over, the Mercedes pulled in front of him with the flashing red and blue lights in the windshield, the deputy told Eustis Police. The uniformed deputy stepped out of his vehicle and when Mazenka saw him, he reportedly said, “Oh (expletive,)” and fled the scene in his Mercedes. The deputy called dispatch and began following Mazenka through a neighborhood and eventually Mazenka stopped in the parking lot of Winn Dixie at State Road 19 and County Road 44, the affidavit states.
EPD officers responded and when Mazenka first saw them, he blurted out, “I (expletive) up,” according to the affidavit. Officers observed a light bar in the back window attached with suction cups, in addition to a light bar in the backseat with one suction cup attached, and one still stuck to the windshield. The light bars were very similar to those used in law enforcement vehicles, the arresting officer noted in the affidavit.
Mazenka agreed to speak with officers, and he told them he was traveling north on State Road 19 when he saw a vehicle stopped with its hazard lights on. He turned on his red and blue lights “for safety” and pulled over to help.
“The way he used (the lights) is the same way (police) would use them,” EPD Capt. Jon Fahning told Inside Lake.
Mazenka said he saw the detention deputy behind him and he “knew he was in trouble” so he fled the scene. Then he decided it was best to stop and he pulled over at Winn Dixie, he told police. He also said LCSO had pulled him over recently; in that incident in September, he was pulled over for driving recklessly in Leesburg and the deputy observed red and blue lights in the front and back, along with lights in the grill. The deputy told Mazenka to remove the lights and he was given a ticket for following too closely.
Mazenka told officers he bought the lights on Amazon.
He was arrested for impersonating a police officer and having red and blue lights on a vehicle and was transported to the Lake County Jail. The Mercedes was towed and when the car when inventoried, an airsoft pistol was found that was an exact replica of a Glock 17, in addition to a pellet rifle.
When officers returned to the original scene to help the disabled vehicle and its occupants, it had already been towed, according to the affidavit.
EUSTIS, Florida—In response to numerous complaints, Eustis Police Department executed a search warrant on a home before daybreak Monday, according to Chief Craig Capri.
Four people were arrested in the home at 15 Haselton Street, which had deplorable conditions, including a roach infestation and no running water, said Capri, who was on scene, along with City Manager Tom Carrino and Mayor Michael Holland. The house has since been condemned.
“The residents should not have to tolerate living near this type of property,” Capri said.
Four people were arrested following the execution of a search warrant Halloween morning. Top left to bottom right, Richard Cooper, Tamra Solomon, Alvin DeSantis and Christopher Morrow. PHOTOS: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
EPD and Mid Florida SWAT executed the warrant at 5 a.m. and detained six people, and later arrested four of them, in the four-bedroom house, according to a report. Upon searching the first bedroom, detectives found around 20 grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana and a digital scale. Richard Lee Cooper, 41, and Tamra Faye Solomon, 31, were both charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. They are each being held in the Lake County Jail on $27,000 bond.
Detectives searched the living room and found a small amount of marijuana and a glasses case that contained six syringes that tested positive for methamphetamine; they spoke with Alvin DeSantis, 64, who told officers he slept in the living room and admitted to being a methamphetamine user, according to the report. He was arrested for possession of drug equipment and is being held on $1,000 bond.
In another bedroom, EPD found two rounds of ammunition and items linked to Christopher Randolph Morrow, 38, who has 21 prior felony convictions, including failure to comply with sex offender requirements, the report states. He was arrested for possession of ammunition by a convicted a felon and violation of probation, he is being held on no bond.
Conditions found during a search warrant at 15 Haselton Street Monday morning. PHOTO: Eustis Police Department
EUSTIS, Florida—Less than a month after a man was shot in the head the day Hurricane Ian made its way through Eustis, his attempted killer is behind bars, according to Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri.
Only Inside Lake was on the scene the day of the shooting and at EPD Tuesday after Christopher Worlds was picked up on the warrant for attempted murder. Detectives worked diligently on this case for nearly a month, “I have zero tolerance for gun violence in my city,” Capri told Inside Lake Tuesday.
On Sept. 29, shortly before 5 p.m., EPD responded to Lee’s Market, 1333 East Orange Avenue on a report of a battery and a shooting. When officers arrived, they found the victim, a 22-year-old male, in the alley between Family Dollar and Lee’s Market, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The bullet struck the man just below his right eyebrow and exited through his right temple, the detective working the case said. The victim was airlifted to a Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford and survived his wound, according to Capri.
EPD detectives arrived on the scene and viewed surveillance video from the market and saw footage of two females in a verbal altercation that escalated when one woman punched the other woman in the face, that woman is then seen pulling a purple firearm with a silver slide and three more women break up the fight. The woman who threw the punch then gets into her vehicle and the woman with the gun follows her at first, and then puts the gun in her vehicle.
Eustis Police officers cordon off the parking lot of Lee’s Market on Orange Avenue following a shooting on Sept. 29. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake
Several females walk up to the woman who threw the punch and begin arguing with her and the other woman again retrieves her gun. The woman who threw the punch gets out of her vehicle and begins punching another female in the backseat of the vehicle next to her and another fight ensues between at least five females. The gunshot victim then walks up and breaks up the fight and then walks into Lee’s Market and the woman with the gun yells in his direction; both women then leave in separate vehicles.
A few minutes later, a red, older model Hyundai pulls into the parking lot and a man, later identified as the husband of the woman holding the gun, exits the vehicle and appears to talk to the gunshot victim. As the two men talk, Dominic Brokenborough and Christopher Worlds, aka Kato, aka Kado, aka Voodoo, approach, and the woman with the gun pulls up with five women. As the women approach the men, another fight occurs out of the view of the camera, according to the report. About 20 seconds later, several people are seen running into the view of the camera and that is when police believe the shooting occurred and everyone involved fled the scene.
A Eustis Police officer looks for evidence on Sept. 29, near an alley between Family Dollar and Lee’s Market, where a man was shot in the head. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake
The older model Hyundai was spotted in the area not long after the shooting and as an officer followed the car, it suddenly stopped, and Brokenborough exited the vehicle. The car then turned onto North Exeter Street and was pulled over as it approached Magnolia Avenue, the report states.
Brokenborough, 34, of Mount Dora, was found nearby and officers believed at the time he fled the vehicle on foot. He was apprehended by road patrol officers behind a nearby business and said he did not know officers were trying to pull the vehicle over. The driver, who also said he was unaware officers were attempting to stop him, was detained and questioned. He was identified as the husband of the woman with the gun, but Inside Lake is not naming him because he has not been charged with a crime at this time. Brokenborough was searched and officers found six baggies containing a substance that tested positive for fentanyl and cocaine, in addition to numerous pieces of drug paraphernalia. He was arrested and transported to the Lake county Jail, where he was released on $3,000 bond.
Throughout their investigation detectives interviewed witnesses and the victim and Worlds was identified as the shooter.
On Tuesday, detectives received a tip on Worlds’ whereabouts, and he was apprehended near a shed in the 600 block of Danvers Street. A gun was found stuffed under an old mattress near where Worlds was apprehended; that gun is not the gun that was used in the shooting, an EPD detective told Inside Lake.
Worlds is facing a slew of charges, including attempted second-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, two counts of possession of firearm by a convicted felon, two counts of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, carrying a concealed firearm, discharging a firearm in public and improper exhibition of a firearm. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $104,000 bond.
EUSTIS, Florida—A vehicle fire that began late Friday night destroyed two vehicles and spread to a home on South Exeter Street leaving the home uninhabitable, sources told Inside Lake.
Eustis Fire Department, Mount Dora Fire Department, Tavares Fire Department and Lake County Fire Rescue battled the blaze throughout the early morning hours beginning around 11:30 p.m. Friday and continuing until 4 a.m. Saturday, a source told Inside Lake. Lake EMS also responded to the scene.
When fire crews arrived at the home at 573 South Exeter Street, near Eustis High School, a jeep was fully involved, and the fire spread to the roof of the home. No one was injured, but the home is uninhabitable. The cause of the fire was unknown at press time.
EUSTIS, Florida—A former corrections officer is facing charges of aggravated assault and impersonating a law enforcement officer after allegedly threatening to “blow an armored guard’s head off” at a medical marijuana facility Friday afternoon.
Eustis Police Department responded to Liberty Health Science Medical Marijuana Dispensary, 15443 U.S. Highway 441 after Michael Craig Shapiro, a former corrections officer for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, reported that an armed subject had entered the dispensary and was possibly a security guard.
EPD arrived and found Shapiro, 39, of Mount Dora, in a silver vehicle blocking a white van; officers spoke to the van’s driver, who was wearing a black security uniform and had his hands up. Inside Lake is not naming the security guard because he is a victim of a crime.
The guard told police he arrived at the dispensary to pick up a deposit, walked in and proceeded toward the counter. Shapiro, who was standing in the lobby, reportedly said he was an ex-cop and if the guard touched his gun, he would, “blow his head off.” The guard ignored Shapiro and went into the back to retrieve the deposit, according to the arrest affidavit. When police spoke with an employee of the dispensary, she said when the guard entered, Shapiro was asked to wait a few minutes for his marijuana order so they could take care of the deposit. Shapiro looked at the guard and said,” Oh you stop me for this big wig guy,” the employee told police. Shapiro then reportedly said, “If you grab your gun, I will shoot you first because I’m a retired cop.”
The employee finished helping another customer and went to help Shapiro, who allegedly said, “I am a regular customer, how dare they stop my sale for this guy? Who is he? He can wait.” The employee explained why he had to wait and apologized, and Shapiro left the dispensary. The guard exited the dispensary and attempted to leave when he noticed Shapiro blocking him in with his silver car.
Shapiro then got out of his car and pointed a small black handgun and the guard and told him to get out or he would blow his head off, he told officers. The guard then called police.
Shapiro, who was found with a gun and badge, told EPD he believed the guard was robbing the business and he had the tag number “run” and it came back to a rental agency. However, when police “ran” the tag it came back to the company the guard said he worked for. He went on to say he was a retired deputy from Orange County Sheriff’s Office and was overheard telling the guard he disobeyed a lawful command because he had his badge out. EPD investigated and found that Shapiro had been a corrections officer for OCSO, not a deputy, and he was fired, although it is unclear what he was fired for, EPD Capt. Jon Fahning said.
The dispensary is located in a very busy shopping plaza that also houses Starbucks, Verizon and Planet Smoothie. A customer who had exited Starbucks came running back in during the incident and said two men were arguing outside and one was waving a gun stating he was going to blow the other’s guy’s head off, a Starbucks patron who wished to remain anonymous told Inside Lake.
“Everyone in the shop got up and the manager locked the door. Everyone hid towards the back of Starbucks,” the patron said; customers and employees were nervous and scared, but the employees did a great job keeping everyone as comfortable as possible. The patrons were locked inside for approximately 30 minutes, she told Inside Lake. Shapiro was taken into custody and arrested for aggravated assault on a security officer and impersonating a police officer. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $7,000 bond.
EUSTIS, Florida—A man accused of firing several shots not far from Eustis Police Department and pointing a shotgun at an officer Tuesday night is being held at the Lake County Jail on $8,000 bond.
EPD officers responded to the 1300 block of South Grove Street shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday after several complaints of shots being fired in the area, according to EPD. An officer spotted Carl Eric Herzberger, 41, carrying a shotgun as he walked down East Atwater Avenue; the officer got out of his patrol vehicle and ordered Herzberger to drop the gun. Herzberger is alleged to have shouldered the gun in a shooting stance and pointed it at the officer, EPD said.
Carl Herzberger PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
The officer took cover behind his vehicle and Herzberger began to run toward South Bay Street, which had heavy traffic at the time; the officer pursued Herzberger on foot as an officer arrived as backup. The pair of officers began gaining on Herzberger and he threw the shotgun and laid down on the ground with his hands in the air. He was handcuffed and found with 11 live shotgun shells and the shotgun had an additional six live rounds, according to EPD. Two spent casings were also found, along with a live round at the intersection of Mills Avenue and South Eustis Street.
Police went to Herzberger’s home and spoke with family members who said they saw him walking down the road firing the shotgun but did not call police. Officers canvassed the area and did not find anyone injured or damaged property.
Herzberger was arrested for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, discharging a firearm in public, improper exhibition of a firearm and resisting an officer without violence.
EUSTIS, Florida-Eustis Police Department is continuing to investigate a shooting that left a man hospitalized Thursday afternoon.
EPD responded to Lee’s Food Market, 1333 East Orange Avenue and found a man shot above one of his eyes, EPD Chief Craig Capri told Inside Lake.
The man was taken to a local hospital and has not been able to talk to detectives yet, Capri said. No one has been arrested in the shooting, but police know who is involved, Capri said.
“We know who the players are,” he said.
Few details have been released about what led to the shooting, but a detective working the case said there was an altercation between a group of females and other parties got involved in the parking lot of the store; some of the incident was captured on surveillance video. The shooter fled in a vehicle that was later spotted in the area and pulled over.
The driver of the vehicle dropped off Dominic Alexander Brokenborough, 34, of Mount Dora, nearby and officers believed he fled on foot. He was apprehended by road patrol officers behind a nearby business and said he did not know officers were trying to pull the vehicle over. The driver, who also said he was unaware officers were attempting to stop him, was detained and released. Inside Lake is not naming him because he has not been charged with a crime at this time. Both the driver and Brokenborough, along with a third man, are persons of interest in the shooting. Brokenborough told police he was trying to break up the altercation, but detectives are still investigating. Detectives are obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle seized on the traffic stop and are continuing to piece together what led to the shooting.
“There is no threat of danger to the public,” Capri said.
Dominic Brokenborough, 34, is facing drug charges after a traffic stop Thursday. The vehicle he was in is suspected of being involved in a shooting about an hour before the stop, according to an arrest affidavit. Brokenborough is a person of interest in the shooting. PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
Brokenborough is facing drug charges after officers found six baggies containing a substance that tested positive for fentanyl and cocaine, in addition to numerous pieces of drug paraphernalia in his backpack. According to his arrest affidavit, he was charged with possession and is being held at the Lake County Jail on $3,000 bond.
The investigation into the shooting remains active and Inside Lake will continue to monitor the case for any breaking updates. If you have information, call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
