LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

While the driver was taken into custody, the alligator named Karen tried to flee the scene, the department said.

A new piece of equipment inside the Lake County Technical College is helping deputies get as close to real-life situations as humanly possible so they can train one thing: emotional intelligence.

A Silver Alert has been issued for Gregory Vincent Devon Heverling, 72, of Altoona, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies are looking for whoever killed a man and set his body on fire at a property in Lake County, according to the sheriff's office.

Lake County deputies arrested a correctional officer Thursday after he was discovered smuggling tobacco into a detention center for payment, authorities said.

Three people were arrested and two were hospitalized following a shooting between parties who were boating and jet skiing Saturday on the St. Johns River in Astor, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said a 78-year-old woman and her 80-year-old husband were found dead on Sea Fern Drive in Leesburg.

"End of Watch Ride to Remember" to honor 2 Lake County deputies Master Detention Deputy Lynn Jones and Master Detention Deputy Richard Barry lost their lives to COVID-19 last year. (Lake County Sheriff's Office)LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — The “End of Watch Ride to Remember” will be riding into Tavares on Thursday in honor of two Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies. Master Detention Deputy Lynn Jones and Master Detention Deputy Richard Barry both lost their lives last year to COVID-19. READ: Lake County deputy dies after testing positive for COVID-19The Sheriff’s Office said Barry worked in the extradition unit transporting inmates. READ: ‘Field of Dreams’ site to finally welcome MLBThe riders will arrive at 9:30 a.m. near the Lake County Sheriff’s Office headquarters.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is seeking a 95-year-old man who went missing on Sunday.

A boat with 10 occupants on it was rescued from Lake George on Saturday, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

A man suffered non-life-threatening injuries during a deputy-involved shooting in Lake County on Sunday, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

(Image: Lake County Sheriff's Office)LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A man who shot another man in the chest during an argument about a stolen motorcycle has turned himself in after deputies made it known he was wanted on an attempted murder charge, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Once there, Brown knocked on the door and asked the victim about the location of his stolen motorcycle, according to the report. Deputies said the victim closed the front door and that’s when Brown fired one shot, striking the victim in the chest through the door. The employee had been waiting inside the BMW and heard a bang but thought it was from Brown kicking the door, records show. The employee said the victim had previously done mechanical work on Brown’s motorcycle and he believed it had been stored at another man’s house.

Jack Lamar Benn Brown II and the vehicle he was last seen driving. (Image: Lake County Sheriff's Office)LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – UPDATE: Deputies say Jack Lamar Benn Brown has turned himself in. Original story below:Investigators with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are asking the community to be on the look out for a man they say shot another man, leaving him with life-threatening injuries. Detectives are attempting to locate Jack Lamar Benn Brown II, 34, who is wanted on attempted homicide and shooting into a dwelling charges. Authorities did not say what led up to the shooting.

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A Lake County deputy died this week after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Master Detention Deputy Lynn Jones was assigned to the Lake County Jail where more than 120 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed. “It is with great sadness that I share the passing of Master Detention Deputy Lynn Jones, who was assigned to the Lake County Jail,” the post read. Herrell said jail officials began testing for COVID-19 on June 4 after they began seeing symptoms. Officer Conrad Buckley was hospitalized at AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares for COVID-19 where he later died, according to a news release.

"It was never my goal to get into law enforcement," Jones said. "I do want to continue building a positive relationship between law enforcement and the communities we serve. Lake County Sgt. Lake County Sgt. Lake County Sgt.

TAVARES, Fla. – A woman who went missing Saturday prompting a silver alert to be issued was located in Pasco County, officials said. According to authorities, Sarah Ellen Brian was involved in a car accident in Odessa and was transported to the hospital in good condition. Deputies were searching for 80-year-old Brian, who left her home at 26637 Cayman Drive in Tavares at 9 a.m. Saturday and hadn’t been seen or heard from since. Brian suffers from dementia and is on medication, deputies said.

Rob Kim/Getty ImagesLEESBURG, Fla. - The Lake County Sheriff's Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement have launched an investigation into a deputy-involved shooting that happened at a home on Myer Avenue in Leesburg. When authorities arrived, the girlfriend of a man deputies later identified as Ronald McLemore, 51, met them at the front gate. According to deputies, McLemore was standing near the doorway with a bat in one hand and the other hand concealed. The Leesburg man was ordered to show his concealed hand but deputies allege he was not cooperative. Lake County Sheriff's Office said the deputies who responded were protecting themselves.

LADY LAKE A Belleview woman suspected of robbing two stores in Marion County earlier this month was arrested in Lake County on Wednesday on suspicion of robbing a store there. Helm was transported to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, where detectives from Lake County and Marion County interviewed her. Authorities said Helm admitted to robbing a Lake County convenience store at 401 N. U.S. 27/441 on Oct. 13. Five days later, employees at the Circle K told deputies a woman entered the store and walked to the back. In Lake County, she was charged with robbery with a firearm and carrying a concealed firearm.

Kat Wilcox/PexelsLAKE COUNTY, Fla. - A man was shot while conducting a child custody exchange at a Clermont park Friday afternoon, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said the man and his girlfriend went to 16752 Rising Star Drive around 4:30 p.m. to meet with the father of the woman's child to exchange custody. At some point during the exchange, deputies said the man was shot. The victim's girlfriend drove him to an area hospital, according to a news release. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

A Belleview woman suspected of robbing two stores in Marion County earlier this month was arrested in Lake County Wednesday on suspicion of robbing a store there. Helm was transported to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, where detectives from Lake County and Marion County interviewed her. Authorities said Helm admitted to robbing a Lake County convenience store at 401 N. U.S. 27/441 on Oct. 13. Five days later, employees at the Circle K told deputies a woman entered the store and walked to the back. In Lake County, she was charged with robbery with a firearm and carrying a concealed firearm.

Carl Jamison Elder, 24, willingly turned himself into the Lake County Sheriff's Office after a 16-year-old girl came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. MASCOTTE A Groveland firefighter turned himself in Friday after a 16-year-old girl told investigators he had inappropriately touched her at a party on Bay Lake Road southwest of Mascotte. According to the probable cause affidavit from a Lake County detective, the incident involving Carl Jamison Elder, 24, took place on Oct. 5 at a birthday party at a property off Bay Lake Road used for mudding. Elder turned himself in Friday afternoon according to the Lake County Sheriffs Office, and he was charged with simple battery. Groveland Fire Chief Willie Morgan provided a statement Monday saying that pending the criminal investigation and an internal department investigation, the fire department has placed Elder on leave.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lake Sheriff's OfficeLAKE COUNTY, Fla. - The Lake County Sheriff's Office said Deputy Jake Corman and Deputy Danny Young caught two men installing credit card skimmers. The Sheriff's Office said the deputies were on proactive patrol when they saw Ramon Ibarra, 43, of Miami, and Michel Serrano, 39, of Miami, at JB's Food Mart on Picciola Road in Fruitland Park. Deputies said the men were putting skimmers on the fuel pumps. The suspects were charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, criminal mischief, use of a scan skim device, petit theft, identity theft and drug charges. Investigators said detectives are trying to determine if the men are responsible for any other skimmers in Florida.

EUSTIS, Fla. - Guns and "a substantial amount of narcotics" were found when a search warrant was executed at a motel Friday morning, according to the Eustis Police Department. Officers from the Eustis Police Department, Leesburg Police Department SWAT Team and the Lake County Sheriff's Office went to rooms 25 and 26 at the Colonial Inn Motel on Bay Street and found marijuana, cocaine, MDMA, a trafficking amount of fentanyl, a trafficking amount of methamphetamine and two handguns, a news release said. Police said a substantial amount of narcotics were packaged for sale. Along with the drugs, investigators said they also found construction materials that were stolen from a nearby construction site. Christopher Arvel Tarver, Nicholas George Bruno and Nakia Bailey Wilcher are all facing drug charges, according to a news release.

Three major events are slated for the night of Oct. 1 in Leesburg, Clermont and Mount Dora. TAVARES As October approaches, Lake Countys law enforcement agencies prepare to greet the month with a National Night Out celebration. Tuesday's National Night Out is a community-building event hosted by law enforcement in order to foster deeper relationships with the residents they serve. Local law enforcement agencies, including Mount Dora, Eustis and Tavares Police Departments will have interactive displays and booths set up and will host plenty of giveaways. "It gives the public a great opportunity to talk with law enforcement who represent them in a lot of different capacities," Draper said.

OCALA, Fla. - The U.S. Navy will once again conduct bombing exercises in the Ocala National Forest, prompting authorities to alert residents who live nearby. F-18 jet fighters and other aircraft take off from Jacksonville Naval Air Station and drop bombs in the middle of the range, according to MilitaryBases.US. It's at least the third time this year that the Navy has conducted bombing practice at the forest. "We have been notified that the U.S. Navy will begin live ordinance bombing at the Pinecastle Bombing Range in the Ocala National Forest now through the 21st of September. In the past, noise from the bombs has driven animals onto nearby roads and homes, officials said.

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - A caretaker at Benton House of Clermont was arrested Wednesday after punching a woman who was staying at the assisted living facility, Lake County Sheriff's Office deputies say. According to deputies, Deshawn Dawkins, 21, was trying to get the victim ready for bed, but she was not being cooperative. "I tried to defend myself," Dawkins told deputies. "I (expletive) up," Dawkins told officials. Dawkins is charged with felony abuse of an elderly person or disabled adult and was taken to the Lake County Jail for booking.

The 17-year-old girl used her parents' stolen debit card in an attempt to pay someone to kill her mother and father, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

LADY LAKE, Fla. - A pilot was killed when a small plane crashed Friday near a Lake County fly-in community, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Vans RV-12 airplane went down near Singletary and Marion County roads around 1:25 p.m., Lake County Sheriff's Office officials said. The crash happened near Love Field and Love's Landing Aviation Community, a fly-in community on Kittyhawk Drive. Sky 6 video showed the small plane in a grassy field surrounded by burned grass. Sheriff's Office officials said fire rescue put out a fire on scene.

GROVELAND, Fla. - The pilot of an experimental plane died when it crashed Friday afternoon in Groveland, authorities said. Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration said the "experimental, amateur-built Aventura II aircraft" crashed as it tried to depart from the Florida Flying Gators Flight Park at about 11:15 a.m. Groveland police said the pilot, 63-year-old Karl Kuehme, was the sole occupant of the aircraft. The cause of the crash is unknown. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

CLERMONT, Fla. - A former youth group leader was arrested after deputies said he sent sexual photos to a teenage girl. She told deputies the 21-year-old would send her the photos through the social media app Snapchat, according to the arrest affidavit. She told deputies she did not send any nude photos of herself to Breen and rejected his request. Breen told deputies he was no longer employed with Real Life Church, where he recently stopped working as the band director for the youth student groups. A spokesperson from Real Life Church has since issued a statement saying church leaders are prepared to help those affected by the incident.

LADY LAKE Detectives with the Lake County Sheriff's Office arrested a man July 19 and charged him with sexual battery on a minor. Michael Ford, 33, of Lady Lake, was arrested following a detailed statement from his victim. The girl's age is not listed, but authorities say she's younger than 12. According to an arrest affidavit, she told interviewers at the Children's Advocacy Center that she "cuddled" naked with Ford multiple times. The report does not say what Ford's relationship is to the girl, but according to her statement, he had frequent access to her alone.

ORLANDO, Fla.- - From honoring members of the community to hosting free, family-oriented events, Central Florida's first responders strive to serve the community in more ways than one can imagine. With the help of 100 volunteers, the Lake County Sheriff's Office hosted its 6th Annual Project Kids Connect, where deputies and employees handed out free backpacks and school supplies to more than 700 students. When members of law enforcement are not volunteering their time, some like to get competitive. The Orange County Fire Rescue Department named 25-year-old Eric "Fireboy" Aach, a young man with autism and significant health conditions, an honorary firefighter. The Polk County Sheriff's Office took to Facebook to share a picture of a deputy posing with a large tortoise, challenging readers to come up with creative captions .

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - A man has been arrested after one of his horses was so starved that it couldn't stand up on its own and had to be euthanized, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said they were called to Kyle Allen Brower's home on July 1 because a horse was down in the pasture and couldn't stand on its own. The horse was so thin that its ribs, spine and hip bones were visible through its skin, according to the report. Deputies said another horse in the pasture was in slightly better condition but still emaciated to the point its skeleton was visible, so that horse was taken to the Lake County Animal Shelter to receive treatment. Brower, 39, was arrested Wednesday on an animal cruelty charge.

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - A pair of simultaneous undercover operations led authorities to arrest several high-level drug traffickers who were distributing cocaine, heroin and more across Central Florida, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Block lasted about six months and involved the Lake County Sheriff's Office as well as Clermont, Leesburg and Eustis police departments. In total, 67 arrest warrants were obtained for charges that include racketeering, trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in heroin/fentanyl, trafficking in methamphetamine, sale of cocaine, sale methamphetamine, sale of marijuana and solicitation to purchase illegal narcotics. Deputies said they also arrested multiple traffickers:Jy'kez Jackson, who is accused of distributing methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, marijuana and edibles made from marijuana, THC oil and cereal. As I've said before, if you're pushing this poison onto our streets, we're coming for you," Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said.

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. - A Clermont police sergeant is accused of shoving and throwing things at his partner during a fight about finances, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. A dented trash can and a broken baby shampoo bottle were found in the area where the fight took place, according to the report. Deputies said a 3-year-old boy and 6-month-old girl were at the home when the fight took place. Johnson was arrested on a domestic violence charge. Officials from the Clermont Police Department said Johnson has worked for the agency since 2010 and is currently a road patrol supervisor.

A Clermont high school musical theater teacher is accused of using private singing lessons to inappropriately touch a 17-year-old student, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Office investigation. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

A man died in custody after crashing while trying to avoid arrest, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.