Tavares

TAVARES, Florida—A 15-year-old male is in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice after accelerating towards an officer in training in a stolen SUV and then fleeing Tavares Police Department, according to TPD.

Shortly before 3:45 a.m. TPD responded to Atwater Apartments 2570 Ann Road, after receiving a call from a citizen concerned about two dark-colored vehicles traveling through the parking lot with occupants who appeared to be wearing ski masks, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan said.

One vehicle fled and was later located dumped off of Kurt Street in the City of Eustis. The occupants fled the scene and escaped apprehension, Sullivan said. The other SUV was located at Atwater Apartments and when officers stopped the vehicle, Jarvis Le’Nard Coleman Jr., 15, turned the SUV towards officers and began to accelerate, nearly striking one of them. The officer was able to press himself against the patrol vehicle and the stolen SUV missed the officer and sideview mirror by just a few inches, Sullivan told Inside Lake.

“It happened so fast,” Sullivan said.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies quickly located the vehicle and Coleman was taken into custody after a short foot pursuit. Eustis Police Department and Mount Dora Police Department also assisted in the investigation. Coleman is facing several charges, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing and eluding at a high speed and grand theft auto; each of those charges is a felony. He is also facing a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer without violence.

TAVARES, Florida—A convenience store clerk is behind bars after surveillance video showed him stealing lottery tickets and cash from his job on three separate occasions earlier this month, according to an arrest affidavit.

On June 11, Tavares Police Department responded to Circle K, 933 County Road 448, Tavares on a report of an employee stealing. The manager told police a total of $5,700 in cash and $1,700 in lottery tickets were missing and she planned to fire and trespass Ronald Lee Sain, 19, when he arrived for work that night.

The manager said Sain, of Tavares, began working at the store April 19 and just over a week later she started noticing money was missing. She showed TPD video from June 5, June 6 and June 8 that showed Sain putting a total of $100 cash in his pockets and lottery tickets valued at $230, the affidavit states.

Sain arrived at work and was arrested for petit theft and violation of probation (VOP) and transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on no bond due to the VOP. According to Lake County Clerk of Court online records, Sain was sentenced to 36 months probation in August 2022 after pleading no contest to child abuse. He was originally charged with lewd or lascivious battery in April 2022 after being accused of having sex with an underage teenage girl when he was 18. The girl told police she did consent to sex but she did not want to do it and only consented so he would stop “begging,” according to a probable cause affidavit in that case.

TAVARES, Florida—A woman armed with a knife who barricaded herself in a home Saturday morning is receiving treatment at a local mental health facility, according to Tavares Police Department.

Around 9:20 a.m. Saturday, TPD received a 9-1-1 call reporting a woman was experiencing a mental health crisis, according to TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan. Officers responded to the 1000 block of Magnolia Circle and found the woman barricaded in a bedroom, armed with a knife and a Lake County Sheriff’s Office hostage negotiator responded to the scene to assist with the incident. Two TPD officers suffered superficial cuts to their hands while securing the woman and were treated on the scene.

“Officers were able to safely secure the female following less lethal action while the female remained armed,” Sullivan said in an email. The woman was treated on the scene by Tavares Fire Department and Lake EMS and later transported to a mental health facility. Officers were still on the scene at press time

TAVARES, Florida—Two people are in critical, but stable condition following a wreck that shut down U.S. Highway 441 for more than four hours Wednesday.

Just before 2:10 p.m. Tavares Police Department responded to multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting a crash near AdventHealth Waterman. The preliminary investigation revealed Carol Murphy, 77, was driving a silver 2013 Hyundai southbound on U.S. Highway 441 when she turned left on Waterman Way and was struck by a silver 2014 Ford Mustang being driven by a 17-year-old male who was traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 441, according to TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan.

The front of the Mustang struck the front side of the Hyundai, causing the Hyundai to rotate and the Mustang to go airborne, hit a SECO electrical box and overturn; the Mustang became engulfed in flames. Both drivers were transported to a local trauma center in critical condition, but are now stable, Sullivan said.

SECO, the Florida Department of Transportation, Lake EMS and multiple fire departments responded to the scene, along with TPD traffic homicide investigators.

In the last two weeks, just one TPD road patrol shift has written 63 traffic citations to educate drivers and battle careless driving, Sullivan said.

TAVARES, Florida—Tavares Police Department continues to investigate the death of a woman found by her roommate last week.

Danielle DeCurtis, 29, was found unresponsive by her roommate around 10:15 a.m. May 31 and pronounced deceased at the scene by Lake EMS about 10 minutes after they responded to the call in 1000 block of Maplewood Street, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake.

TPD responded to the scene after road patrol deemed the death suspicious and began investigating. Lake County Sheriff’s Office CSI responded to the scene to assist in the investigation, along with the Medical Examiner’s office.

“There were no obvious signs of trauma to DeCurtis and we are awaiting the results of toxicology tests,” Sullivan told Inside Lake Wednesday.  

A photo posted on social media by DeCurtis’ boyfriend hours after her death caused concern and detectives confirmed the photo was not taken the day she died and is not relevant to the incident, according to Sullivan. The investigation is ongoing.

TAVARES, Florida—Tavares Police Department is investigating the death of a woman it is calling suspicious.

TPD responded to a medical call in the 1000 block of Maplewood Street around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, along with Lake EMS, and less than 10 minutes later Danielle DeCurtis, 29, was pronounced deceased at the scene, TPD Public Information Officer Courtney Sullivan told Inside Lake.

“(Her death) appears to be suspicious in nature,” Sullivan said.

Detectives responded to the scene and secured a search warrant and were awaiting the Medical Examiner’s Office at press time. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office CSI also responded to the scene; TPD is expected to be on the scene for several more hours, Sullivan said.