Suspects on the run after stealing $1K worth of liquor from Lady Lake store

LADY LAKE, Fla.—Lady Lake Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying four people who stole more than $1,000 in liquor from a warehouse club Monday night. The suspects assaulted an employee at Sam’s Club, 755 North U.S. Highway 441/27, and escaped the scene in a black Mercedes-Benz, license plate L5RTU, Communications Director Elisha Pappacoda said. The car is registered to a white male transient in the Orlando area and similar incidents have been reported across Florida, with the most recent incident occurring in Palm Beach Gardens. The thefts appear to be related, Pappacoda said. If you have information, […]

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More charges for accused Eustis serial burglar

EUSTIS, Fla.—The man accused of multiple thefts in Eustis and Mount Dora beginning in October 2023 is now facing more charges, according to Eustis Police Department. Jordan Makuannen, 19, has been held in the Lake County Jail on no bond since he was arrested earlier this week after Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies worked together and took him into custody after he bailed out of a stolen vehicle near the Lake County/Polk County line. Makuannen is now facing additional charges related to the stolen Dodge Durango he dumped at Club at Eustis Apartments March

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Astor Store Manager Arrested for Refund Scam

ASTOR, Fla.—The manager of a Dollar General store is facing a felony theft charge after being arrested by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for a refund scam, according to an arrest affidavit. On Friday, LCSO responded to Dollar General, 24150 State Road 40, Astor on a report of a theft. When the deputy arrived, a loss prevention director told the deputy she began investigating Nancy Marie McDonald, 51, of Astor, for an unusual amount of refunds totaling $925 that were processed in July and August. The loss prevention director said McDonald admitted to taking items of the shelves, processing refunds

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Clermont Woman Accused of Diverting Thousands of Dollars Intended for Her Employer to Herself

CLERMONT, Florida—A woman already convicted of fraud and on federal work release is accused of diverting funds intended for her employer to various money exchange apps, according to a probable cause affidavit. Jenifer Elizabeth Hoffman, 46, of Clermont, misrepresented herself as a partner in K&S Cleaning, the owner of the company told Clermont Police Department in August 2022. She told police Hoffman began working for her in September 2020 as an hourly employee and worked her way up to a marketing and networking associate. In June 2022, the owner discovered Hoffman had been embezzling money since March 2021 by introducing

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Former Umatilla Babe Ruth President Admits to Stealing from Organization to Fund Gambling Habit

UMATILLA, Florida—The former president of Umatilla Babe Ruth Inc. has been arrested for stealing nearly $35,000 from the organization to fund his gambling habit, according to a probable cause affidavit. John Joseph Farley-Gleixner, 36, of Umatilla turned himself in Wednesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest following an investigation by a Lake County Sheriff’s Office detective who began investigating after receiving a theft complaint from a representative of Umatilla Babe Ruth Inc., according to the affidavit. The investigation found that Farley-Gleixner began misappropriating funds in May 2022 and continued for six months until a check bounced, revealing his

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Tree Service Owner Picked Up on Warrant for Pilfering Packages from Customer in October

LEESBURG, Florida—The owner of a tree service company was caught on camera stealing packages from one of his customers, according to a probable cause affidavit. Robert Wayne Williams, owner of Tree Life Services, was captured on surveillance video Oct. 29 stealing two Amazon packages from the victim who had hired Williams to do tree work on her Leesburg property, she told the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The case was turned over to an LCSO detective, who viewed the video and was able to identify Williams from past encounters, the affidavit states. Williams, 48, of Leesburg, is seen exiting his white

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Former Store Manager Accused of Extortion, Fraud and Grand Theft Arrested

EUSTIS, Florida—The former manager of a busy gas station was arrested Thursday after a months-long investigation by Eustis Police Department revealed she stole at least $75,000, according to an arrest affidavit. Alicia Marie Winters, 28, is facing three charges including grand theft from a person older than 65, organized fraud and extortion. According to the affidavit, Winters, as the store manager of 7-Eleven, 2002 North State Road 19, Eustis, was responsible for payroll, and she made 46 unauthorized direct deposits totaling $69,508 to herself between November 2020 and Aug. 1, 2022, in addition to four fraudulent employee accounts in the

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