Mount Dora

Monica Islam

Deputies: Brother-in-law accused of killing Eustis woman, held on federal immigration warrant

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Mount Dora, Tavares, Unincorporated Lake / By

TAVARES, Fla.—An arrest warrant has been obtained for the brother-in-law of a Eustis woman found murdered in May.

Monica Islam, 44, was found shot to death near Scenic Hills Drive and Wolf Branch Road outside of Mount Dora around 7:30 a.m. May 2 after vanishing from Shell, 1701 South Bay Street, Eustis around 6 a.m. the same morning.

According to the missing person report obtained by Inside Lake, Islam’s daughter, Rimi Islam, reported her mother missing around 8:30 a.m. May 2. She told Eustis Police Department they left their home around 5:30 a.m. and arrived at Shell shortly after. She said her mom helped her with opening the store and then she went outside to take a walk around the parking lot, which was normal behavior.

Rimi Islam told police she got busy and lost track of where her mom was. Another employee told Rimi Islam she saw Monica Islam in the parking lot as she arrived at work, around 6:10 a.m. Rimi Islam tried calling her mom, who had left her purse behind at the store, and was unable to reach her. After going back to the home they shared and looking for Monica Islam and checking security cameras for her with no success, Rimi Islam reported her missing to EPD. While investigating Monica’s disappearance, EPD was made aware of a body found near Mount Dora; later identified as Monica Islam.

Eustis Police Department investigates after Monica Islam was reported missing May 2, 2025, Courtesy photo

Islam was found in Lake County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction; deputies responded to the scene and detectives took over the investigation. Through its investigation, LCSO found that Monica Islam had been the victim of a domestic violence committed by her husband, Rashedul Islam, and his brother Shahidul Islam in December 2024, in Eustis, LCSO Capt. John Herrell said in a press release.

In that incident, Rashedul Islam reportedly struck his wife and stole jewelry and paperwork related to a property in Bangladesh. Shahidul Islam pointed a gun at his sister-in-law and told her not to call 911, Herrell said. It was reported to EPD and Rashedul Islam fled the country before he was arrested.

Detectives also uncovered Shahidul Islam had previously been deported and had an immigration warrant for illegally reentering the United states, Herrell said.

Using information from license plate readers (LPR,) detectives connected Shahidul Islam to a home in Sanford and later found out he fled to New York in a rental car. U.S. Marshals located him, he was taken into custody on the federal immigration warrant and has remained in federal custody since May 6, according to Herrell.

“He will be served the homicide warrant and extradited back to Lake County once all the federal requirements related to his immigration status have been satisfied,” Herrell said.

Deputies: Brother-in-law accused of killing Eustis woman, held on federal immigration warrant Read More »

Canon Cofrancesco runs a red light at State Road 44 and Eleven Oaks Circle after hitting three vehicles and taking off Sunday afternoon. Confrancesco crahsed into two outdoor AC units and a house in the Eleven Oaks neighborhood. Courtesy photo

Wild ride in Slingshot through Mount Dora, Eustis sends Tennessee man to jail

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Mount Dora / By

MOUNT DORA, Fla. — A Tennessee man who police say hit three vehicles, two AC units and house while taking a drunken ride through Mount Dora and Eustis, has been released from the Lake County Jail on $9,000 bond.

Shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday, Mount Dora Police Department responded to a hit-and-run that reportedly occurred at 4th Avenue and Donnelly Street in downtown Mount Dora. The victim in that crash told police the front of a grey Polaris Slingshot struck the corner of the front bumper of his truck, causing approximately $2,000 in damage. The victim said the Slingshot sped off and almost hit another vehicle, according to an arrest affidavit.

While investigating that crash, dispatch received two more calls about hit-and-run crashes, one at State Road 44 and County Road 44B, near Circle K, where a vehicle was rear-ended and the third crash, 1.5 miles away at Eleven Oaks Circle and State Road 44, where another vehicle was rear-ended. The Slingshot took off down Eleven Oaks Circle until finally it crashed into two outdoor AC units and a home at 66 Eleven Oaks Circle, Eustis, causing an estimated $12,000 in damage, the affidavit states. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Eustis Police Department assisted MDPD with the incident.

Law enforcement officers from Mount Dora Police Department, Eustis Police Department and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office line the street near 66 Eleven Oaks Circle in Eustis. Courtesy photo

The driver, identified as Canon Thomas Cofrancesco, 38, of Chattanooga Tenn., fled the scene on foot and jumped a fence before he was apprehended by an LCSO deputy. Cofrancesco, who had a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his breath, was detained and placed into the back of an LCSO patrol car. An MDPD officer later assisted Cofrancesco out of the patrol car while he reportedly slurred his words and stated, “These are my friends,” and said an officer has “very pretty eyes,” according to the affidavit.

An MDPD officer assisted Cofrancesco out of the LCSO patrol car and read him his rights. He refused to pay attention, refused field sobriety exercises and could not stand still, the officer noted. He was placed into an MDPD patrol unit for transport to LCJ and kicked the officer’s door. When they arrived at LCJ, Cofrancesco allegedly said he would kill law enforcement, the affidavit states.

While at the jail, the arresting officer conducted a 20-minute observation on Cofrancesco and then a breath test was conducted. More than 1.5 hours after the initial crash, Cofrancesco blew a .291 at 6:39 p.m. and .285 and 6:43 p.m., according to the affidavit—both samples more than three times the legal limit.

Cofrancesco was arrested for DUI (second offense,) DUI with property damage, reckless driving with property damage and three counts of leaving the scene of a crash.

Wild ride in Slingshot through Mount Dora, Eustis sends Tennessee man to jail Read More »

VIDEO: DeLand man uses skid steer to break into building at Tavares Public Works Complex, takes joyride in city truck

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Mount Dora, Tavares / By

TAVARES, Fla.—A DeLand man was nabbed Thursday morning driving a stolen City of Tavares truck, following a break-in at the city’s Public Works Complex.

According to a Tavares Police Department report, TPD responded to the Public Works Complex, 920 Captain Haynes Road after an employee reported that when he arrived shortly after 5:45 a.m. Thursday, he found Lake Technical College’s doors open, and two vehicles and a building had been broken into.

Officers obtained surveillance video that showed Ronald Carlton Harmon, 43, just before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night on the complex property. More than an hour later, he is seen on video again, this time using a white skid steer to force open a roll-up door, causing $40,000 in damage to the door.  He is also seen walking through several hallways in the building.

While investigating, another employee told officers the front door lock of the Utilities Administration Building had been removed and the door was damaged, and another door was found shattered; the estimated total damage to the complex is nearly $60,000. Various items in the building were moved, a pry bar was found on a kitchen table, along with a hammer on the kitchen counter. Multiple sets of keys were missing from offices, and some of them were strewn about the building, the report states.

A third employee reported his office had been ransacked and he was missing a City of Tavares shirt and hat, and a City of Tavares truck was missing. The truck, a 2015 Ford 250 Super Duty 4×2, was entered as stolen, while officers collected the shirt Harmon was wearing on video, a pack of cigarettes, a lighter and two V8 drinks. The keys that belonged to the stolen truck were taken from an office, they were not in the truck, TPD PIO Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake.

While still on scene investigating, a call came in regarding a vehicle driving erratically in the area of Burleigh Boulevard and Duncan Drive around 9:20 a.m. Officers responded to the area and confirmed it was the city’s truck. The truck traveled southbound down U.S. Highway 441 through Tavares and Eustis and was pulled over in Mount Dora near East Crooked Lake Drive with the assistance of Mount Dora Police Department and Eustis Police Department. Harmon was driving the truck and taken into custody. He was arrested for grand theft auto, criminal mischief more than $1000, two counts of burglary and driving while license suspended. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $57,500 bond.

VIDEO: DeLand man uses skid steer to break into building at Tavares Public Works Complex, takes joyride in city truck Read More »

Mount Dora Police Department and Lake County Sheriff's Office crime scene investigators search the Baldwin home in Mount Dora on Nov. 28, 2023. During this search, two phones were seized from Brett Baldwin that contained child pornography, investigators say. PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

Husband of missing Mount Dora mom sentenced to 15 years in prison on federal child porn charges

Inside Scoop, Mount Dora / By

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.

Previous stories: Husband of missing Mount Dora mom convicted on federal child porn charges – Inside Lake

Major law enforcement presence in missing Mount Dora mom’s former neighborhood Friday – Inside Lake

Multiple law enforcement agencies search for missing Mount Dora mom Saturday – Inside Lake

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Husband of missing Mount Dora mom sentenced to 15 years in prison on federal child porn charges Read More »

File photo

Mount Dora woman killed in Leesburg crash

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Mount Dora / By

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.

Mount Dora woman killed in Leesburg crash Read More »

Leesburg shooting victim identified, suspect facing murder charges

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Mount Dora / By

LEESBURG, Fla.—Leesburg Police Department has identified the man shot and killed Friday night.

Around 7 p.m., Dontae D. Copeland, 20, of Leesburg was found suffering from at least one gunshot wound in the 1000 block of Tuskegee Street, LPD Lt. Shannon Walsh said. Officers and EMS personnel rendered aid to Copeland, and he was transported to UF Health Leesburg Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

While investigating the murder Friday, Kameryn Pickard, 18, of Mount Dora, turned himself in with his father at LPD, Walsh said. He was later arrested for premeditated murder and conspiracy – solicit, and is being held at the Lake County Jail on no bond.

Previous story: Father turns son in after man shot and killed in Leesburg Friday night – Inside Lake

Leesburg shooting victim identified, suspect facing murder charges Read More »

PHOTO: Leesburg Police Department

Father turns son in after man shot and killed in Leesburg Friday night

Inside Scoop, Leesburg, Mount Dora / By

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story inaccurately stated Kameryn Pickard’s age due to incorrect information released by Leesburg Police Department. The story has been updated with Pickard’s correct age. 

LEESBURG, Fla.—An 18-year-old Mount Dora man is facing charges for killing another man after his father turned him in to Leesburg police Friday.

Leesburg Police Department responded to a shooting in the 1000 block of Tuskegee Street around 7 p.m. Friday. When officers arrived, they found a 20-year-old man shot and officers, along with EMS, rendered aid to the man. He was transported to UF Health Leesburg Hospital and pronounced deceased. The man’s identity has not been released, pending notification of next of kin, LPD Lt. Shannon Walsh said.

While detectives and crime scene investigators were still on scene investigating the shooting, Kameryn Pickard’s father brought him to Leesburg Police Department and Pickard turned himself in, Walsh said.

“Detectives conducted an interview with Pickard and subsequently placed him under arrest, Walsh said. “Detectives are currently working with the State Attorney’s Office to determine the appropriate charges.”

At press time, Pickard had not been booked into the Lake County Jail.

LPD is asking anyone with information on the shooting to call them at 352-787-2121 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS. Crimeline callers may be eligible for a reward and can remain anonymous.

Father turns son in after man shot and killed in Leesburg Friday night Read More »

PHOTO: Mount Dora Police Department

Knife-wielding man shot at Mount Dora bus stop Thursday

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Mount Dora / By

MOUNT DORA, Fla.— A Winter Park man, arrested multiple times in Lake County, was shot in the leg at a Mount Dora bus stop Thursday morning and arrested, after accosting a man who first pepper-sprayed him, according to a report.

William Tyler Barrett, 29, is facing a charge of aggravated assault on a person over 65 years old and is being held on $10,000 bond. Curtis Roberson, 67, of Eustis, told Mount Dora Police Department he was leaving the parking lot of Walmart Supercenter, 17030 U.S. Highway 441, around 10 a.m. when Barrett approached him and made a comment he couldn’t make out. Roberson ignored him and kept walking to the bus stop located at U.S. Highway 441 and Spring Harbor Boulevard.

Barrett approached Roberson again at the bus stop, “behaving erratically” and accused Roberson of being at “his house,” the report states.

Barrett approached Roberson in an “aggressive manner” and Roberson emptied a canister of pepper spray and Barrett continued to approach him, now armed with a knife. Roberson told Barrett to “stop,” and “stay back,” multiple times and as Barrett advanced toward Roberson, he fired a single shot that struck Barrett in the leg, according to the report.

William Barrett is seen here in an October 2024 mugshot when he was picked up for a violation of probation. His most recent mugshot was not available at press time.

Barrett then left the scene and Roberson called police, along with an independent witness who saw the attack.

While officers and Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies spoke with Roberson, Barrett was located in the bushes at nearby Regions Bank. Mucus running from his nose and limping, Barrett told an MDPD officer he couldn’t see, and his eyes were hurting because he had been pepper-sprayed. The officer observed a knife and multiple bags around Barrett and once a deputy arrived, Barrett was detained, and the officer and deputy provided first aid to him, and they waited for EMS to arrive.

Barrett was transported to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares for treatment, where he refused to cooperate with an officer at the hospital, only revealing his first name. He spoke in the third person about himself multiple times and told the officer he was preaching and repenting for his church. When asked who he was speaking to, Barrett reportedly said, the “spirit in the room.”

Later, Barrett told MDPD detectives he located Roberson and Roberson was a murderer and confronted him about why he was at his house. He said Roberson pulled out pepper spray and he pulled out a knife; and Roberson sprayed him and shot him in the leg. Barrett refused to answer any more of the detectives’ questions because he “did not like them,” according to the report. Barrett was placed under arrest and an emergency room doctor told police he would be initiating a Baker Act.

Knife-wielding man shot at Mount Dora bus stop Thursday Read More »

Monica Islam

Candlelight vigil scheduled for Eustis mom found murdered last week

Eustis, Inside Scoop, Mount Dora, Unincorporated Lake / By

EUSTIS, Fla.—The community is scheduled to come together Friday night to remember Monica Islam, the woman who was found murdered near Mount Dora last week.

Islam, 44, was found shot to death near Scenic Hills Drive and Wolf Branch around 7:30 a.m. May 2 after vanishing from Shell, 1701 South Bay Street, Eustis approximately 6:10 a.m. the same morning.

According to the missing person report obtained by Inside Lake, Islam’s daughter, Rimi Islam, reported her mother missing around 8:30 a.m. Friday. She told Eustis Police Department they left their home around 5:30 a.m. and arrived at Shell shortly after. She said her mom helped her with opening the store and then she went outside to take a walk around the parking lot, which was normal behavior. Rimi Islam told police she got busy and lost track of where her mom was. Another employee told Rimi Islam she saw Monica Islam in the parking lot as she arrived at work, around 6:10 a.m. Rimi Islam tried calling her mom, who had left her purse behind at the store, and was unable to reach her. After going back to the home they shared and looking for Monica Islam and checking security cameras for her with no success, Rimi Islam reported her missing to EPD.

While investigating Monica’s disappearance, EPD was made aware of a body found near Mount Dora; later identified as Monica Islam. LCSO has been tight-lipped about its investigation, releasing very little information over the past week. LCSO Cpl. Chanel Martin said detectives do not believe Monica Islam’s murder was a random act, and said earlier this week, they were following up on potential leads.

A large photo of Monica Islam is posted on the window next to the front door of Shell, asking anyone with information to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.

A photo of Monica Islam posted next to the front door of Shell, 1701 South Bay Street, Eustis.
PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake

The candlelight vigil, organized in-part by family friend, Alisha Curtin, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Shell, 1701 South Bay Street, Eustis. Overflow parking is available across Bay Street from Shell at First Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 1724 South Bay Street, Eustis; parking will not be available at Harden-Pauli Funeral Home, 1617 South Bay Street due to a previously scheduled, unrelated service.

“This (candlelight vigil) is not being organized by just one person,” Curtin told Inside Lake. “There is a village of people that are contributing to the memory of Monica, including local businesses, such as Publix.”

Amanda Hall, a Lake County native who works nearby, has also assisted with planning the candlelight vigil. Hall lost her own mother three years ago and knows the pain of losing a parent all too well. “(I know how Rimi feels) right now…lost without Mommy.”

Hall said the tight-knit community of Eustis wants “justice for Monica and our hearts and prayers are with Rimi.”

“When something like this happens in our community, we here in Eustis show our support and gather round the ones that need us most,” Curtin said. “A good person was taken from this Earth, and an amazing friend lost her best friend and mother. This is being organized to show our love and kindness throughout this community.”

Previous stories: Woman found dead near Mount Dora is a homicide victim, deputies say – Inside Lake

LCSO treating death of woman reported missing from Eustis as “potential” homicide investigation – Inside Lake

Deputies conducting death investigation near Mount Dora; Eustis police working missing person case, unconfirmed if cases are related – Inside Lake

Candlelight vigil scheduled for Eustis mom found murdered last week Read More »

6th Annual Lake County Back the Blue & Red Walk scheduled for Saturday

Around the County, Astatula, Clermont, Eustis, Features, Fruitland Park, Groveland, Howey-in-the-Hills, Lady Lake, Leesburg, Mascotte, Minneola, Montverde, Mount Dora, Tavares, Umatilla, Unincorporated Lake / By

TAVARES, Fla.—For the sixth year running, public safety and its supporters will join forces for the annual Lake County Back the Blue & Red Walk.

Scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at Wooton Park in Tavares, this is one of many law enforcement-related events around Lake County held in May during Law Enforcement Appreciation Month and last year, Organizer Shannon Cook added firefighters to the appreciation walk.

The walk began in 2019 to show support for law enforcement during a time when the “defund the police” movement was making its way across the country, Cook said, representatives from several law enforcement agencies and numerous public officials are expected to be in attendance.

“The good ones needed to know they were appreciated,” Cook said in an earlier interview, and this year the walk is especially important to Cook for several reasons – remembering Lake County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Bradley Link who was killed in an ambush attack in August 2024, and honoring Master Deputy Harold Howell and Deputy Stefano Gargano who were shot in the same attack. This year also marks 20 years since Deputy Wayne Koester was killed in a separate ambush attack 20 years ago.

PHOTOS: Bonnie Whicher/Inside Lake 

Koester was Cook’s close friend, and was killed in the line of duty Feb. 9, 2005. Koester, who was 33 at the time, and two other deputies were ambushed while responding to a domestic violence call. All three deputies were shot, and Koester succumbed to his injuries; the other two deputies recovered. Jason Wheeler was shot and paralyzed during his capture and convicted in Koester’s death. Cook was also close to Chris Daniels, who was serving as Lake County Sheriff when he was tragically killed in a charity bus race in 2006, on his birthday.

Participants will meet at 9 a.m. at Wooton Park, 100 East Ruby Street, Tavares. The first stop will be the Lake County Administration Building, then a stop at the Tavares Public Safety Complex and the walk will end at Kalua Beach Bar with lunch, provided by owner Randy Connor; come a little early to enjoy donuts and coffee.

Shirts, provided by every year by Turf Tech Professional Lawn Maintenance, will be for sale for $10 each at the walk. The money will be used for Lake County Back the Blue & Red’s quest to become a non-profit organization.

6th Annual Lake County Back the Blue & Red Walk scheduled for Saturday Read More »

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