MARION COUNTY, Fla.—A Lady Lake woman was killed Monday morning after losing control of an SUV and crashing into a tree, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The 49-year-old woman was southbound on Southeast 47th Avenue north of Southeast Highway 42 when she lost control for an unknown reason, traveled into the northbound land and struck a tree off the west shoulder around 9 a.m. Monday, FHP Lt. P.V. Riordan said.
She was pronounced deceased on the scene and was not wearing a seatbelt, Riordan said.
MARION COUNTY, Fla.—A 76-year-old woman of The Villages was killed Saturday morning after she pulled out in front of a pickup truck, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The woman was driving an SUV east on Northwest 85th Loop at U.S. Highway 441 and attempted to make a lefthand turn onto U.S. Highway 441, around 9:30 a.m. She pulled out in front of a pickup truck traveling in the outside southbound lane and the front of the truck collided with the left side of the SUV. FHP said.
The woman was transported to HCA Ocala Hospital, where she later died from her injuries. The driver of the truck, a 38-year-old Ruskin man, was seriously injured, along with a male passenger of Kennett Square, Penn. Two other passengers in the truck, a male and female, also of Kennett Square, suffered minor injuries.
GROVELAND, Florida—The teen wanted in connection with the murders of three teenagers last month in Marion County was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Saturday, south of Groveland, according to a Facebook post by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
Inside Lake was tipped off Tahj Brewton, 16, was in custody, but LCSO was “unable to confirm,” shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday.
On Friday Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods announced Brewton was wanted and two other juveniles had been arrested in the murders of Layla Silvernail and Camille Quarles, both 16. A 17-year-old boy was also murdered, but his name has not been publicly released. All three teens were found shot to death in Marion County between March 30 and April 1. Silvernail and the boy were found shot on the side of different roads, several miles away from each other. Quarles was found in the trunk of Silvernail’s car, a white Chevy Cruze, that was found dumped in a pond near Ocklawaha April 1.
Woods said deputies believe all three teens were murdered at the same time, even though they were found in different locations, he said in a press conference Friday.
Robert Le’Andrew Robinson, 17, and Christopher De’l Atkins. 12, have been arrested and charged in the murders; Brewton was picked up on outstanding juvenile pickup orders for armed carjacking, aggravated assault, grand theft auto, fleeing and eluding and tampering with an electronic monitoring device. A juvenile pickup order is the equivalent of an arrest warrant for an adult. More charges are forthcoming for Brewton, according to the Facebook post.
TAVARES, Florida—A Marion County man taken into custody by U.S. Marshals last week in Marion County on a warrant for sex crimes against a young child in Eustis has been transferred to the Lake County Jail.
William Grady Keel, 26, was picked up by U.S. Marshals on a warrant for sexual battery on a child under 12 and lewd or lascivious molestation on a child under 12 on Thursday, Eustis Police Department Capt. Dave Carney told Inside Lake. According to the address listed for Keel on LCJ’s online booking records, Keel lives in the Umatilla area of Marion County. The city limits of Umatilla are in Lake County, but a portion of Marion County has Umatilla addresses.
The investigation into the allegations against Keel began when an anonymous call was made to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and the agency requested EPD’s assistance because the alleged crimes occurred in Eustis. Carney said. The relationship between Keel and his female victim was not released because it may identify her.
The child was interviewed by the Children’s Advocacy Center and she made statements about sexual behavior that a child her age should not know, Carney said. EPD did not release the child’s exact age, only that she is under 10 years old. Physical evidence also backed up the claims of abuse, Carney said.
Keel knew he was under investigation, Carney told Inside Lake, and he made comments that he would not be arrested easily, so the Marshals were asked to pick him up.
“Before he knew it, he was in custody,” Carney said.
Keel was held in the Marion County Jail on no bond until he was transferred to the Lake County Jail Monday morning, where he continues to be held on no bond.
MARION COUNTY, Florida—The Florida Highway Patrol continues to investigate a fiery crash that killed three people Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 75 in Marion County and is searching for witnesses to the crash.
According to preliminary information, around 1:10 p.m. Wednesday, a 2017 Subaru sedan and a dump truck were traveling southbound on Interstate 75 and at some point, came into contact, FHP Lt. P.V. Riordan said in a press release.
Both vehicles traveled southeast through the center median guardrail and into the northbound lanes and a series of collisions occurred between the vehicles and a 2021 Dodge Ram 3500 pulling a gooseneck trailer and a 2022 Chevrolet SUV that were both traveling northbound, Riordan said.
The dump truck and the Chevrolet SUV came to a final rest and became engulfed in flames. The driver of Dodge Ram, a male, age unknown, was killed and his 19-year female passenger was transported to an Ocala hospital with serious injuries. Both occupants of the Ram are from South Carolina.
The driver of the dump truck was killed, and a positive identification is pending, Riordan said. The driver of the Chevrolet SUV, a 40-year-old man of Pearland, Texas, was also killed. The driver of the Subaru sedan, a 56-year-old Gainesville man, was transported to UF Health Leesburg with serious injuries.
If you witnessed the deadly crash, troopers are asking you call *FHP (347) with information.
LEESBURG, Florida—A man reported missing Wednesday has been found dead in Marion County and a Wildwood man has been arrested in his death, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
On Wednesday, a friend of Casey Dean’s told LCSO they heard Dean had been killed and was last seen with Matthew Luke “Maniac” Allen, 26, on Sunday riding with Allen and unidentified person in a red 2015 Dodge Ram.
Deputies went to a home on Misty Meadows Drive in attempt to find Dean, Allen or the truck and were unsuccessful. They found the door to the guest house on the property ajar and spoke to a woman at the main house and told her they were looking for Allen because he had several felony warrants. She told deputies Allen was a “bad man” who her daughter recently met on the dating app, “Plenty of Fish,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
The woman called her daughter and asked her to come home and the daughter advised Allen had stolen the Ram and she was on her way home. When she arrived, she told deputies on Sunday afternoon, Allen was standing across from Dean with a coffee table in between them. A man identified by his nickname. “Meeche” was on the couch with his girlfriend and two juveniles were in the room, due to heavy redaction in the affidavit, it is unclear who the children belong to. Allen was yelling at Dean about a gun on the table that was believed to be inoperable. As the unidentified female went into the bathroom. Allen said, “Why would you pull a gun on people that doesn’t work?” immediately followed by a gunshot, the affidavit states.
Matthew “Maniac” Allen PHOTO: Marion County Sheriff’s Office
The unidentified woman ran from the bathroom and observed Dean bleeding heavily from his upper body and begging for help. Allen asked Dean if he could put the gun in his hand and make it look like a suicide and never called for help. Dean died from his injuries on the couch.
Allen threatened to kill the woman and her children if she did not help dispose of the body, and text messages found by LCSO corroborated her fears, a detective noted in the affidavit.
“Meeche” and Allen rolled Dean’s body up in an old rug and placed his body in the back of the Ram and Allen forced the woman to drive the children to their mother in Ocala. After they dropped the children off, they drove to a home near County Road 42 and County Road 25 in the Weirsdale area of Marion County and dumped Dean’s body near Allen’s friend’s house. Allen then forced the woman to drive to Orlando, where they dumped the rug in a dumpster on an unknown road.
They stayed in an undisclosed location until Wednesday when she convinced Allen to let her go home to get clothes since he planned on fleeing the state the following day. She was permitted to use a car and she dumped it at Brooks Buck and Does, 21075 Southeast Highway 42, Umatilla and called a friend to pick her up. She told deputies she believed Allen would kill her too, the affidavit states.
A search warrant at the guest house revealed blood evidence and a bullet lodged in the wall; the woman helped lead law enforcement to Dean’s body and he was later found to have died from a bullet wound to the neck.
Detectives interviewed the juvenile witnesses, who corroborated the woman’s story and at least one of the children seemed traumatized by the killing, according to the affidavit. Allen was taken into custody by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for several felony Sumter County warrants including drug charges and failure to appear. He is facing numerous charges in Dean’s death, including manslaughter, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, unlawful transportation of human remains, grand theft auto and child neglect. He is being held in the Marion County Jail on no bond.
LEESBURG, Florida—A man was shot in the head and left on the side of the road in unincorporated Leesburg Wednesday, and the suspect fled to a Marion County bar, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Fred Jones.
At 2:50 p.m., the 26-year-old victim and a witness were driving down Whitney Road near State Road 44, when the victim recognized James Carlton’s vehicle. The two vehicles stopped, and the victim got out to greet Carlton and had a short conversation with him, the witness told LCSO. Inside Lake
After the brief conversation, Carlton 57, shot the victim and fled the scene. The victim was transported to UF Health Leesburg, where he was pronounced dead, Jones said in a press release. Carlton was found at a bar in Marion County and multiple law enforcement agencies responded and took him into custody without incident.
Carlton, of Fruitland Park, was arrested for murder and transported to the Marion County Jail. His booking information and mugshot were not available at press time.
LCSO has not released a motive for the shooting or the relationship between the victim and Carlton.
