TAVARES, Fla.— Tavares Police Department is investigating the death of a law enforcement recruit who suffered a medical emergency Monday night.
“Morlon Jenkins, 42, experienced a medical emergency during the first night of the Florida Law Enforcement Academy at the Institute of Public Safety, a campus of Lake Technical College in Tavares,” TPD Det. Courtney Sullivan said in an email.
Around 7:15 p.m., Jenkins began experiencing a medical emergency during physical training required by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Lake Technical College (LTC) said in a statement. Instructors immediately called emergency services, Sullivan said, and he was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. All students participating in the Florida Law Enforcement Academy program are required to have medical clearance from a physician, and Jenkins had medical clearance, LTC said.
TPD detectives are working with the Medical Examiner to determine Jenkins’ cause of death.
TAVARES, Fla.— Tavares Police Department is asking for the public’s help locating a man wanted for capital sexual battery on a child under 12.
Orlando De La Rosa Jimenez, 30, is the subject of an investigation that started earlier this week and frequents Tavares and may have ties to other local cities, TPD Det. Courtney Sullivan said. Limited information has been released because it’s an active investigation, she said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are assisting TPD in locating Jimenez, Sullivan said, including federal authorities. If you see Jimenez, do not approach him, call 911.
OCALA, Fla.—The husband of missing Mount Dora mom Nicole Baldwin will spend the next 15 years in federal prison, according to documents obtained by Inside Lake.
Brett Baldwin was arrested in late 2023, after investigators found child pornography images on phones that were searched during Mount Dora Police Department’s investigation into the disappearance of his wife, Nicole, who was last seen Nov. 2, 2023. Investigators seized Baldwin’s phones Nov. 28, 2023, the same day they searched the home in Mount Dora the couple shared with their children. It is unknown if investigators found any evidence pertaining to Nicole, but after being missing for nearly two years, she has not been found, and no one has been charged in her disappearance. Mount Dora Police Department has conducted multiple searches for Nicole Baldwin, but so far, those efforts have been unsuccessful.
Nicole Baldwin
After investigators found 31 child pornography images on his phones, Brett Baldwin was arrested Dec. 14, 2023 at his mother’s home in Sumter County, and in March, he was found guilty of one count of possession of child pornography depicting a prepubescent minor and three counts of receipt of child pornography by United States District Judge Thomas Barber during a bench trial. In an interview with investigators, Baldwin admitted possessing the child pornography and said it was for “research purposes.” He was later indicted on four charges, and was held on no bond since his arrest.
Investigators search Brett Baldwin’s mother’s home in Sumter County in December 2023. Courtesy photo
According to court documents, Baldwin waived a jury trial and opted for the case to be decided by Barber; Barber found Baldwin guilty after a 10-minute bench trial, according to court documents. He was sentenced in July to 15 years in prison and will be on lifetime probation once he is released.
Nicole Baldwin, 41, was last seen at her Strathmore Circle home in Mount Dora and reported missing on Nov. 5, 2023. She was originally classified as “missing and endangered,” but a search warrant later stated police were looking for evidence in a second-degree murder investigation. If you have information on Nicole Baldwin’s disappearance, call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
EUSTIS, Fla.—A 20-year-old man is behind bars and is being held on no bond, accused of shooting a teenager in Eustis last month.
Ja’baree Lane, of Deltona, was picked up in Volusia County on a Eustis Police Department warrant for attempted second degree murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling and discharging a firearm in public, EPD Chief Craig Capri said, and more arrests are imminent.
According to a heavily-redated report, around 8:45 p.m. July 6, EPD responded to a call of a 14-year-boy who had been shot on Hazzard Avenue. As officers arrived, a woman flagged officers down and said the teen was inside a home, suffering from a gunshot wound.
Police entered the home and found the boy lying on his back with a gunshot wound to his inner thigh, according to a report. An officer rendered aid and applied pressure to the wound until Lake EMS arrived and took over the boy’s care. He was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando for treatment and later released.
LEESBURG, Fla.—A Mount Dora woman was killed early Saturday morning after crashing into a tree, according to Leesburg Police Department.
Just before 3:45 a.m., LPD responded to a report of a crash near the intersection of Main Street and Mike Street, and found Paulakay Gupton Dubose, 57, suffering from life-threatening injuries, Lt. Shannon Walsh said. Dubose was transported to UF Health Leesburg, where she died from her injuries.
Police believe Dubose was traveling eastbound on Main Street in a 2024 blue Nissan when she left the roadway and struck a tree. The crash closed the westbound lanes of Main Street for around four hours, Walsh said. Police are continuing to investigate the crash; if you have information, call LPD’s Traffic Unit at 352-728-9860, extension 3858.
MINNEOLA, Fla.—It’s been one year since Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the call that claimed the life of Master Deputy Bradley Link and Saturday, a stretch of U.S. Highway 27 in Minneola was renamed in his honor.
The Minneola City Council adopted the resolution earlier this year that renamed the portion of the roadway between Division Street and County Road 561. Link’s parents, Daniel and Christi, accepted the resolution and were in attendance for the official renaming on Saturday, along with Link’s wife, Brittany, members of LCSO’s command staff and numerous deputies. Minneola Mayor Pat Kelley led the ceremony, which included an invocation by LCSO Chaplain Joshua Douglas, and remarks were given by LCSO Major Todd English, Pamela Jones of Congressman Daniel Webster’s office, and State Representative Taylor Yarkosky.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Bradley Link’s parents, Christi and Daniel. Photo courtesy of Shannon Cook
On Aug. 2, 2024, deputies responded to an altercation in unincorporated Eustis and subsequent well-being check. Link and K9 Master Deputy Harold Howell, along with several other deputies, were performing the well-being check at the home Julie and Michael Sulpizio shared with their adult daughters, Savannah and Cheyenne Sulpizio, following a Baker Act of Julie Sulpizio. After finding two dead dogs in the yard and a window with a broken screen, Link made multiple unanswered announcements over his PA system, at the home located at 38144 Brookside Drive. Link, Howell and three other deputies attempted to enter the Sulpizio home shortly after 9 p.m. They entered through the rear door near the driveway that opened to a small laundry room and into a hallway that goes left and right.
Link approached the hallway and announced he was going left and indicated Howell should go right. As Link walked into the hallway, his bodycam picked up several frames of what appeared to be a male wearing a black shirt or body armor, with a rifle, positioned on the arm of a couch, ready to ambush deputies. Link did not see the man because he was looking left down the hallway, and the bodycam was facing forward, Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said last year.
Link entered the hallway and the suspect, believed to be Michael Sulpizio, opened fire, shooting Link in the back several times, and Howell was shot in the arm. Howell and the other deputies were forced to retreat out of the residence and Link was immobilized, suffering multiple gunshot wounds. He attempted to crawl on his back to cover but was unsuccessful. Link emptied his duty weapon of all rounds, Grinnell said, and moved his hand in what appeared to be an attempt to answer his radio as his ID number was called out but was also unsuccessful. He was shot several more times.
Link’s bodycam continued to record audio and video and was pointed toward the ceiling, and at 9:24 p.m., a female yelled, “My king kill all of you. You are Lucifer’s children,” in response to deputies asking for Link’s release.
Two minutes later, the Street Crimes team, comprised of Deputy Stefano Gargano, Deputy Corey LaBrecque, Deputy Matthew Green and Cpl. Tyler Palmer, entered the home, with Gargano in the lead using a ballistic shield as cover. It was later revealed Gargano insisted he go first because he was the only member of the team who did not have children. As he approached the threshold of the hallway, Gargano was shot through the wall multiple times by high-caliber rounds, causing him to become incapacitated. The team returned fire and extracted Gargano. LaBrecque immediately began assessing and treating Gargano’s injuries and accompanied Gargano in the ambulance as he was transported to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital as a trauma alert.
Top: Deputy Stefano Gargano; Deputy Corey LaBrecque Bottom: Deputy Matthew Green; Cpl. Tyler Palmer PHOTOS: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
Just after 11 p.m. deputies heard two rapid gunshots and a third shot a few minutes later and LCSO’s SWAT Team ripped a wall off the residence and extracted Link. He was rushed to a waiting ambulance for transport to a landing zone so he could be flown out for treatment. While en route, the decision was made to transport him to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, where he was ultimately pronounced deceased.
As the SWAT Team cleared the home, they found two deceased females, identified as Savannah and Cheyenne Sulpizio, on the couch, dead from what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds to the head. Michael Sulpizio was found on the couch with a gunshot wound and a faint pulse. He was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.
A search of the home revealed a stockpile of 20 firearms placed strategically around the home. Ammunition, food and water, medical bags and bugout bags, in addition to anti-government propaganda were also found. No illegal drugs were found in the home. Accused of the plotting the crimes, Julie Sulpizio was later arrested for a multitude of charges. She’s been found incompetent to stand trial twice and was involuntarily committed to the Department of Children and Families in late May.
If found competent at a later date, she is facing charges of principal to first degree murder of a law enforcement officer, conspiracy to commit first degree murder, three counts of principal to attempted first degree murder of a law enforcement officer, three counts of battery and one count of battery on a law enforcement officer
Gargano returned to light duty in May and Howell continues to recover from his injuries.
DeLAND, Fla—A 17-year-old Leesburg girl was killed, and four other people are in serious condition after a pickup truck and car collided before daybreak Saturday in the DeLand area of Lake County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Shortly before 4:15 a.m., a 43-year-old DeLand man was driving a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 eastbound on State Road 44 when the front right of the truck struck the front right of a 2015 Dodge Charger traveling westbound near Tomahawk Trail. The sequence of events that led to the crash is still under investigation, Trooper Migdalisis Garcia said.
The driver of the Charger, an 18-year-old Fruitland Park man, and his rear passengers, an 18-year-old man, also of Fruitland Park, and a 17-year-old girl of Leesburg, were transported to HCA Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford in serious condition. The front seat passenger of the Charger, a 17-year-old Leesburg girl, was pronounced deceased on scene, FHP said. The driver of the Dodge was transported to AdventHealth DeLand in serious condition.
TAVARES, Fla.—The vehicle believed to be involved in a hit-and-run that killed a bicyclist earlier this month has been located, according to Tavares Police Department.
Frank Carrasquillo, 49, was riding a bicycle when he was hit and killed shortly before 9 p.m. July 13 in the 600 block of East Alfred Street, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake, the day after the crash. The driver fled the scene and police have located a grey Honda Odyssey, believed to be involved. It had damage consistent with evidence found at the scene, Sullivan said.
The minivan was found in unincorporated Tavares, Sullivan said, but police are not releasing when it was found or the exact location. No arrests have been made and TPD is continuing to investigate.
CLERMONT, Fla.—A Mobile, Ala. man was killed on Florida’s Turnpike Thursday night after he rear-ended a semi, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The 22-year-old man was traveling southbound in a 2025 Hyundai Elantra around 10:15 p.m. when a 2017 Freightliner semi tractor-trailer in front of him slowed for traffic around mile marker 279 near Clermont. The Alabama man failed to slow down and rear-ended the semi. He was pronounced deceased on scene; his passenger, a 23-year-old woman, also of Mobile, was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center with serious injuries.
The driver of the semi, a 45-year-old Naples man, was not injured. The crash remains under investigation.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misstated Jason Biggers’ bond and did not list two charges because he had not completed the booking process. The story has been updated with the correct information.
DeLAND, Fla.—A suspected dog fighter has been arrested and is facing 29 counts of animal cruelty and 29 counts baiting and fighting animals following the execution of search warrant by the Lake County Sheriff’s office Agriculture and Marine Unit early Wednesday morning.
Deputies arrived at the home at 31938 3rd Avenue in the DeLand area of Lake County shortly after 4:45 a.m. and found 29 dogs chained up and in kennels, LCSO Deputy Stephanie Earley told Inside Lake. The dogs ranged in age from puppies to elderly dogs, and the majority of them had scarring consistent with dog fighting and were in various stages of healing, she said. The dogs are being held at the Lake County Animal Shelter.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Agriculture Marine Unit executed a search warrant at a home near DeLand early Wednesday. Jason Biggers was arrested on 29 counts of animal cruelty and 29 counts of baiting and fighting animals. Photo courtesy of Jason Templeton
Jason Biggers, 48, was arrested and transported to Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $150,000. He is also facing a tampering with evidence charge and possession of marijuana more than 20 grams. Deputies are asking anyone with information on Biggers’ activities to call them at 352-343-2101 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS. Crimeline callers may be eligible for a reward.
