Lake County

Jacksonville man accused of stealing SUV from Fruitland Park business and fighting Tavares cops last week

TAVARES, Fla.—A Jacksonville man is being held in the Lake County Jail after being accused of stealing a vehicle from a business in Fruitland Park, fleeing from a Tavares Police Department officer and fighting that officer and another one last week.

Nigel Jaylen Sabb, 28, is accused of stealing a 2014 Ford Edge from Honest Autos, 2381 U.S. Highway 441, Fruitland Park around 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to a Fruitland Park Police Department arrest affidavit. A representative of the business told FPPD a customer dropped off the vehicle for some cosmetic repairs and left the keys in the exterior door lock and less than an hour later, Sabb walked onto the lot and stole the SUV.

The SUV, equipped with a GPS tracker, was traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 441 and FPPD alerted Tavares Police Department and Eustis Police Department it was headed their way. Just before 9:45 a.m. a TPD officer spotted the vehicle traveling southbound and he performed a U-turn to get a better look at the tag, according to a TPD arrest affidavit.

Sabb began driving recklessly, changing lanes multiple times, failing to yield to oncoming traffic and nearly causing several crashes. TPD attempted to pull Sabb over and he began to swerve across all southbound lanes while moving around in the vehicle.

The TPD officer then deactivated his lights and made a U-turn to show the driver he was not pursuing the SUV, the affidavit states. Sabb then swerved across all three southbound lanes, jumped a median, drove into oncoming traffic and hit a vehicle head-on, according to the affidavit.

The officer reactivated his lights, pulled up to the crash and exited with his gun drawn; Sabb exited the SUV through the front passenger door and fled on foot. He was wearing dark clothing and carrying an object believed to be a backpack. The officer holstered his firearm and drew his taser as he began to chase Sabb. He deployed the taser and it struck Sabb’s clothing but did not incapacitate him and he continued to run. TPD lost Sabb around 2100 Lake Eustis Drive and then spotted him again wearing different clothing and walking near Joy Lane in the Lake Point Mobile Home Park; the officer also noticed he was no longer carrying anything.

The officer began following Sabb as a second officer pulled up as backup. Sabb saw the officer’s patrol vehicle and began running and both officers began chasing him. The first officer took a different route in an attempt to cut Sabb off while the backup officer stayed on Sabb. The backup officer later got on the radio and “in a manner that was partial and unclear…advised that (Sabb) was fighting him. It was apparent (the officer) was involved in a struggle,” the TPD officer wrote in the affidavit.

The officer could not immediately find Sabb and the backup officer and could not reach him on the radio. He finally heard the pair scuffling and located them behind a home on Douglas Drive and saw the backup officer struggling to gain control of Sabb’s hands. The officers were able to get Sabb under control after another scuffle and the threat of being tased. He was medically cleared and transported to the Lake County Jail.

The backup officer later said Sabb either punched him or hit his head on something and took his radio off his vest, depriving him of means to communicate with other officers and dispatch and the officer sustained head injuries as a result of the fight, according to the affidavit. Sabb is facing numerous charges from TPD, including battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, two counts of resisting arrest without violence, depriving an officer of means of communication and reckless driving, in addition to grand theft auto and burglary from FPPD. He is being held on no bond.

Prior history

In June 2017, Sabb was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after he pointed a loaded gun at a JSO officer who pulled him over while driving a stolen car. In 2018, he was arrested in St. Johns County for another 2017 crime, this one committed when he was just 20 years old. In that case, Sabb was accused of tying two men and a woman up during a Ponte Vedre Beach home invasion, forcing the woman to perform oral sex on him at gunpoint, ransacking the home, stealing cash and other belongings and stealing a car. DNA from the sexual battery connected Sabb to the crime. Sabb spent around a year in the St. Johns County Jail until the charges were dropped about month before the case was set to go to trial. It is unknown why the charges were dropped.

Jacksonville man accused of stealing SUV from Fruitland Park business and fighting Tavares cops last week Read More »

Man arrested last year for multiple thefts in Eustis nabbed by deputies after bailing out of stolen SUV in South Lake early Monday

CLERMONT, Fla.—A man wanted for failure to appear in court for crimes in 2023 and now suspected of committing recent thefts in Eustis and Mount Dora, was apprehended after a Polk County license plate reader hit on the stolen SUV he was driving early Monday morning.

According to an arrest affidavit, around 4:45 a.m. Monday, the Polk County license plate reader hit on a black Honda SUV that was stolen in Mount Dora and Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputies located it traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 27 near U.S 192, approaching the Lake County line. PCSO’s Aviation Unit observed the Honda turn eastbound on Hartwood Marsh Road and then onto Lovers Lane. The vehicle then came to a stop in the 11000 block of Avalon Ridge Way and the driver, later identified as Jordan Makuannen, 19, fled on foot and attempted to hide behind a sand berm at Tarmac- Center Sand Mine.

PCSO’s Aviation Unit watched Makuannen from above while deputies on the ground deployed a PCSO K9 and Makuannen was located and taken into custody. Makuannen refused to identify himself to Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies but when he arrived at the Lake County Jail, jail staff was able to identify him, the affidavit states.

Jordan Makuannen in his October 2023 mugshot, left, and his mugshot taken after his arrest Monday.

Makuannen was already wanted for failure to appear on charges related to an October 2023 case in Eustis. Only Inside Lake reported in 2023 Makuannen’s stepfather turned him in after finding numerous identification cards in his home on East Atwater Avenue. Officers responded to the home and collected the cards that matched up to several victims of burglaries of both homes and vehicles in the area, some nearly two months old. The victims reported numerous items stolen, including guns, wallets, purses, electronics, cash and credit cards. Sixteen vehicle burglaries were reported during October 2023 and at least eight of them are within one half of a mile of the home on East Atwater Avenue, according to an affidavit in that case. In one incident, Makuannen is suspected of stealing a woman’s purse after entering her home on Blackberry Court, armed with a knife, while the victim was home.

EPD began watching Makuannen’s home on East Atwater Avenue in October and when he returned, officers knocked on the door and he fled from the back porch; he was taken into custody a few blocks away in the parking lot of a business on South Bay Street. He was arrested for eight charges, including armed burglary and grand theft and locked up on $65,000 bond. According to Lake County Clerk of Court online records, on Dec. 6, 2023, Makuannen’s public defender filed a motion to release him on his own recognizance because more than 30 days had passed since his arrest, and he had not been formally charged. About a week later, Circuit Judge Cary Rada granted the motion on the majority of his charges, reducing his bond to $16,000 and he bonded out Dec. 23, 2023. He failed to appear at subsequent court dates following his release, according to online records.

Eustis Police Department officers are seen here in October 2023 after apprehending burglary suspect Jordan Makuannen who fled from them. PHOTO:
Shannon Cook/Special to Inside Lake

On March 1, Makuannen was captured on surveillance video stealing a grocery order off of a porch on Morin Street in Eustis. In that incident, Makuannen is seen wearing tan pants and black slides as he takes several bags of groceries around 6 p.m. and again around five minutes later when he returns for a case of water.

Two days later, on March 3, LCSO attempted to pull over a Dodge Durango that had been stolen from a home on East Atwater Avenue—the same street Makuannen lives on and one of the vehicles he is suspected of burglarizing in October 2023.

The Durango fled and was later found abandoned at Club at Eustis Apartments behind Publix on David Walker Drive. Officers searched the Durango and found several grocery bags and items that matched what was stolen from the home on Morin Street.

Video surveillance captured Makuannen running through the apartment complex wearing the same black slides he was wearing when he stole the groceries two days prior, and another video showed Makuannen removing his black slides and leaving them on a staircase. EPD officers found the slides and collected them as evidence, but they did not find Makuannen.

After identifying Makuannen as the suspect in the grocery grab, EPD detectives secured a warrant for Makuannen’s arrest, as the court issued a warrant for his arrest for failure to appear. Makuannen apparently cut his hair, and stayed under the radar until he was apprehended Monday. He could be facing more charges in cases that are still under investigation, EPD Chief Craig Capri said.

He is being held in the Lake County Jail on no bond.

Previous story: Stepdad Turns Stepson in to Police After Finding Evidence of Multiple Burglaries in his Eustis Home Monday – Inside Lake

Man arrested last year for multiple thefts in Eustis nabbed by deputies after bailing out of stolen SUV in South Lake early Monday Read More »

LCSO: No apparent foul play in death of man Friday

LEESBURG, Fla.—Authorities have released the name of the man pronounced dead at a Leesburg gas station Friday and they do not believe his death was the result of foul play, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Dispatchers at Leesburg Police Department received a call from a person attempting to drive someone to the hospital Friday afternoon and they were instructed to pull over if they needed medical assistance, LCSO Cpl. Chanel Martin told Inside Lake Friday. Leesburg Police Department Capt. Joe Iozzi said investigators determined the incident began in LCSO’s jurisdiction and LCSO took over the investigation.

The driver pulled over at Wawa, 1400 North Boulevard, Leesburg and when EMS arrived, they pronounced John Michael Smith deceased, Martin said.

“The decedent, John Michael Smith, was turned over to the medical examiner’s office. There were no apparent signs of foul play, trauma, or a drug overdose,” Martin told Inside Lake. “He also had a medical history.”

Previous story: LCSO investigating after EMS pronounces person deceased at Leesburg gas station – Inside Lake

LCSO: No apparent foul play in death of man Friday Read More »

LCSO investigating after EMS pronounces person deceased at Leesburg gas station

Update: LCSO: No apparent foul play in death of man Friday – Inside Lake

LEESBURG, Fla.—The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a death that occurred Friday.

Dispatchers at Leesburg Police Department received a call from a person attempting to drive someone to the hospital and they were instructed to pull over if they needed medical assistance, LCSO Cpl. Chanel Martin told Inside Lake.

They pulled over at Wawa, 1400 North Boulevard, Leesburg and when EMS arrived, they found a person was deceased, Martin said. Leesburg Police Department Capt. Joe Iozzi said investigators determined the incident began in LCSO’s jurisdiction and LCSO took over the investigation. Martin said LCSO detectives and the medical examiner are on scene and the investigation is ongoing. At press time person’s identity had not been released and the cause of death was unknown.

LCSO investigating after EMS pronounces person deceased at Leesburg gas station Read More »

Clermont man accused of exposing himself to minor in store parking lot in February

CLERMONT, Fla.—An 18-year-old man is scheduled to be arraigned later this month on a charge of lewd and lascivious exhibition after being accused of exposing himself to a minor female in the parking lot of a busy store in February.

On Feb. 23, the girl told a Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy she walked up to the vehicle she was riding in the parking lot of Kohl’s, 12305 U.S. Highway 27, Clermont when Ismael Torres Marchany, of Clermont, “startled her.” She said Marchany was making a “hissing” sound and when she turned around, he was exposing and touching himself, according to an arrest affidavit.

The victim became upset and started to cry and got into the passeneger side of the vehicle and told the woman she was with. The victim continued crying and began to panic and shake and the woman drove slowly through the parking lot and was able to get the make, model and license plate of the vehicle Marchany was driving. The victim and the woman went to their home in unincorporated Clermont and waited on deputies.

They gave the vehicle information to a deputy, and it came back to Marchany. The deputy contacted Marchany and met him on Thousand Trails Boulevard at Thousand Trails Orlando, an RV park in unincorporated Clermont. Marchany told the deputy he did not speak English and an officer from Clermont Police Department responded to the scene to translate, the affidavit states.

Marchany told law enforcement he works across the street from Kohl’s and was on a break. He said he went to Kohl’s parking lot to listen to music and as his break ended, he went to change into his uniform to go back to work.

“During the questioning he changed his words of time frame a couple of times, as well as stating that he had boxers on the entire time but ended fully nude in his vehicle,” the arresting deputy noted in the affidavit.

Marchany was not questioned about the minor female but brought her up on his own and said a female came up to his driver’s door when he was “looking away and not paying attention,” the affidavit states. Marchany said she startled him but at “no point did he touch himself in a sexual way. Marchany said he changed his clothes, went back to work and then went home.

Marchany was placed under arrest and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $5,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned March 18.

Clermont Police Department is also investigating a similar incident that occurred on Dec. 23, 2023, involving the same vehicle and more charges against Marchany are possible in that case.

Clermont man accused of exposing himself to minor in store parking lot in February Read More »

Eustis man held on no bond after baseball bat attack

EUSTIS, Fla.—A baseball bat attack sent one man to the hospital by helicopter and another man to the Lake County Jail, late Sunday night, according to an arrest affidavit.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Waycross Avenue and Gables Drive, near Eustis around 10:30 p.m. Sunday after a witness reported she saw a man, later identified as Jamie Hoover Locklear, 41, strike another man in the head with a black metal baseball bat.

When deputies arrived, they found a man, who was not publicly identified, suffering from a “severe laceration” on his head, approximately 3 inches long, the affidavit states. EMS treated the man, and he was transported by air to Orlando Regional Medical Center as a trauma alert.

The witness told deputies she and Locklear exchanged words and she witnessed Locklear strike the victim with a bat. She described Locklear and provided the license plate number to a blue Dodge Durango Locklear left in.

Eustis Police Department officers located the SUV on South Mary Street and Locklear was arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was transported to LCJ, where he is being held on no bond.

Eustis man held on no bond after baseball bat attack Read More »

Dad Arrested for DUI Crash that Killed 2 Toddler Sons and Injured Another Son on Easter Eve ’22

TAVARES, Fla.—A father is in the Lake County Jail on no bond after being arrested for DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and operating a vehicle without a driver license causing death, stemming from a crash that killed his two young sons on Easter Eve in 2022.

David Shawn Pelfrey, 22, was picked up at his home in Fruitland Park on a warrant Thursday, nearly two years after the crash that killed his young sons, Damian and Dominic and seriously injured their younger brother Daylen.

Inside Lake spoke with the boys’ mom, Miranda Martin, by text Monday and she said Daylen is 3 years old now and doing well.

“Daylen is extremely smart, and the only visible scar left was the one on his head from the surgery he had to have but he’s been through a lot, he actually remembers his brothers and he talks about them often. If he’s asked where Damian and Dominic are he will say “they’re my angels in the sky” and that warms my heart,” she said,

Martin said the arrest has been a long time coming.

“I just want my boys to be remembered, I had to patiently wait for this day to come and for an arrest to be made. Throughout all the time that’s gone by I have had to overcome a lot mentally while (Pelfrey) lived his life like he wasn’t bothered, he’s never apologized and showed no remorse. My life was destroyed, and finally my children will get the justice they deserve and the attention they deserved since this happened. There will never be enough justice no matter what his sentence is because their lives are over. They’re not going to come back but now he has no choice but to sit in isolation and remember them and process that he was at fault for this and now I don’t feel like I carry the weight of the pain from their loss alone anymore,” Martin told Inside Lake.

“Damian was a very intelligent child and extremely mischievous and mature for his age, he loved (play) guns, and I would go as far as saying he was obsessed with them and had a collection of nerf guns, he was as much of a daddy’s boy as he was a mama’s boy. Dominic, he was my mini and a wholehearted mama’s boy, he loved dinosaurs and he thought he was a dinosaur we called him Dino-Dom. He was goofy and always happy and so destructive. My children were amazing boys, and they deserve to be remembered and I’m glad they’re finally getting justice.”

Photo courtesy of Miranda Martin

Shortly before 5:45 p.m. April 16, 2022, Pelfrey, who did not have a valid license, was driving a red 2011 Kia Optima westbound on State Road 46 near Wekiva Pines Road in Sorrento and passing vehicles in a no-passing zone, the Florida Highway Patrol said in 2022. The Kia entered the eastbound lane and the path of a blue 2011 Toyota Tundra pickup truck being driven by Carey David Duryea, of Lake Mary. Duryea took evasive action, according to witnesses, and traveled onto the south shoulder. Pelfrey traveled onto the same shoulder and struck the Tundra head-on, causing it to overturn and catch fire. The impact ejected Damian Pelfrey, 4, and his little brother, Dominic Shane Pelfrey, 2, from the Optima and they were both pronounced deceased on the scene. Their younger brother, Daylen Scott Pelfrey, then just 1 year old, was transported to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando.

Pelfrey, and another passenger, Justice Marie Lavery were transported to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital in Sanford along with Duryea, Natalio Ramirez Velazquez and Olinto Garcia. Aldrin Greeis Perez Rodriguez and Marvin Armando were transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares.

Witnesses told FHP Pelfrey was driving between 65 and 75 miles per hour and one witness said she could smell alcohol when she went to the car to check on the occupants following the crash, according to a probable affidavit.

Photo courtesy of Miranda Martin

Troopers later traveled to Sanford to speak to Pelfrey and obtain a blood sample and he refused. They obtained a search warrant for Pelfrey’s blood, and it was drawn twice, at 2:15 a.m. and 2:16 a.m. April 17, 2022—nearly nine hours after the crash. A test performed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement revealed the presence of fentanyl, THC and hydromorphone in his system. That test did not show the presence of alcohol, but FHP secured a search warrant for medical blood taken at 7:59 p.m. April 16, 2022, about two hours after the crash. That blood sample, tested using enzymatic testing, showed Pelfrey had a blood alcohol level (BAL) of .135, more than 1.5 times the legal limit.

The sample was also sent to the University of Florida Pathology Laboratories, which used chromatograph testing. Its test showed Pelfrey’s BAL was .102 and did not show the presence of drugs.

A warrant was issued for Pelfrey’s arrest Jan. 14, and he was picked up at his home Thursday and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on no bond. Pelfrey is also facing a charge of kidnapping and battery in a separate case. That case remains open.

Previous story: Two Leesburg Toddlers Killed, One Airlifted in Fiery Easter Eve Crash that Shut Down SR 46 – Inside Lake

Photos courtesy of Miranda Martin

Dad Arrested for DUI Crash that Killed 2 Toddler Sons and Injured Another Son on Easter Eve ’22 Read More »

Eustis Traffic Stop Leads to Trafficking Arrest Early Friday

EUSTIS, Fla.—Dark tint and a burned-out tag light caught the attention of a Eustis Police Department officer early Friday and ended with the arrest of an Apopka man for trafficking, according to an arrest affidavit.

Around 12:45 a.m. Friday, EPD was patrolling the area of U.S. Highway 441 and Eudora Road when an officer noticed a vehicle with “very dark” tint and a tag that was not completely illuminated. The officer stopped the vehicle and smelled burnt marijuana as he approached the car, the affidavit states.

The officer asked the four females and one male occupying the car if anyone had a medical marijuana card and no one answered, and the male, later identified as John Lanard Baker, 40, of Apopka, was holding onto a grey backpack, the officer noted. Three EPD officers arrived as backup and all five occupants were asked to exit the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and found a burnt marijuana blunt near the front passenger seat and crack cocaine rolled in foil in the center console, according to the affidavit.

The grey backpack Baker was holding was searched and officers found more marijuana and a digital scale with white residue. Officers then searched Baker and found a pill bottle in his waistband that contained 7 grams of crack cocaine and two baggies that tested positive for MDMA and weighed 13 grams—a trafficking amount. He also had $400 cash in his wallet, according to the affidavit.

Baker, who was also wanted in Orange County for failure to pay child support, was arrested for trafficking in MDMA, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $29,500 bond.

Eustis Traffic Stop Leads to Trafficking Arrest Early Friday Read More »

Pedestrian Killed after Walking in front of Eustis Man’s Truck in Seminole County Wednesday

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla.—A pedestrian was killed in Seminole County after walking into the direct path of truck being driven by a Eustis man Wednesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The 72-year-old Maitland man was crossing U.S. 17-92 at Spartan Drive around 6:30 a.m. when he walked in front of a 2002 Toyota Tundra being driven by a 34-year-old Eustis man. Witnesses told FHP the Eustis man had a green light.

The Maitland man was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center and pronounced deceased; the Eustis man was not injured and remained on scene. The crash is under investigation.

Pedestrian Killed after Walking in front of Eustis Man’s Truck in Seminole County Wednesday Read More »

BREAKING NEWS: Suspected Mount Dora Prowler Identified and Arrested

MOUNT DORA, Fla.—Mount Dora Police Department has identified and arrested the man suspected of prowling the city’s west side last week while armed.

Dylan Michael Price, 29, of Mount Dora, was arrested Monday following a search warrant at his home and is facing two counts of armed trespassing and one count of petit theft, City of Mount Dora Spokesperson Misty Sommer said.

He spent just over two hours in jail before being released on $4,500 bond just before midnight Tuesday, according to Lake County Jail online booking records.

Previous story: Mount Dora Police Seeking Public’s Help with Identifying Suspected Burglar – Inside Lake

BREAKING NEWS: Suspected Mount Dora Prowler Identified and Arrested Read More »

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