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Speeding driver from Brazil apprehended by deputy
A speeding driver from Brazil was apprehended by a Sumter County sheriff’s deputy. Gustavo Saldanha Soares, 22, of Orlando, was driving a vehicle at 9:46 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of U.S. 301 and County Road 204 in Wildwood when he was caught on radar traveling at 60 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone, according to an arrest report.
Speeding driver from Guatemala arrested on State Road 44
A speeding driver from Guatemala was arrested on State Road 44. Teofilo Boniaci Miranda Lopez, 62, of Apopka, was driving a white Chevrolet Silverado pickup at about 6 p.m. Wednesday on State Road 44 at County Road 243 in Wildwood when he was caught on radar traveling at 72 miles per hour in a 60 mph zone, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
Man who left flower on woman’s doorstep facing stalking charge
A man who repeatedly left a single flower on a woman’s doorstep is facing a stalking charge. Glenn Dale King, 55, of Webster, was arrested Wednesday by Sumter County sheriff’s deputies. The woman reported that a man had been captured on surveillance at about 3 a.m. Sunday leaving...
Pair arrested after vehicle stopped for suspiciously tinted windshield
Two men landed behind bars after the vehicle in which they had been traveling was stopped for a suspiciously tinted windshield. The silver 2014 Cadillac sport utility vehicle was pulled over shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of County Road 221 and County Road 232, according to an arrest report from the Sumter Count Sheriff’s Office. During the traffic stop, a deputy noticed the odor of “fresh marijuana emitting from inside the vehicle.”
Angry Lake Panasoffkee residents fighting to save their rural way of life
Lake Panasoffkee residents again confronted Sumter County commissioners Tuesday night to oppose a project to replace septic tanks with a centralized sewer system in their community. Besides concerns about a cost estimated to be as high as $40,000 per home, they fear the sewers could bring an onslaught of development...
Citizens’ Drop-off Solid Waste Fees Increase July 1
The Sumter County Board of County Commissioners voted to increase the solid waste fee schedule at the Citizens’ Drop-off Area at 819 CR 529, Lake Panasoffkee, FL beginning July 1, 2024. The increase in costs are to cover the cost of Citizens’ Drop-off operations. For more information on what...
Unpaid traffic ticket continues to haunt Summerfield man
An unpaid traffic ticket continues to be a source of trouble for a Summerfield man. Derrick Stanley Januszyk, 48, was driving a white Honda Pilot at about 7 p.m. Saturday in Summerfield when he was spotted by a Marion County sheriff’s deputy who was aware that Januszyk had a suspended license due to the unpaid Sumter County traffic ticket. He admitted he was placed on a payment for the ticket, but he had failed to make the payments.
Indiana fugitive arrested on warrant out of Kentucky
An Indiana fugitive has been arrested by Sumter County sheriff’s deputies on a warrant out of Louisville, Ky. Justin Christopher Wilson, 41, of New Albany, Ind., was arrested Monday afternoon at a residence in Wildwood on the warrant charging him with leaving the scene of an accident. The warrant was issued in January.
DUI suspect driving home from work gathering in Tampa refuses to provide breath sample
A Leesburg man was arrested under suspicion of drunk driving after swerving in front of law enforcement on the way home from Tampa. A deputy received a call from an off-duty lieutenant traveling south on County Road 475 around 11:39 p.m. Thursday, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. He advised that the driver of a white pickup truck, later identified as 41-year-old Brandon James Leware, was traveling north and swerving on the roadway. He explained that when the truck passed him, it forced him to drive partially on the shoulder to avoid a collision.
Notorious hoarder who threatened mother back behind bars
A notorious hoarder who has been accused of threatening his mother’s life is back behind bars. Jeffrey Charles Packard, 36, was arrested Sunday by Marion County sheriff’s deputies at a home in Belleview. He was wanted on multiple Sumter County warrants. He will be extradited from Marion County to Sumter County.
Woman armed with sharpening tool threatens man preparing food for dogs
A woman armed with a sharpening tool was arrested after allegedly threatening to kill a man who was preparing food for his dogs. Rebecca Cordero, 50, of Wildwood, was arrested Saturday at her home on a felony charge of aggravated assault. The man said he was in the kitchen getting...
The Villages has the second-highest increase in home sales among Florida metropolitan areas this year
The Villages has seen double-digit percentage increases this year in the number of homes sold and the number of townhouses/condominiums sold over last year, ranking it second among all Florida metropolitan areas. Last week, Florida Realtors released a report detailing homes that have been sold and recorded through multiple listing...
Sinkhole shuts down street in The Villages, sheriff’s office says
THE VILLAGES, Fla. – A road in The Villages will remain closed for an undetermined amount of time due to what the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday was a sinkhole. The hole opened beneath Canal Street, according to the sheriff’s office. All lanes of the roadway at...
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