LEESBURG, Fla.—An Ocala woman was found dead Monday morning in a retention pond, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The woman, 25, was traveling northbound on County Road 452 in a 2019 Dodge Challenger when she ran of the right side of the road, hit a pole, crashed through a chain link fence and drove into a retention pond, fully submerging the car. The pond is located at Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center, 39034 County Road 452, Leesburg.
An Ocala woman was found dead in a retention pond Monday after crashing through this fence at Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center outside of Leesburg. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake
“The exact time of the crash is under investigation,” Trooper Migdalisis Garcia said.
FHP responded to the scene around 8 a.m. Monday and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team assisted with recovery.
LEESBURG, Fla.—The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating after a deceased person was found in vehicle at the bottom of a pond Monday morning.
The vehicle was found in a small pond at Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center, 39034 County Road 452, Leesburg around 7:45 a.m. Monday. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team is on scene and assisting FHP with recovery, LCSO Cpl. Chanel Martin told Inside Lake.
Inside Lake was on the scene and a large portion of fence was broken in front of the pond and crime scene taped was stretched out along County Road 452. An FHP traffic homicide investigator is on scene and more information will be released once it is available, Trooper Migdalisis Garcia said.
EUSTIS, Fla.—A motorcyclist was killed Saturday afternoon after striking a concrete mailbox, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The man was riding a 2020 Harley-Davidson FXLRS on State Road 44 when he failed to negotiate a curve, ran off the road, and hit the mailbox near Bottany Woods Drive, in unincorporated Eustis, shortly after 5 p.m.
He was transported to AdventHealth DeLand, where he was pronounced deceased, FHP said. The crash closed State Road 44 and it was still closed nearly three hours after the crash.
EUSTIS, Fla.—A wrong-way crash killed a 20-year-old man and sent a 41-year-old man to the hospital shortly before midnight Saturday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
A 49-year-old Eustis man was driving a 2017 Dodge Ram 2500 westbound in the eastbound lane of State Road 44 when he struck a 2024 Harley-Davidson Sportster head-on, near Hammond Lane. The 20-year-old rider was killed; a second motorcyclist, a 41-year-old man riding 2003 Suzuki VL800K, swerved and laid the bike down on the roadway, FHP said.
The 20-year-old Umatilla man was pronounced deceased on the scene, the 41-year-old man, also of Umatilla, was transported to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Ram was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.
EUSTIS, Fla.—Eustis Police Department has released the name of the man killed while riding a motorcycle Monday morning.
Graman Matos Mangual, 38, of DeLand was riding a 2001 Suzuki motorcycle northbound on U.S. Highway 441, north of David Walker Drive around 6:30 a.m. Monday when a black GMC pickup truck struck the motorcycle as the truck attempted to turn left into Eustis Village plaza, EPD Capt. Ken Toler said.
Mangual was pronounced deceased on the scene, the driver of the truck, Anthony Campbell, 55, of Astatula was not injured. The crash remained under investigation at press time Wednesday.
EUSTIS, Fla.—Eustis Police Department is investigating a crash that killed a motorcyclist before daybreak Monday.
The motorcyclist was riding a 2001 Suzuki motorcycle northbound on U.S. Highway 441, north of David Walker Drive around 6:30 a.m. when he was struck by a black GMC pickup truck attempting to make a left turn into Eustis Village shopping plaza, EPD Capt. Ken Toler told Inside Lake. The plaza contains Publix, Sonic and numerous other restaurants and retail businesses.
The motorcyclist was pronounced deceased on the scene; his name has not been released, pending notification of next of kin. The driver of the truck was not injured. Tavares Police Department assisted with traffic control and the crash closed a portion of U.S. Highway 441 for more than three hours.
OCALA NATIONAL FOREST—A Sorrento man has died after crashing a dirt bike Sunday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Around 11:10 a.m., the 59-year-old man was riding a 2022 KTM Dirt Bike on a dirt road in the Ocala National Forest when he crashed into two trees and was thrown from the bike, FHP said. Troopers did not release an exact location.
The man was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, where he was pronounced deceased.
SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Fla.—A bicyclist was killed Friday night after he turned in front of a truck on State Road 50 near Mascotte and Groveland, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Shortly before 9:30 p.m., a 30-year-old man was riding a bicycle on Anderson Street, when he turned into the direct path of a 2021 Chevy Silverado being driven eastbound on State Road 50 by a 67-year-old man of San Antonio, Texas, FHP said.
The man was thrown from the bicycle and pronounced deceased on the scene; the Texas man was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.
TAVARES, Fla.—More details have been released in the death of a 2-year-old boy Monday night and a fundraiser has been set up to help his family.
Asher Lepping, 2, was out riding his blue toddler tricycle with his sister near a cul-de-sac in his Oak Bend neighborhood while his parents watched, shortly after 7:15 p.m. Monday; Asher’s mom, Kyrsten Lepping heard a vehicle speeding and observed a silver Toyota Tacoma speeding as it turned onto the street. Asher’s mom and dad yelled at the truck to slow down, and the truck struck Asher, dragging the toddler and his tricycle several feet. Asher’s parents and neighbors rushed over to the boy in an attempt to help him and he was transported to AdventHealth Waterman hospital in Tavares, where he later succumbed to his injuries, according to a Tavares Police Department arrest affidavit.
The driver of the truck, 19-year-old Joshua Aidan Montero, had a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his breath following the crash, according to the affidavit, and the 911 caller who reported the crash said Montero appeared to be intoxicated. Montero, who was not wearing shoes or a shirt, clad in only swim trunks, was denied access to the truck due to the crash and DUI investigation and had “apparent mood swings.” He asked if he was under arrest or just detained when he was denied access to the truck and repeatedly asked what he would be charged with. He then requested to be put in the back of a TPD patrol vehicle because of the rainy weather and his lack of clothing. Montero first refused to complete field sobriety exercises but then said he would complete them and requested to perform them on the sidewalk near the crash site. There were “many indicators” he was impaired, and he was arrested for DUI.
Montero, of Sanford, was transported to the Lake County Jail and while en route to LCJ, he made statements, presumably about the crime, but the statements are redacted from the affidavit. He consented to a breath test and two samples came in at .062 and .057—anything above .02 is considered impaired if an individual is under 21 years old, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan said. The breath samples were provided several hours after the crash, and the arresting officer believes his alcohol level was likely higher at the time of the crash, she noted in the affidavit.
The arresting officer then received information Asher had passed away and Montero was informed he would be charged with DUI manslaughter. Montero, who has multiple driver license suspensions, was booked into LCJ on no bond. As part of the investigation, a detective requested Montero’s passcode to his phone, and he gave it up voluntarily, according to the affidavit.
Family friend and neighbor, Annie Brown set up a fundraiser for Asher’s family to help them through this tragedy. “As a mom, I want to take this pain from her, but I can’t,” Brown stated. “However, I can ask we all support her monetarily through this GoFundMe.” If you would like to donate, visit Support for the Lepping Family in Honor of Sweet Asher
Many of the TPD officers who responded to the scene Monday night are parents and stepparents.
“We (TPD) are deeply saddened that an innocent child’s life was taken during a careless a preventable act last night,” Sullivan said.
TAVARES, Fla.—A 2-year-old Tavares boy was hit by truck Monday night and the 19-year-old driver has been arrested for DUI manslaughter.
Witnesses told police Joshua Aidan Montero, of Sanford, was driving a silver 2017 Toyota Tacoma “recklessly” prior to the crash around 7:30 p.m. Monday.
“Neighbors observed the vehicle driving recklessly prior to turning on the Black Dog Court,” Tavares Police Department Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake. “When he turned onto Black Dog Court, people yelled to slow down, and he ultimately hit a 2-year-old boy.”
The boy’s name has not been released.
Neighbors immediately rendered aid to the boy and he was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, where he was pronounced deceased.
Montero was arrested for DUI manslaughter and is being held in the Lake County Jail on no bond.
