After a thorough and detailed investigation, FDLE agents will issue a warrant today for the arrest of Robert Nixon Kern, Jr., 40, for the murder of 16-year-old Justis Garrett of Sorrento.

Kern was taken into custody in February by the Suffolk County (NY) Police Department on fraud charges stemming from a case in Volusia County. He was extradited to Florida this Friday afternoon. FDLE agents have a signed arrest warrant for a second-degree murder charge.

“Robert Kern, Jr., is responsible for the cruel and brutal murder of Justis Garrett, who was smart, caring and loved by so many,” said FDLE Orlando Special Agent in Charge Lee Massie. “The agents on this case were relentless and worked long hours to see Justis’ murderer arrested so he could ultimately be held responsible for her untimely death.”

“It is our duty and our mission to hold the defendant accountable for the murder of our Victim in this case,” said State Attorney R.J. Larizza. “The combined efforts of our law enforcement partners and our homicide prosecutors in this case was nothing short of extraordinary.”

Justis was reported missing on Saturday, April 14, 2018, by her mother to the Mount Dora Police Department (MDPD). She was last seen the day before, on Friday, April 13th, when Kern told investigators he had taken Justis to Mount Dora High School.

Four days after she was reported missing, a group of hikers discovered a body in a wooded area off Service and Gasline roads in DeLand. On May 7th, forensic analysis determined the body was that of Justis.

(Updated 1/1/2018) According to Florida Highway Patrol, the driver and the bicyclist involved in yesterday's deadly crash in unincorporated Mount Dora were both residents of the city.

At approximately 6 p.m. on December 2, Donald Mosher, 48, was riding a bicycle northbound on South Clayton Street near Elyisum Boulevard.  Melissa Kidd, 38, was travelling behind the cyclist in the same direction. According to Florida Highway Patrol, Kidd failed to slow down as she approached the bike and struck it from behind.  The speed limit on that stretch of rural road is 45 miles per hour.  There were no skid marks at the scene, but car parts were scattered across the road, according to a witness.

An unresponsive Mosher was discovered in the road by another driver a few minutes after the accident occurred.  The cyclist was resuscitated and transported to Florida Hospital Waterman by paramedics. He later died. The first driver on the scene observed that Mosher was wearing dark clothing and no helmet.

Kidd left the scene of the fatal accident, but police located her after her severely damaged Nissan truck became disabled less than a mile away on Clayton street. 

The accident remains under investigation and charges against Kidd are pending, according to FHP.

"A homicide crash investigation requires very precise measurements to be obtained from the scene of the crash that includes such things as drag factor of the roadway, vehicle evidence, weather at the time of the crash, and any witness statements," said Laura Hargrove, a criminal defense attorney and partner in the Tavares law firm of Gause & Hargrove, PLLC. 

Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death is a first degree felony and carries a mandatory 4-year prison term if convicted, according to Hargrove.

"In my experience, this type of case can take a month or more before charges are formally filed. Since this incident occurred in December, it could take longer due to the holidays," said Hargove.

A wooden cross with messages from Mosher's family was erected near the scene of the accident. 

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Mount Dora Police are asking for the public's help to identify a woman in connection with an ​October 19 incident at Mermaid Juice, a local craft beer bar and antique store located at 458 N. Highland Street.  The victim stated that a few weeks ago the woman pictured allegedly asked for a desk and was told it was not for sale.  The woman returned last week and allegedly took a piece of the desk and exited the front door.

If you recognize the woman please contact Detective Angela Smith at the Mount Dora Police Department at 352-735-7174​.

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Detectives assigned to the Lake County sheriff's Cyber Crimes Unit recently concluded a 10-day, two-phase operation targeting subjects online attempting to meet children for sexual activity, as well as those committing acts related to prostitution. The investigation, dubbed Operation Catfish, recovered a 17-year-old victim of human trafficking and resulted in 40 arrests for various sex-related crimes. 

Detectives conducted the operation from a vacant home in South Lake County, during which time they posed online as a 14-year-old child. The subjects traveled to the home with the intent to have sex with whom they thought was the child and were taken into custody upon arrival. One subject fled the area but was later identified and charged accordingly. 

Detectives also seized two vehicles and recovered a stolen firearm. 

This operation was in cooperation with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and other member agencies of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. 

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Mount Dora Police are investigating a crash that happened at Wolf Branch and Britt Roads this morning.
 
The accident happened around 9 a.m. after a school bus dropped off kids at an area middle school.  The driver of a Nissan Sentra entered the intersection off Britt Road to Wolf Branch Road and was struck by the school bus.
 
The driver of the Nissan was airlifted with serious injuries to Orlando Regional Medical Center.  The driver of the bus suffered a non-life threatening injury and was taken to Florida Hospital Waterman by ground.  
 
There were no children on the bus at the time of the accident.  No names are being released. This crash remains under investigation. ​

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After an initial prediction in May for a near-average season, experts recently downgraded their expectations to a "below-average" Atlantic hurricane season in 2018.  The change was based on unusually cold temperatures in portions of the Atlantic Ocean which provides less fuel for developing storms.

The July outlook includes a total of 11 named storms which is down from the original prediction of 14.   Of those 11 storms, four are expected to become hurricanes, including one major hurricane which is classified as Category 3 or higher.  The first of the 11 storms was Subtropical Storm Albert that occurred in May. The early prediction in May by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was for 10 to 16 named storms, five to nine hurricanes, and one to four major hurricanes.

The updated prediction was released by Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Science and researchers for its Tropical Meteorology Project.   According to their report, the probability of a major hurricane making landfall on the U.S. coastline this year is 39 percent. The annual average is 52 percent probability.

Despite the new "below average" storm predictions, the report warns that residents should still prepare for storm season because even one hurricane making landfall could be a disaster.

In addition to having a good hurricane kit, residents should keep their insurance policy up-to-date and stored in a safe place.

"2017 was a year filled with record-setting disasters,” said Lynette Barba of Allstate Insurance in Mount Dora.  “Now is a good time for an annual insurance review with your agent to better understand your coverages specific to hurricanes and floods."

When storms form in the Atlantic, residents can also follow these helpful websites and social media accounts:
Ready.gov - This site provides natural disaster tips.
Getagameplan.org - This site offers four different plans for enduring a natural disaster: family preparation, business preparation, mitigation and a kid-friendly checklist.
• National Hurricane Center (also Twitter & Facebook) - Stay plugged into the NHC whenever you are in the ‘cone of uncertainty’ for storm updates.
• National Weather Service (also on Twitter & Facebook) -  This is a good source to keep up to date on all weather news and monitoring.

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