Mount Dora

Man Electrocuted in Unincorporated Mount Dora Friday Night

MOUNT DORA, Florida—The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident that killed a 57-year-old man Friday.

The man, whose name has not been released, appeared to be working on a tree lift on Morningside Drive in unincorporated Mount Dora Friday night and came into contact with a live electrical wire, LCSO Cpl. Chanel Martin told Inside Lake.

He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. “The investigation is still ongoing, and no foul play was suspected,” Martin said in an email.

Man Electrocuted in Unincorporated Mount Dora Friday Night Read More »

Man Arrested for Murder Last Week by Eustis Police Stabbed by Inmate also Being Held for Murder

TAVARES, Florida—Austin Hill, the man arrested last week in the murder of Wseni “Haitian Black” Laguerre, was stabbed multiple times by another inmate at the Lake County Jail Sunday; and the man accused of stabbing him is well-known to Lake County law enforcement.

Around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, a Lake County Sheriff’s Office detective responded to the jail after detention staff reported an inmate had been stabbed. Hill, 26, was stabbed multiple times in the back, neck and face and video surveillance clearly showed his attacker was Dustin “Chico” Perdue, 27, according to an arrest affidavit.

Only Inside Lake extensively covered Perdue’s numerous arrests for armed robbery in 2022 in Clermont, unincorporated Mount Dora and Tavares and in February 2023, he was charged with murdering Alejandro “Alex” Garcia in Tavares April 8, 2022. Perdue’s nephew, Octavious Marquis Reed, 23, was also charged in the murder.

According to the affidavit, Hill told LCSO he was talking with another inmate when Perdue came up behind him and struck him multiple times in the back and neck and finally on his left temple. Perdue then went upstairs to his cell and Hill followed him to confront him. Hill walked back downstairs, and Perdue attacked him a second time. He told a detective the weapon was a sharp, small, metal object and the handle was a t-shirt. The weapon was found Monday when detectives returned to LCJ to interview other inmates who may have witnessed the attack.

The attack, which began at 7:11 p.m., was captured on video and clearly showed Perdue committing the crime. Detectives also listened to a call Perdue made to a female just minutes before the attack.

“During the conversation, the inmate advises the female that he was about to go to the box (Disciplinary Confinement). The female questions the inmate who states, ‘l can’t really um talk…you know the news?’ to which the female says, ‘OK. The new…oh, OK. Alright, baby.’

The inmate then states, ‘Yeah, he just came in my…(unintelligible.)’ Later in the conversation the inmate tells the female that he would be given 30 days and would then probably be going to AC confinement for ‘like eight months.’ The inmate then tells the female. “You know I’m not just fixing to fight this dude. So, I’m going to get 30 days in the box.’

Perdue was charged with attempted murder on Tuesday and remains in LCJ.

Previous stories

Arrest Made in Eustis January Murder – Inside Lake

Armed Robbery Suspect and Nephew Charged in 2022 Tavares Murder – Inside Lake

Man Arrested for Murder Last Week by Eustis Police Stabbed by Inmate also Being Held for Murder Read More »

6-Year Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering Investigation Results in 17 Federal Indictments

LAKE COUNTY, Florida—A six-year, multi-state drug trafficking investigation has resulted in the indictments of 17 people—most with ties to Lake County.

According to the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating Dudzinski Poole, aka “Zink” aka “Dirty” who they say is responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl on commercial planes, trains and through the mail, according to a press release. The defendants in the case played different roles in the drug trafficking organization, including suppliers, distributors, couriers and courier coordinators. Each defendant is charged with drug trafficking conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Poole and Wildwood resident, Melvin Tyrone Patterson Jr., 31, aka “Goon” are also facing charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Each defendant is facing 10 years to life in federal prison.

Authorities say under the direction of Poole, couriers flew to California from Florida with large sums of money to buy drugs and transported the drugs back to Florida through checked luggage.

“The flights were typically between the Orlando International airport (MCO) in Florida and the Palm Springs Airport (PS) or the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California,” the press release stated.

More than 350 flights were taken during a two-year period, flight records show, and trains were used to transport large amounts of methamphetamine from Orlando to Virginia. In April 2022, a courier was arrested at Virginia train station with approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine.

Poole and his co-conspirators had multiple stash houses and received hundreds of mailed packages that contained 1 to 10 pounds of methamphetamine from California and fentanyl and other drugs were mailed from China. Poole provided various addresses to ship the drugs to and investigators identified nearly 400 packages that were shipped from 2021 to 2023.

Dudzinski “Zink” Poole                         PHOTO: Zink Poole/Facebook

Poole, well-known in Lake County, especially in Mount Dora and Eustis, is listed on Sunbiz as the registered agent of Munyun Entertainment LLC. Authorities say he used the business to promote concerts with legitimate music artists and paid them with the proceeds from drug sales. He comingled drug proceeds with the profits from the ticket sales in the same business account. Many of these concerts were held in Eustis and Mount Dora.

Along with Poole and Patterson, 12 of the 17 defendant’s names have been released.

Andrew Woodruff Jr., 38, aka “Smurf” of Mount Dora. Woodruff was arrested by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in June 2022 in another large-scale drug investigation, “Operation Sneak-A-Peek,” and has remained in the Lake County Jail since his arrest.

Michael Andre Chester, 48, aka “Dre” of Apopka.

Samantha Tiesha King, 32, aka “Mamp” of Altamonte Springs.

Felisha Denise Williams, 34, aka “Little Momma” of Apopka.

Rodrieka Lashay Manning, 25, aka “Drieka” of Apopka.

Janice Denise Anderson, 65, aka “Butter” of Mount Dora.

Oveda Denise Miller, 60, aka “Gangsta Granny” of Mount Dora.

Roland Richardson, 63, of Mount Dora.

Latonya Sharee Conley, 46, aka “Hershey” of Mount Dora.

George Nelvin King Jr., 46, of Altamonte Springs.

Jose Ivan Carbajal, 33, aka “Primo” of California.

Diego Navarro-Martinez, 32, aka “Shooter” of California.

Previous stories

Man with Lake County Connections Arrested on Federal Drug Warrant – Inside Lake

Team Effort in Operation Sneak-A-Peek Nets Largest Fentanyl Haul in County History – Inside Lake

 

6-Year Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering Investigation Results in 17 Federal Indictments Read More »

Man with Lake County Connections Arrested on Federal Drug Warrant

MARION COUNTY, Florida—A man with connections to Mount Dora was arrested Tuesday on a federal warrant for drug distribution, according to Marion County Jail online booking records.

Dudzinski Edwinn Poole, 49, aka “Zink” aka “Dirty” of Apopka, is being held in the Marion County Jail on no bond on a “Hold for U.S. Marshals—Drug Distribution.” Sources told Inside Lake he was the target of a lengthy investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) along with several other people whose names Inside Lake was not able to confirm at press time. Multiple search warrants were executed in Lake and Orange counties Tuesday.

Inside Lake reached out to a DEA public information officer mid-afternoon Tuesday for details and during a very brief conversation she said she would return our call with more information, but she failed to do so.

Man with Lake County Connections Arrested on Federal Drug Warrant Read More »

Mount Dora Man Killed in Crash After Fleeing Citrus County Deputies Early Saturday Morning

CITRUS COUNTY, Florida—A 41-year-old Mount Dora man is dead after fleeing a traffic stop, striking stop sticks and crashing into a concrete wall early Saturday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The Mount Dora man was driving a Jeep Cherokee westbound on State Road 44 near Colonade Street when he sped away from a traffic stop by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, FHP Sgt. Steve Gaskins said in a press release.

CCSO deputies deployed stop sticks around County Road 491, the Cherokee struck the stop sticks, continued fleeing, crossed a median and collided with a light post. The Cherokee then struck a concrete sign at the Crystal Oaks subdivision and caught fire. The driver, who was not identified by FHP, died at the scene, Gaskins said. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

Mount Dora Man Killed in Crash After Fleeing Citrus County Deputies Early Saturday Morning Read More »

Leesburg Man Accused of Robbing 2 Seminole County Banks in Less than 2 Hours Wednesday

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Florida—A Lake County man is in the Seminole County Jail after deputies say he robbed two banks Wednesday in under two hours—and it is not the first time he has been accused of the same crimes.

Duwane Edward Gilmore, who turns 36 years old in five days, is accused of attempting to rob SeaCoast Bank, 2695 West State Road 434 in Altamonte Springs just before 1:15 p.m. Wednesday. According to a probable cause statement, Gilmore entered the bank and handed a teller a note demanding money, he then said he wanted $10,000 and the grabbed at his waistband as if he had a gun and reportedly said, “You’re gonna make me.”

The teller ducked down and pushed a panic button and Gilmore left the scene with the note. He did not get away with any cash.

Just one hour and 25 minutes later Gilmore went to Bank of America, 5320 State Road 46, Sanford and passed a note to the teller, but before she could read it Gilmore demanded money, told her not to push any buttons and not to do anything stupid, according to the statement. The teller gave him more than $3,000 and he left the bank with the note and the money.

Still images taken from bank surveillance video Wednesday. PHOTOS: Seminole County Sheriff’s Office

Surveillance video at a nearby Publix showed Gilmore pulling into the parking lot in a 2014 Ford Escape and walking toward the Bank of America. A short time later the video shows Gilmore running from the area of Bank of America and leaving in the Ford Escape. Gilmore drives to Lake Forest Boulevard and the camera at the guard shacks captures clear video of the SUV’s tag.

During its investigation, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office tracked down the registered owner of the Escape and found she shares a child with Gilmore, and he matched the description of the suspect in several surveillance videos. Later Wednesday, SCSCO found the SUV at Microtel Inn & Suites, 9700 U.S. Highway 441, Leesburg and soon took Gilmore into custody. He was transported to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility in Sanford, where he is being held on $35,000 bond.

In 2014, Gilmore was accused of robbing a bank in Orange County and one in Seminole County. Gilmore was arrested for both of those crimes, but both of those cases were later dropped.

Leesburg Man Accused of Robbing 2 Seminole County Banks in Less than 2 Hours Wednesday Read More »

Multi-Agency Pursuit Reaches Speeds of 100+ MPH Overnight

MOUNT DORA, Florida—Two people are in the Lake County Jail following a tussle with Mount Dora Police Department and a multi-agency pursuit across Lake County Friday.

Shortly after midnight, MDPD responded to Perkins, 17080 U.S. Highway 441, Mount Dora on a report of a verbal argument. Officers found a black Ford F-150 with two occupants inside and identified the pair as Larissa Molina, 22 of Franklin, North Carolina and Adrian Delgado, 22, of Kissimmee. Officers ran the VIN of the truck and found it was possibly stolen out of Orange County, according to Delgado’s arrest affidavit.

Delgado apparently had a tire iron in his hands and MDPD tried to take him into custody; details in the affidavit are very limited and it is unclear when Delgado armed himself with the tire iron. Delgado tried to get away and kept “slipping out” of an MDPD’s officer’s grip and another officer tased Delgado, striking him in the back. Delgado then fled northbound toward U.S. Highway 441 on foot, the affidavit states.

He ran west toward the Walmart parking lot nearby and was finally apprehended in the parking lot of First National Bank at the corner of Eudora Road and U.S. Highway 441. Delgado reportedly said he was scared because he was homeless and kept asking about Molina, the affidavit states.

He was placed in the back of a patrol unit, where he vomited and was taken to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, where he was medically cleared and then transported to the Lake County Jail.

While Delgado was fleeing on foot, Molina fled in the stolen truck and MDPD attempted to stop her but was not successful. A Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy was in the area of Perkins when he heard unintelligible radio traffic but “sounded in distress,” he noted in Molina’s arrest affidavit.

“I began responding to the call when I was informed a black F-150 had struck one of the officers in an attempt to get away and was traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 441,” the deputy stated in the affidavit.

Molina, however, is not facing a charge of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, which would be standard if she struck the MDPD officer as she was fleeing.

The deputy spotted the truck at U.S. Highway 441 and Spring Harbor Boulevard and attempted to perform a traffic stop. Molina continued to flee northbound on U.S. Highway 441, making several U-turns, failed to yield to oncoming traffic and reached speeds over more than 100 miles per hour, the affidavit states.

Multiple agencies assisted including Eustis Police Department, Tavares Police Department and Fruitland Park Police Department; LCSO never lost sight of the truck as it traveled across the county. FPPD deployed stop sticks at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the truck struck them and continued to flee before coming to a final stop at Lagrande Boulevard and U.S. Highway 27 in The Villages. Molina was then taken into custody, according to the affidavit.

The pair is facing multiple charges; Molina was arrested for fleeing and eluding, no driver license, grand theft auto, resisting an officer without violence and loitering or prowling. She is being held on $14,000 bond. Delgado is facing charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer with violence, resisting an officer without violence, grand theft auto and loitering or prowling; he is being held on $13,500 bond.

Multi-Agency Pursuit Reaches Speeds of 100+ MPH Overnight Read More »

Man Arrested for DUI After Going to Police Department to Pick Up Public Records with His Young Son

MOUNT DORA, Florida—A man, believed to be drunk, went to Mount Dora Police Department to pick up a public records request Monday morning with his young son and was later arrested for DUI, according to an arrest affidavit.

Around 11:30 a.m. Monday, an MDPD officer responded to the department to assist a man with a public records request. When the officer arrived, Alexander Joseph Robillard, 35, was in his vehicle while his 7-year-old son waited in the police department lobby.

“As Alexander was walking towards the front door, he was unsteady on his feet and swaying his body from side to side while walking. He appeared to be unusually upset for no apparent reason and would only provide me with his first name, “Alex,” the arresting officer noted in the affidavit.

Robillard told the officer he was there to pick up public records he requested approximately two weeks prior and had the “odor of the impurities of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, his face was flushed, his eyes were glassy, and his eyelids were droopy,” the affidavit states.

The officer explained the records department was closed due to the Juneteenth holiday and Robillard began recording the conversation with his phone, and stated the officer was not any help to him. He reportedly became belligerent and told the officer to “go “(expletive) myself,” the officer stated in the affidavit.

Robillard left and called dispatch and requested a supervisor but he did not wait for the supervisor to respond, according to the affidavit.

The officer provided a description of the man to an MDPD sergeant, and the sergeant said Robillard is “not law enforcement friendly” and two officers should respond to assist. The officer also found that Robillard has a suspended license for failure to submit in 2016.

Inside Lake reached out to the City of Mount Dora by email to ask why Robillard was allowed to leave with the child if the officer believed he was drunk, and Interim Chief Michael Gibson emailed this response.

“It is sometimes difficult to get the entire story off a probable cause affidavit. In this case, the officer responded to the lobby to meet with the male citizen regarding a public records request. Upon the officer’s arrival, the male’s son was in the lobby and the male was sitting in his vehicle. While meeting with the male, the officer did recognize that the male could be intoxicated. However, the encounter was not going well, and the male asked to speak with a supervisor. The officer requested a supervisor and then went to retrieve his patrol vehicle so he could have it near the lobby. When the officer went to get his vehicle, the male presumably changed his mind about meeting a supervisor, entered his vehicle and drove away,” Gibson said in the email.

MDPD canvassed the area and Robillard’s home and found his vehicle parked at Gilbert Park in downtown Mount Dora with Robillard sitting in the driver’s seat with the engine running, while the boy played at the park, the affidavit states.

Officers asked Robillard to step out of the vehicle and he refused to participate in field sobriety exercises and said he has not been drinking alcohol for over two months. Robillard was placed under arrest for DUI and taken into custody; and when officers searched his vehicle, they found a half-empty cup of liquid behind the driver’s seat that smelled like alcohol. Robillard had the same cup with him while he was inside the police department, the officer noted.

“After the male left, they began conducting an area check to find him. Once found, he was subsequently arrested,” Gibson said.

Robillard was transported to the Lake County Jail where he also refused a breath test. He was released Monday night on $2,000 bond.

Man Arrested for DUI After Going to Police Department to Pick Up Public Records with His Young Son Read More »

Rush Hour Crash Kills 3 in Leesburg Wednesday Morning

LEESBURG, Florida—Three people were killed Wednesday morning in a crash that shut down U.S. Highway 441 for several hours, according to Leesburg Police Department.

A blue 2020 Ford Mustang being driven by a 77-year-old male of Mount Dora was southbound on U.S. Highway 441 near Sleepy Hollow Road when it rear-ended a 2023 Hyundai Tucson being driven by a 69-year-old woman, just before 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, LPD Capt. Joe Iozzi said in an email.

The Mustang then traveled over the center median into the northbound lanes where it struck a gray 2013 Hyundai Sonata being driven by a 42-year-old Umatilla man. A black 2012 Chevrolet Silverado then collided with the Sonata. The driver of the Mustang and the driver of the Sonata were both pronounced deceased on the scene; a passenger in the Sonata, a 66-year-old man, was transported to an area hospital, where he later died, Iozzi said.

PHOTO: Leesburg Fire Rescue

“Preliminary findings suggest the 2020 Ford Mustang was at fault in the crash, but a full investigation is currently being conducted,” Iozzi said.

Police are asking anyone with information to call the LPD Traffic Unit at 352-787-2121.

This is the second triple traffic fatality in Lake County in less than a week; two women and a man were killed Friday on State Road 33 near Clermont after the pickup truck they were in struck a semi and a dump truck head-on.

Pickup Truck Hits Tractor-Trailer and Asphalt Truck Head-on Friday Morning, Killing 3 Mascotte Residents

Rush Hour Crash Kills 3 in Leesburg Wednesday Morning Read More »

Teen Gang Members, Well-Known to Law Enforcement, Arrested Again

EUSTIS, Florida—Three teens, who are documented gang members and well-known to local law enforcement were arrested again last week, this time for burglarizing vehicles, according to several arrest affidavits.

On May 30, Eustis Police Department responded to a call about three suspicious males in black hoodies and masks on Beaumont Lane in the Arbor Hills neighborhood and found three males matching the description in the area of Waycross Avenue and Abrams Road around 3:30 a.m.

The trio, later identified as Gyrice Trayvon Foster, 18, Kristine Morell Morris, 15, and Artavious Jamarr Williams, 17, all of Eustis, tried to run but complied when an officer ordered them to the ground with his taser. The trio was searched and a wallet belonging to a victim on Gables Drive in the 44 Gables neighborhood was found on Morris, according to the affidavit.

Video surveillance later showed the teens entering another vehicle on Gables Drive and all three were wearing black latex gloves that were taken into evidence. At the time of the crime, Morris was also wanted for armed robbery and was taken into custody on a juvenile pickup order, along with his new crimes. Morris is also on probation and was equipped with a GPS ankle monitor when he was taken into custody. All three teens have prior convictions for theft, the affidavit states.

In the robbery case, Morris is accused of setting up a man who was trying to mentor him after he withdrew money from an ATM in downtown Eustis on Halloween 2022. The man picked Morris up and when he stopped at the ATM, Morris was chatting with, another documented gang member, who Inside Lake is not naming because he has not been charged with a crime. Morris asked the victim to pick that teen up at a home in Orange County and then they returned to Eustis, where they picked up a documented gang member, and then traveled to Lake Harris Cove Apartments in Leesburg, the site of another unrelated shooting late last month.

When they arrived at Lake Harris Cove, they picked up another male. Inside Lake is also not identifying that male because he has not yet been charged in the robbery incident. They drove back to Orange County and the victim thought one of the teens was picking up some clothes, but when he tried to reenter the vehicle, he was armed with a large rifle and the victim told him not to bring the rifle and he stayed in Orange County, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The group returned to Eustis and were in the area of Briarcliff Avenue and South Street where they picked up an unknown male. The victim exited the black GMC he was driving to “dap them up,” and the unknown male pushed away from the victim and drew a gun from his waistband and pointed at the victim and reportedly said, “Run your (expletive,)” which means “empty your pockets,” the victim told police. The victim was then robbed for the $200 he withdrew from the ATM earlier in the day, and all the teens fled the scene, the affidavit states.

Cell phone records and Instagram messages later backed up the victim’s story. The teens are documented members of “4wayy” a gang believed to be responsible for multiple shootings, grand theft auto reports and burglaries in Eustis.

The teens were all charged with burglary and petit theft in the May 30 Eustis vehicle burglaries.

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Third Teenager Arrested In Gang-Related Shooting
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Teen Gang Members, Well-Known to Law Enforcement, Arrested Again Read More »

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