On July 17th 2021 Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies along with EMS responded to 16815 Sarah’s Place, Clermont regarding an unresponsive male in a vehicle in the parking lot. The individual was identified as Pavel Mata who was transported to Four Corners ER where he was pronounced deceased. An autopsy was performed on Mr. Mata however a cause of death was undetermined pending toxicology testing.

On August 23rd 2021 toxicology testing returned indicating a lethal dose of Fentanyl was present in Mr. Mata’s blood; the cause of death was updated to indicate “Accidental”.

Detectives continued their lengthy investigation to include DNA testing and forensic digital searches. As a result it was learned that an individual named “Kevin” (who had been known to be present with Mr. Mata prior to his death) was in fact Kevin Richardson (06/01/1997). Surveillance video from the parking lot showed Mr. Richardson in the vehicle interacting with Mr. Mata. Mr. Richardson was located and interviewed by detectives at which time he admitted to obtaining what he claimed to be a Percocet pill from an unidentified drug dealer and provided it to Mr. Mata. Mr. Richardson stated that he observed Mr. Mata to need medical attention after ingesting the pill but claimed Mr. Mata declined; thereafter Mr. Richardson left Mr. Mata’s presence. According to detectives the alleged Percocet pill was likely counterfeited and contained a lethal dose of Fentanyl. Continue reading →

Lake County sheriff’s deputies responded to the area of Merrell Avenue in Umatilla just after 3:25 p.m. this afternoon regarding a report of shots fired. Upon arrival, responding deputies discovered an adult male at a residence located at 38946 Merrell Avenue who had been shot. Paramedics attempted to transport the male to AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares; however, he passed away during transport.

The identity of the deceased male is not yet being released.

Anyone with information concerning this incident can call Central Florida CRIMELINE at 1-800-423-TIPS, where they can remain completely anonymous and can be eligible for a cash reward.

This is an ongoing investigation and additional details will be released as they become available.

A 33-year-old Leesburg man is in custody following an investigation into a drug-related death that occurred in June 2022.

Detectives began the death investigation at a home located at 4100 Holly Hill in Lady Lake on June 25 when the deceased, 38-year-old Harry Cooper, was found in a bedroom along with evidence of drug use. The Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Cooper’s death as an accidental drug overdose of fentanyl.

Detectives have worked diligently throughout the course of this investigation and based upon phone records and surveillance video, they determined that 33-year-old Albert Robert Springs of Leesburg is the man responsible for dealing the lethal drugs to Cooper.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Springs and he was taken into custody on Wednesday, November 16. He was booked in at the Lake County Detention Center with no bond on a charge of Death by Unlawful Distribution of Fentanyl.

His booking photo and additional information can be found by visiting www.lcso.org and clicking the “Inmates” tab.