LEESBURG, Florida—A 20-year-old Orlando man is facing five counts of child neglect and DUI after he was pulled over for speeding late Saturday night.
A Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy was parked in the median on U.S. Highway 27 near Plantation Boulevard shortly before midnight Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit. The deputy observed a vehicle traveling 83 mph in a 55-mph zone and quickly turn when the deputy turned on his headlights. The vehicle turned around in an open grassy area and reentered the roadway without its headlights on.
The vehicle continued down the road in the wrong direction and pulled into a parking spot after the deputy activated his emergency lights; the driver, Marques C. Denis, quickly got out of the vehicle and ignored the deputy’s commands to get back in the car. Denis then walked toward the deputy and was secured. The deputy immediately could smell alcohol on Denis and after backup arrived, the deputy found that Denis had six passengers in the vehicle—five of whom were children, ages 17, 9, 8 and two 14-year-olds and a half-empty bottle of E&J Brandy VS.
Denis agreed to perform field sobriety exercises and following the exercises he was arrested for DUI, three counts of domestic child neglect and two counts of child neglect. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $6,000 bond.
LEESBURG, Florida—A man accused of carjacking a woman Tuesday is in the Lake County Jail on $25,000 bond.
Jayson Todd Locke, 44, of Leesburg, is accused of taking a white Chevy Tahoe from a woman Tuesday while she was sitting in it, eating at Winn Dixie, 27405 U.S. Highway 27, according to an arrest affidavit.
The woman told Leesburg Police she was in the parking lot near Taco Bell when a man, later identified as Locke, opened the driver’s door and demanded she give the Tahoe to him. Locke was “very agitated,” according to the victim and continued to yell at her. Locke told her she could go with him, and he would give the SUV back to her once she was finished.
This frightened the victim, and she exited the Tahoe with her phone and purse and Locke drove away toward South U.S. Highway 27, the affidavit states. Later that evening, the victim’s son went looking for Locke and an employee of a gas station told her son Locke had been at the store earlier with a backpack and a bicycle that he left outside the building.
LPDF responded to the store and collected the backpack and found paperwork belonging to Locke, according to the affidavit. After running Locke’s name, the LPD corporal found that LPD officers had contact with Locke early Wednesday at another gas station.
Officers found the stolen Tahoe a couple blocks from that gas station and Locke was identified in a photo lineup, the affidavit states.
Locke was arrested Friday and transported to the Lake County Jail.
LEESBURG, Florida—A 17-year-old boy is facing charges after police say he opened fire at a busy park earlier this month.
Theodore L. McNealy Jr. was arrested Sunday after he was identified by several witnesses following a shooting at Berry Park less than two weeks ago.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a group of black males on foot approached a group of black males in a red Chevy Impala at the entrance to Berry Park, 2121 Johns Avenue, Leesburg shortly before 4 p.m. Jan. 8. The group on foot brandished pistols and began firing at the car, the affidavit states.
PHOTO: Leesburg Recreation Department
The males in the vehicle returned fire and numerous gunshots were exchanged. There were several families in the park and a local organization was holding a fundraiser at the time of the shooting, LPD Lt. Scott Mack said. Witnesses identified McNealy as the person who initiated the gun fight, the affidavit states.
A warrant was issued Jan. 11 and the teenager was arrested Monday for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a minor.
This is the second teenager arrested for a shooting at the popular park in less than two months. Zamarion Z. Johnson, 17, was arrested in December for 34 felonies stemming from a shooting at the park on Nov. 28. In that incident, a physical altercation turned to gunfire and Johnson stands accused of shooting at a vehicle while dozens of people, including children, were at the park.
“The Leesburg Police Department is still actively investigating this (latest) incident and attempting to identify a possible second shooter in the incident,” Mack said. If you have information, call LPD’s Criminal Investigations Division at 352-728-9862 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
LEESBURG, Florida—A second suspect sought in the murder of a Leesburg man last year has been arrested, according to Leesburg Police Department.
Jeron Lee Johnson, 32, was arrested Friday by local authorities and U.S. Marshals in Ohio, LPD Lt. Scott Mack said in a press release; Johnson is currently awaiting extradition back to Lake County, Mack said.
On Aug. 4, 2021, LPD responded to a report of a shooting victim in the 1000 block of West Line Street, shortly before midnight and found Michael Pettis, 34, dead. Police searched the area for suspects but did not find anyone, LPD Capt. Joe Iozzi said in August.
After an investigation, LPD obtained warrants for two suspects, in November, Johnson and Sonja Isadieu-Johnson, 36. It is unclear if the pair are related. Isadieu-Johnson was located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and Virginia Beach Police Department’s SWAT team secured a search warrant on her residence and took her into custody on Nov. 3, 2021.
KEY WEST, Florida— A Leesburg man turned himself in to authorities Thursday for vandalizing the Southernmost Point buoy in Key West on New Year’s Day.
Around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Key West Police and Key West Fire responded to a fire at the buoy, according to a Facebook post by Key West Police Department. They found the remnants of a charred Christmas tree and found the fire “left a burned scar three feet wide and seven feet tall,” causing more than $5,000 in damage.
Crews work to restore the iconic Southernmost Point Buoy in Key West after a fire damaged it early New Year’s Day. PHOTO: City of Key West
Two suspects, later identified as David Brendan Perkins, 22, of Leesburg and Skyler Rae Jacobson, 21, of Henrietta, Texas, were seen on numerous surveillance cameras dragging the tree to the iconic buoy, hiding and setting the tree ablaze. The duo also took several photos of each other standing in front of the tree and buoy, before setting fire to the tree.
Key West Police issued warrants for the pair for criminal mischief and they arranged to turn themselves in, according to KWPD. Perkins was booked into the Monroe County Jail on no bond Thursday and Jacobson was still on the lam at press time.
Crews began repairing the buoy the day of the fire and expect it to be completed by Thursday night, police said.
EUSTIS, Florida—A woman arrested earlier this week with nearly 4 pounds of marijuana was a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Lake County Sheriff’s Office nearly a decade ago when her boyfriend was killed by a deputy at the front door of the apartment they shared in 2012.
According to an arrest affidavit, Miranda April Mauck, 30, was traveling 17 miles an hour over the speed limit on County Road 44, around 8:30 p.m. Monday night. An officer with Eustis Police Department pulled her over for speeding in the parking lot of CVS Pharmacy at the corner of C.R. 44 and State Road 19 and could smell marijuana emitting from her vehicle.
An EPD K-9 officer responded to the scene and K-9 Mya’s handler spotted marijuana in a backpack in plain view on the front passenger floorboard, and along with the marijuana, more than $2,000 cash was found, the affidavit states. Mauck was taken into custody and when officers searched her vehicle, they found a Glock 9mm and Ruger .380 under Mauck’s seat, more marijuana, scales, marijuana packaging, THC oil, vape bars and 10 chocolate bars containing Psilocybin mushrooms.
Mauck was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to sell, two counts of carrying a concealed firearm, possession of THC oil, possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was transported to the Lake County Jail, where she was released after just a few hours on $14,000 bond.
On July 15, 2012, Mauck’s boyfriend, Andrew Lee “Drew” Scott, 26, was killed when a LCSO deputy came to his door—the wrong door—looking for a battery suspect. A lawsuit filed in 2013 by Mauck and Scott’s parents against then-Sheriff Gary borders and Deputy Richard Sylvester claimed, Sylvester, “banged on the door” of Mauck’s apartment in Leesburg in the early morning, “in such a manner to bewilder or frighten the residents and foreseeably place said residents in a defense posture.”
Andrew Lee “Drew” Scott PHOTO: Facebook/Justice For Drew
Mauck and Scott were watching TV in apartment 114 at Blueberry Hill Apartments in Leesburg and Scott, fearing for their safety, retrieved his legally owned handgun and opened the door. Sylvester fired six shots, striking Scott at least three times and killing him. Mauck was struck by glass and debris. Sylvester did not announce himself as law enforcement and was not criminally charged.
In response to the lawsuit, defendants Borders and Sylvester filed a motion for a summary judgment and the court granted Sylvester qualified immunity and denied Mauck’s and Scott’s parent’s claims. They appealed the ruling and Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling.
LEESBURG, Florida—A Leesburg High School student accused of opening fire at Berry Park Thanksgiving weekend was arrested Tuesday and is facing 34 felony and two misdemeanor charges, according to an arrest affidavit.
On Nov. 28, around 5:45 p.m., Leesburg Police Department responded to Berry Park, 2121 Johns Avenue in reference to a disturbance, battery and shooting.
LPD arrived at the park to find more than two dozen people and most refused to speak with officers, according to the affidavit. One woman, who refused to give her name, came forward and said the altercation began over a black female driving a red car, pulling into the parking lot and nearly striking a child. The red vehicle left, but one of the occupants returned later in a gray SUV and an argument began and shots were fired, the affidavit states.
Victim one flagged officers down at another location and said she rode to Berry Park in a red car earlier with three friends and an older black female confronted victim one’s friend, the driver about what she felt was careless driving. The woman then reached into the car window and “mushed” victim one’s face. Victim one rolled her window up and Zamarion Z. Johnson, 17, tapped on the window with an unknown object and is alleged to have said, “B****, what you want to do?”
Berry Park PHOTO: Leesburg Recreation Department
Victim one, who knows Johnson, said there were 60 to 80 people at the park, and she believed Johnson’s family was having a gathering. She then left the park and was dropped off at her mother’s home.
She told her mother and sister, victim two and victim three, what happened, and the trio decided to return to Berry Park to talk to the female about the altercation, according to the affidavit. When they arrived at the park in the gray SUV, a large group of people approached them arguing and it became physical. Victims one and there were punched in the face and victim two received a small cut to her head.
The victims got back into the SUV and began to back out when Johnson took out a handgun and fired numerous shots at the SUV. Victim one stated, “(Johnson) let a whole clip go.”
The SUV was shot four times, a second vehicle was shot through the front passenger window and LPD found 10 9mm shell casings at the scene, according to the affidavit. Victim one was transported to UF Health Leesburg and while she was there, she showed an LPD detective a photo of someone she identified as “Mari” with a Facebook profile name of “Bi Mari.” The photo matched the in-house photo LPD has of Johnson, the detective noted in the affidavit. Victim one also described where Johnson lives and victims two and three identified Johnson separately in a photo lineup.
LPD responded to Johnson’s home, and he admitted being at the park during the first altercation, but said he went home before the second altercation and shooting occurred.
Police obtained surveillance video from the park that showed “The subject was standing in front of the vehicle firing directly at the victims. The large crowd of people began to run, to include small children, who were just to the left of the shooter, in between him and the victims’ vehicle,” the LPD detective stated in the affidavit.
Johnson was arrested for 30 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, four counts of shooting a deadly missile into a vehicle, discharging a firearm in a public place and possession of a firearm by a minor. He was turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
LEESBURG, Florida—A 14-year-old boy is facing a litany of felony charges, including attempted murder after he allegedly shot at a car with four females in it, striking one in the leg, according to an arrest affidavit.
Leesburg Police responded to UF Health Leesburg shortly before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on a report of a gunshot victim. Police arrived to find a female shot below her left knee.
She told police she drove her friend to a home on Stearns Avenue to pick up her friend’s boyfriend, along with two other friends in her Ford Focus. When they arrived at the home, a woman and one of her children came outside and began arguing with the occupants of the Focus. The woman’s son, Camron Bellamy, 14, “emerged from the residence with a handgun. He shot at the vehicle once, striking the victim in the leg,” the arresting detective stated in the affidavit. Juvenile felony arrests are public record in Florida and Inside Lake is naming Bellamy due to the seriousness of the crimes.
The victims left the scene and victim one was unable to drive, due to her gunshot wound and one of her passengers drove her to the hospital. Two of the victims identified Bellamy as the suspect because they were personally familiar with him, the affidavit states. LPD arrested Bellamy at his home and transported him to Leesburg Police Department where he said one of the victims is always causing problems because her boyfriend spends so much time at his home. He also told police he believed she was involved in a recent shooting at his house due to a comment she made about his house being “shot up.”
Bellamy denied shooting at the vehicle.
Bellamy was arrested for attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault, shooting into an occupied vehicle and possession of a weapon by a minor. He was turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
LEESBURG, Florida—Another pedestrian was killed Thursday in Leesburg, unrelated to the crash that killed a man early Thursday morning, according to Leesburg Police Capt. Joe Iozzi.
Jarret Roque, 40, of Howey-in-the-Hills, was observed by an independent witness standing in the center travel lane of U.S. Highway 441 just north of County Road 44A, around 11:50 p.m. Thursday, Iozzi said in a press release. Awilda Hernandez, 61, of Eustis, was southbound on U.S. Highway 441 in a 2021 Jeep SUV, when she collided with Roque.
Roque suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported by Lake EMS to UF Health-Leesburg, where he was pronounced dead. The crash closed U.S. Highway 441 southbound for about three hours.
“The crash remains under investigation, by the Leesburg Police Department Traffic Unit, however it appears the pedestrian was “at-fault” at this time,” Iozzi said.
LEESBURG, Florida—A motorcyclist has died following a crash Monday morning in Leesburg.
Tony Sammons, 52, of Wildwood was traveling north on U.S. Highway 27 shortly before 10:45 a.m. Monday when he collided with a 2017 Buick SUV being driven by 79-year-old Nancy Mitchell of Summerfield.
Mitchell was southbound on U.S. Highway 27 and attempted to make a left turn onto Citizens Boulevard when Sammons, who was riding a 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle, struck the passenger side of the SUV as she made her turn, Leesburg Police Capt. Joe Iozzi said in a press release.
Sammons sustained serious injuries and was transported by air to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he died Thursday.
The crash remains under investigation, Iozzi said.
Local journalism is more important than ever before and we are dedicated to the health and vibrancy of our community. Your support helps us maintain our independence and our ability to report the news without bias or influence.
