Lake County is located just south of Marion County and is a part of the Orlando area. The population is around 316,000 people. The largest city within the county is Clermont and Tavares holds the city seat. Lake County is home to over 1,000 lakes and has water views from almost anywhere in the county. Because Lake County is in northern Florida it has hills that rise over 300 feet above sea level, which is unusual in Florida where most of the cities are at or below sea level. There are many attractions within the city of Clermont including state parks and nature preserves surrounding the various lakes.
Because the county is part of the Orlando area there are many roadways crossing it. The most popular roadways through the area are US 27, US 441, State Road 19 and the Florida Turnpike. These roadways are patrolled by local law enforcement agencies including Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Clermont Police Department, Leesburg Police department and Florida Highway Patrol, among many others.
Lake County Judges
Lake County Judges: | Jurisdiction: |
Judge James R. Baxley | 1/3 bond hearings and 1/2 of criminal proceedings. |
Judge Terry T. Neal | 1/3 bond hearings. |
Judge Brian Welke | 1/3 bond hearings and 1/2 of criminal proceedings. |
5th Circuit Judges in Lake County
5th Circuit Judges in Lake County: | Jurisdiction: |
Judge Don F. Briggs | ¼ of felony cases. |
Judge William G. Law | ¼ of felony cases. |
Judge Mark Nacke | ¼ of felony cases. |
Judge Lawrence J. Semento | ¼ of felony cases. |
In Lake County Courts and the Circuit Court judges receive a random distribution of cases therefore you will not know your judge until your case is assigned to a specific judge. Once a judge is assigned, the same judge will remain on the case from start to finish.
Common Crimes in Lake County, FL
Below is a list of the most common crimes people were arrested for in Lake County, in 2015. These statistics were received from the Uniform Crime Report provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Offenses: | Total Arrests: |
Drugs | 1371 |
Larceny | 1254 |
Simple Assault | 1108 |
Lake County Sheriff’s department made the majority of the arrests for both drugs and simple assault but the Leesburg Police Department and Clermont Police Department made the majority of the arrests for larceny within the county.
DUI’S
In 2014 Lake County reported there were 538 people arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) but in 2015 this number dropped to 254 people.
As a whole, Lake County arrested over 1,000 less people from 2014 to 2015 but the population increased almost 10,000 residents during this time.
Special Programs
Veterans Treatment Court
Veterans Treatment Court is for Veterans with possible mental health or drug abuse issues. Veterans Court is a Court-supervised program for those arrested in Lake County who have a mental illness, substance abuse, or other mental health condition related to their military service, who need treatment and other services, and who choose to participate in the Lake County Veterans Treatment Court instead of having their case precede through the regular court process. Judge Mark A. Nacke presides over Veterans Court in Lake County. This is a diversion program with different possible outcomes for each case.
Lake County has the fewest diversion programs within the 5th circuit. There are hopes that drug court, mental health care court and DUI court will make its way into the Lake County Courts. Drug court, mental health care court and DUI are all diversion and/or specialty programs with different requirements for each jurisdiction. If Lake County adopts these programs they will also adopt the rules and requirements set forth by the Judges and the relevant Florida statutes. A violent criminal history is a typical reason why a defendant will not qualify for a diversion program.