SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. – An arrest has been made nearly six years after a 61-year-old Winter Garden business owner was found dead in Sumter County, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday said Darrell Devon Bogle, 26, was arrested in the November 2019 death of Michael Majed Kotait in rural Wildwood.
Deputies said they had an arrest warrant for Bogle and took him into custody while they were conducting surveillance at the Mark at Wildwood Apartments.
According to the sheriff’s office, Kotait was found dead on Nov. 9, 2019, in the yard of 9915 County Road 231, about 40 miles away from his Winter Garden home. Before locating the body, deputies were notified of a submerged white Honda SUV at the Lake Deaton Boat Ramp, located at 5300 County Road 155. The vehicle was registered to Kotait.
While an arrest has been made, the sheriff’s office said it wants to emphasize the investigation is active and they “do not believe Darrell Bogle acted alone in the murder of Mr. Kotait.”
“Mr. Bogle is not the only suspect, he’s just the first arrest that we’ve made,” Capt. Jon Galvin said in a video update on the sheriff’s office Facebook page. “We’re still asking for the community’s help in bringing the other individuals involved in this senseless crime to justice.”
Kotait was a mechanical engineer and was described by his family as a loving husband and father. News 6 in 2019 spoke with his daughter, Randa, who said her father left his Winter Garden home the night before his body was found to visit family in Gainesville.
“I know that there are people who know what happened, and I’m just begging for you to help us,” Randa said in the sheriff’s office video.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective John Knight or Sgt. Larry Thompson of the sheriff’s office at 352-793-2621. If you’d like to remain anonymous, you can call Crimeline at 800-423-8477. A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that could lead to an arrest.
Bogle faces a first-degree murder charge and a slew of other charges related to drugs. He is being held on no bond.
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