TAVARES, Florida—Lake County residents with minor criminal histories have a unique opportunity to quickly and efficiently expunge or seal their record Saturday if they qualify, at the first-ever Sealing and Expungement clinic offered here.
Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida is teaming up with the Lake County Bar Association and Lake Young Lawyers Division to offer this free 4-hour clinic scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Lake County Courthouse, 550 West Main Street, Tavares. Lawyers and representatives from numerous government agencies will be on hand to help participants navigate through the process, which often can be difficult to do on their own or expensive to hire a private attorney, said Taylor Tremel, an attorney who will be available on-site Saturday, to help. Lake County Clerk of Court Gary Cooney is waiving certain fees and providing the space for the clinic, Tremel said.
Tremel, who has served as an assistant state attorney and a public defender, is now in private practice with the firm Bowen & Schroth in Eustis and is enthusiastic about being a part of this program. “We saw that there was a need, and I thought it was a worthwhile thing to take on” he told Inside Lake.
“This brings everybody together under one roof to help and answer questions. It’s not very often all these groups get together to do something like this,” Tremel said.
Many crimes are not eligible to be sealed or expunged, including violent offenses, Tremel said. If a person was adjudicated guilty for a crime, they are not eligible either.
Participants’ criminal case must have occurred in Lake County to partake in the event and are asked to pre-register at Clinic Screening (legalserver.org) and those who do, may qualify for assistance with the $75 Florida Department of Law Enforcement application fee. Tremel said participants should not overstate their income or overrepresent how much money they have in the bank.
Tremel is hoping for a large turnout Saturday, “It’s a really awesome event,” he said. “I think it’s something that can be done annually.”
TAVARES, Florida—Tavares Police Department has released the names of two people shot Friday, but the suspect is still on the run.
Alejandro “Alex” Garcia Jr., 29, was killed around 8 p.m. Friday night at Caroline Court Apartments, 1000 E. Caroline Street, and Darnell Lester, 31, was shot numerous times and appeared to attempt to leave the scene himself and get help, but crashed the vehicle he was driving, TPD Det. Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake. He was removed from the vehicle and airlifted to a local hospital. The vehicle contained several bullet holes, Sullivan said.
“It’s still unclear how many gunshot wounds he (Lester) suffered,” Sullivan said. ”Somewhere between three and six times. He is stable, but unable to talk.”
PHOTO: Tavares Police Department
Garcia, of Mount Dora, was pronounced dead on the scene and TPD has received information there was a fight immediately before the shooting but are working to determine a clear motive; it is unknown how many people were targeted. Witnesses have given police very little information and they do not have a suspect or vehicle description, said Sullivan, who is the lead detective on the case, and the department’s public information officer.
Neither Garcia nor Lester lived at the complex but were known to hang out there and are related to each other, Sullivan said. Lester’s last known is address is Apopka.
TPD is urging witnesses to come forward and plan to offer a reward through Crimeline. Crimeline callers can remain anonymous. If you have information, call 1-800-423-TIPS.
MOUNT DORA, Florida—Two employees of a local marijuana dispensary were arrested Monday after an anonymous caller tipped their employer off to ongoing thefts according to their arrest affidavits.
Hector Alexander Valle Roman, 24, and Danielle Caitlynn Eiler, also 24, were both arrested by Lake County Sheriff’s Office detectives after the security manager of Curaleaf Dispensary, 4149 Britt Road, Mount Dora reported multiple thefts of “flower.” Flower is a term for marijuana in its natural bud form.
The security manager told LCSO the security manager at their Gainesville location received a call from an anonymous tipster alleging that three people at the Mount Dora location were stealing 1 to 3 pounds of “flower” each night and posting photos on SnapChat. The tipster later said Roman, who worked as a lead and Eiler, a supervisor, would fill a machine and then say it was clogged, so they would empty it. Roman and Eiler both worked night shift, along with a third employee who was in on the scheme. That employee is not named in either affidavit.
Danielle Eiler, left, and Hector Roman, right. PHOTOS” Lake County Sheriff’s Office
The security manager reviewed surveillance and found that on Nov. 24. 2021, Eiler, of Tavares, filled three bags with “flower” and then took them to the manager’s office; five days later she filled seven bags with an unnamed coworker and took those bags into the office and on Dec. 1, 2021, the pair filled two bags and took them into the office concealed under paper.
On Feb. 14, 2022, Roman, of Orlando, and Eiler filled a total of 11 bags with “flower” on three separate occasions and took them to the office and 18 bags on the following day. The duo stole eight more bags that week, according to the affidavit. On Feb. 24, security installed a camera in the manager’s office that Eiler ultimately discovered, and the thefts ceased.
In total, Eiler, who was employed with Curaleaf for more than two years, stole 49 bags of “flower” weighing almost 11 pounds and worth nearly $50,000, the affidavit states. Eiler was questioned and admitted stealing about 50 bags of “flower.” She said she would sell it to her friend “Jose” who lives in Orlando for $100 an ounce and she would give Roman a cut. Roman was taken into custody and refused to answer questions, according to the affidavit.
Both Eiler and Roman were arrested for grand theft and transported to the Lake County Jail, where they were released on $5,000 bond.
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Florida— A man and woman are dead, and two men are recovering from injuries after a car hit two motorcycles Saturday night near DeLand and a third man suffered minor injuries when he laid his motorcycle down to avoid the crash.
Shortly after 10:30 p.m. a 41-year-old male of Orlando was eastbound on State Road 44 near Eau Claire Avenue in a Toyota Corolla, when he traveled into the westbound lane for an unknown reason, according to Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Kim Montes.
The Corolla struck two motorcycles, one being ridden by a 38-year-old Mount Dora man, and the second being ridden by 36-year-old man of Titusville. The crash killed the Titusville man and his passenger, a 46-year-old woman of Wisconsin. The driver of the Corolla and the Mount Dora man were seriously injured. None of the motorcyclists were wearing their helmets.
A 41-year-old Sorrento man, who was wearing a helmet, laid his motorcycle down and received minor injuries. This crash comes on just the second day of Daytona Bike week, scheduled through March 13.
TAVARES, Florida—A man wanted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was picked up on a federal warrant at a Tavares motel Thursday night.
Timothy Eric “Tater” Evans, 40, was apprehended near La Bella Inn, 101 West Burleigh Boulevard, and multiple agencies assisted around 9 p.m. Thursday. Several witnesses, who asked not to be identified by Inside Lake, said they heard flash bangs and saw a heavy law enforcement presence.
“I heard a huge bang and then I heard a megaphone, but I couldn’t make out the words,” said a witness who lives nearby.
PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
“We assisted ATF, FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) and Mount Dora Police Department in the apprehension of Timothy Evans on an active federal warrant,” TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake. TPD also transported Evans to the Lake County Jail, according to a report.
According to an MDPD report, officers from that agency assisted with blocking eastbound traffic on U.S. Highway 441 near the motel and Evans and another male were ordered out of the vehicle they were in and taken into custody without incident. The vehicle was then towed to MDPD for secure storage.
Very limited information is available, due to a sealed indictment from ATF, but according to LCJ online records, where Evans was first held, he is facing a charge of possession of a firearm and ammunition affecting commerce by a convicted felon. He was held at LCJ for a little over eight hours and it is unclear where he is being held now.
The large law enforcement presence in this normally quiet area, located just a few blocks from Lake County Schools district offices, garnered numerous social media posts Thursday night.
Multiple sources, as far back as November 2021, have told Inside Lake Evans is suspected of committing a high-profile crime in the area and more charges may be forthcoming.
EUSTIS, Florida—A 14-year-old has now been arrested for his involvement in one of a series of gang-related shootings in recent months.
Kristine Moriel Morris, of Eustis, was picked up Monday on charges related to a drive-by shooting on Feb. 7 in the 1200 block of East Hazzard Avenue. Artavious “Kutt” Williams, 16, and Robert “Swag” Sharp, 16, were arrested last month and more arrests may be forthcoming.
Eustis Police responded to the scene in February and found a bullet hit a home and a tree, along with four shell casings in the roadway, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police spoke to witnesses and found that two cars pulled up to children playing basketball near the shooting and asked where someone was by their nickname, “Cherry Lake.” “Cherry Lake” is a known gang member, affiliated with the “510 Gang.” Inside Lake is not naming “Cherry Lake” by his real name, because he has not been charged with a crime. The males then got back into one of the vehicles and another witness described the same vehicle driving by her apartment and firing shots.
The “4wayy” gang has been investigated for several shootings dating back to November 2020, according to Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri. Police believe there is a rivalry between “510 Gang” that is comprised of mostly juveniles who live in or grew up in Eustis, and “4wayy” that is comprised of mostly juveniles who live in or grew up in Mount Dora. Police are still investigating the motive behind the rivalry.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Dora Police Department and Tavares Police Department have all been working with EPD, Capri told Inside Lake. Capri’s own officers have been working hard to talk to witnesses and gather evidence to make arrests.
“I am very proud of the men and women of Eustis Police Department and the work they have put in on these cases,” Capri said last month.
This rivalry began more than a year ago and there have been 15 to 20 shootings reported to law enforcement involving these two gangs in a little over a year, and police believe there are more that have been unreported, Capri said. Most were drive-by shootings where no one was injured. The home on Hazzard Avenue has been shot at, at least four times in the last few months.
Though it is believed to have begun earlier in November 2020, on Nov. 27, 2020, a woman, who was not the target, was hit by one of three shots fired in downtown Eustis following the city’s annual “Light Up Eustis” festivities. This reporter was the only media on scene following that incident. Brycen Jacobe Williams, then 17, was arrested less than two months later for the shooting.
In this most recent shooting on Feb. 7, a tipster showed police a Snapchat story posted by Williams that showed EPD cars on the scene with the caption, “Ain’t Nomoee Who Dat, We Shoot Dat.”
Gang members from both sides have utilized social media to get “street credit,” and videos and photos were discovered showing the car, a white Dodge Dart, suspected in the Feb. 7 shooting near the shooting location. The photos and videos were recorded just six minutes before the shots were fired.
Editor’s note: Although Brycen Williams, who was arrested for the Light Up Eustis shooting, and Artavious Williams are both said to be gang members and have the same last name, they are not related according to EPD.
Police also believe the shooting at Sunset Island Park on Jan. 22 involves some “4wayy” members, but the shooting was random, Capri told Inside Lake. Thomas Saliba, 17, was shot in the face during a 3-year-old’s birthday party, but was not targeted, Capri said. It is believed that the individuals involved in that shooting just randomly decided to shoot up a park, he said. One person has been arrested in that case.
MOUNT DORA, Florida—A former Mount Dora city council member was arrested Monday—on the last day of Black History Month—for removing and damaging trees that fell on grave markers in an African American Civil War Cemetery, according to an arrest affidavit.
Edward Lee Rowlett, 74, admitted to Mount Dora Police he hired a tree service to cut the trees down after police were called by a Country Club of Mount Dora Board (CCMD) member. He told MDPD there were two grave markers under the refuge left by the tree company and the responding officer performed an internet search of the cemetery and found there were three grave markers in that area, one with the name, Smith; a second with the name Jonnie Haynes and a third with the name, John Scoggins. All three were killed in the Civil War.
It is unclear when and how long Rowlett served on the city council; the city’s public information officer did not respond to an email before press time.
“The trail is clearly marked as City of Mount Dora (private cemetery) historic preservation board,” the arresting officer noted in the affidavit. While speaking with officers, Rowlett said when he was a member of the city council, he voted to have that sign created and erected on behalf of the historical meaning of the cemetery.
Rowlett told police he was trying to keep the trees from falling on his home and he attempted to get a permit from the city. He said the City of Mount Dora told him the trees were part of CCMD’s HOA and did not belong to the city. He then went to CCMD and was told the trees could not be removed, “because it was a historical cemetery and they would not allow it,” the affidavit states.
Rowlett was arrested for one count of injuring a tomb or monument, one count of destroying a tree within a tomb or monument and disturbing an unmarked burial. He was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $15,000 bond.
EUSTIS, Florida—Tavares Police arrested a teenager last week on a juvenile pickup order for shooting at an apartment with children inside earlier this month while another group of children played basketball just 350 feet away, and Eustis Police say it is just one shooting in a string of violent encounters between two rival gangs that has lasted for more than a year.
Shortly before 6 p.m. Feb. 7, EPD responded to a drive-by shooting in the 1200 block of East Hazzard Avenue, and found a bullet hit a home and a tree, along with four shell casings in the roadway, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police spoke to witnesses and found that two cars pulled up to the children playing basketball and asked where someone was by their nickname, “Cherry Lake.” “Cherry Lake” is a known gang member, affiliated with the “510 Gang.” Inside Lake is not naming “Cherry Lake” by his real name, because he has not been charged with a crime. The males then got back into one of the vehicles and left; another witness described the same vehicle driving by her apartment and firing shots.
The “4wayy” gang has been investigated for several shootings dating back to November 2020, according to Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri. Police believe there is a rivalry between “510 Gang” that is comprised of mostly juveniles who live in or grew up in Eustis, and “4wayy” that is comprised of mostly juveniles who live in or grew up in Mount Dora. Police are still investigating the motive behind the rivalry; they have received information that it started over stolen guns, a female, drugs, and trash talking, according to an EPD detective working the case.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Mount Dora Police Department and Tavares Police Department have all been working together, gathering intelligence and trading information, Capri told Inside Lake. Capri’s own officers have been working hard to talk to witnesses and gather evidence to make arrests.
“I am very proud of the men and women of Eustis Police Department and the work they have put in on these cases,” Capri said.
This rivalry began more than a year ago and there have been 15 to 20 shootings reported to law enforcement involving these two gangs in a little over a year, and police believe there are more that have been unreported, Capri said, and most were drive-by shootings where no one was injured. The home on Hazzard Avenue has been shot at, at least four times in the last few months, an EPD detective close to the investigation said. Police are still working to figure out exactly what started it, Capri said. Though it is believed to have begun earlier in November 2020, on Nov. 27, 2020, a woman, who was an innocent bystander, was shot in downtown Eustis following the city’s annual “Light Up Eustis” festivities. She was standing in the brick area near Wells Fargo Advisors and Sol De Mexico when she was hit by one of the three shots fired. This reporter was the only media on scene following that incident. Brycen Jacobe Williams, then 17, was arrested less than two months later for the shooting.
In this most recent shooting on Feb. 7, a tipster showed police a Snapchat story posted by Williams that showed EPD cars on the scene with the caption, “Ain’t Nomoee Who Dat, We Shoot Dat.”
Gang members from both sides have utilized social media to brag and get “street credit,” the detective told Inside Lake. Videos and photos were discovered on social media showing the car suspected in the Feb. 7 shooting near the shooting location on the same date. In those videos, a white Dodge Dart, the car suspected in the shooting, can be seen in the photos and videos, according to the affidavit. The photos and videos were recorded just six minutes before the shots were fired.
Eustis Police investigate a shooting at Sunset Island Park on Jan. 22. A 17-year-old boy was shot in what police believe was a random attack. Police are investigating multiple shootings that are due to a gang rivalry. PHOTO: Inside Lake
EPD, LCSO, MDPD and LCSO stepped up patrols in response to this shooting and the following day, Feb. 8, a white Dodge Dart was spotted speeding less than a half of a mile from the shooting scene on Hazzard Avenue around 10:45 p.m. And EPD officer attempted to pull the Dodge over and it fled several blocks. The car suddenly pulled over and at least one passenger bailed out of the car and fled on foot.
The driver, Joseph Antwon Baker, 21, of Tavares was taken into custody and searched. Police found a small bag of marijuana, his wallet, $20, a scale and a Vienna sausage, according to the arrest affidavit. Baker told EPD there were two people in his vehicle who fled from the scene. Baker said once EPD got behind the car, the front seat passenger, Artavious “Kutt” Williams, 16, put a gun to his head and said, “If you stop, I’m going to kill you.”
Editor’s note: Although Brycen Williams, who was arrested for the Light Up Eustis shooting, and Artavious Williams are both said to be gang members and have the same last name, they are not related according to EPD.
Baker was arrested for feeling and eluding, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $7,000 bond.
Baker told police Robert “Swag” Sharp Jr. texted him on Feb. 7 to play basketball. He picked Sharp up, and they played at Carver Pak in Eustis and then went home. He denied any shots were fired from his car; however, Baker did identify Sharp from a photo on social media and confirmed Sharp was standing in front of Baker’s Dodge Dart in the photo.
On Feb. 9, in a second interview, Baker admitted he was driving and Williams aka “Kutt” was in the passenger seat while Sharp was in the back. Baker said Williams stood outside the window and fired shots at the apartment of Hazzard Avenue. Two other individuals were also in the backseat, according to Baker, but Inside Lake is not naming them because they have not been charged with a crime at this time.
Williams and Sharp have both been arrested for the Feb. 7 shooting, according to EPD. TPD picked up Sharp and it is unclear when Williams was picked up. They are facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, improper exhibition of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a minor.
Police also believe the shooting at Sunset Island Park on Jan. 22 involves some “4wayy” members, but the shooting was random, Capri told Inside Lake. Thomas Saliba, 17, was shot in the face during a 3-year-old’s birthday party, but was not targeted, Capri said. It is believed that the individuals involved in that shooting just randomly decided to shoot up a park, he said. One person has been arrested in that case.
LCSO, EPD, MDPD and TPD are continuing to work together, and more arrests are forthcoming, Capri said.
MOUNT DORA, Florida—Former American Idol contestant David Oliver Willis was arrested late Friday after Mount Dora Police found seven squares of suspected LSD in a backpack with his personal belongings.
According to the arrest affidavit, MDPD observed a Chevrolet SUV with a non-functioning headlight on Eudora Road near Brown Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. An officer conducted a traffic stop and detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and when asked about it, Willis reportedly said he had been smoking at a friend’s house prior to the stop.
David Oliver Willis PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
Police searched the vehicle and found a grinder in the front passenger seat with green leafy residue and a black backpack. Inside the backpack, police found Willis’ personal belongings, including bank cards and a baggie that contained seven small squares of paper.
MDPD field-tested one of the squares and it tested positive for LSD, the affidavit states. Willis, 31, admitted the backpack belonged to him, but denied the LSD was his, according to the affidavit.
Willis was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $2,000 bond.
MOUNT DORA, Florida—A burned out taillight turned into a trip to jail for a van’s passenger early Friday morning.
Mount Dora Police pulled over a van on East Spring Harbor Boulevard just before 3 a.m. when an officer noticed the left taillight out, according to an arrest affidavit. The officer noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the van as the officer spoke to the driver and told the driver they could smell it. The occupants were asked if there was any marijuana in the van and the driver said he smoked earlier, but to his knowledge there was not any in the van. Inside Lake is not naming the driver because he was not charged with a crime.
The passenger, identified as Darius Trenard Young, 34, was asked to exit the van and after questioning police why he had to exit, he finally did, according to the affidavit.
PHOTO: Lake County Sheriff’s Office
Young ran as one officer began to search the van and a second officer gave chase and announced Young would be tased. Young continued to run and an officer tased him. “It was evident Darius was not feeling the effects of the TaserX26P. I then conducted a follow through with the Taser to complete the cycle. Darius immediately felt the effects of the Taser X26P and began to comply,” the arresting officer wrote in the affidavit.
Young was placed in handcuffs and MDPD located several sandwich bags of marijuana, a sandwich bag containing MDMA, a glass jar of marijuana, seven bags of “Stoner Patch” marijuana edibles, empty baggies and a Sig P225 handgun. The marijuana and edibles weighed 324.8 grams and the MDMA weighed 41 grams, according to the affidavit.
Young was arrested for armed trafficking of MDMA, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of marijuana more than 20 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting an officer without violence
Young, a convicted felon since 2008, was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he was released on $44,000 bond.
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