A Leesburg man was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident after allegedly crashing into a ditch and walking into the woods, leaving his cell phone behind.
An officer responded to the intersection of County Road 561 and South Duncan Drive regarding a silver Honda Accord, later found to be driven by 50-year-old JWK, crashed in a ditch around 10:45 p.m. Saturday, according to an arrest report from the Tavares Police Department.
No one was in the vehicle when the officer got there. But there were tire marks coming off County Road 561 that went through a $40 Department of Transportation sign and a Dream Finders Homes sign. The vehicle was still in drive and running with a cell phone in the passenger seat. A witness saw two men leave the scene of the crash, the report said.
Deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office later met with K’s wife at their home on Kehoe Marsh Court. She stated she believed her husband had been driving the vehicle, but said she did not know where he was. She went to the crash site and confirmed the cell phone found in the vehicle belonged to him, the report said.
His wife also advised that he left the home around 3:45 p.m. with a gray backpack, which seemed to have been taken with him after the crash. He may have been drinking prior to the crash, as well, since he recently lost his job and was depressed. He had a firearm with him, too, the report said.
When asked if K knew anyone in the area, his wife said she was not aware of anyone. She still filled out a missing person’s form due to his recent mental health issues and the fact he did not know the area, the report said.
Deputies subsequently deployed a drone to find K. They searched the area without success, and the scene was shut down. About seven minutes later, a man matching his description was spotted walking about two miles north of the accident, the report said.
Officers spoke to him and determined this was K. He advised that he missed a turn, and his car ended up in a ditch. Two males stopped to help, though they said his car was too stuck to move, the report said.
K did not know how he made his way into the woods and ended up on South Duncan Drive. He had significant scratches all over his body from walking in the woods but denied having injuries from the crash. He refused to be taken to the hospital after being checked out by EMS, the report said.
Additionally, K lost his backpack with the firearm in the woods. This was later found without incident, the report said.
K was arrested on charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving damage to property. He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $500 bond.
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Source: leesburg-news
