[IMAGE CREDIT: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 01/30/20]
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TAVARES, Florida — A Eustis man already facing vehicular homicide and drug trafficking charges in two different counties has been charged with yet another crime — tampering with a witness.
Lake Legal News first reported on Emmanuel Cazeau in November 2019 when he was pulled over for running a stop sign by a deputy who recognized him as a known drug distributor. The deputy pulled Cazeau, 36, over near County Road 44 and Harbor Shores Boulevard in Leesburg and noticed the front passenger was acting very nervous.
The passenger pulled a gallon-size bag full of more than 1,000 grams of methamphetamine out of her purse, handed it to the deputy and told him Cazeau told her to hide it. Cazeau, who had more than $1,700 cash on him, was charged with several offenses, including trafficking in methamphetamine. He was released on $27,000 bond. That bond deviated from the Fifth Judicial Circuit bond schedule due to a miscommunication between the arresting deputy and the jail, Lake County Sheriff’s Sgt, Fred Jones told LLN in November 2019.
On December 17, 2019, Cazeau’s bond was revoked and he was picked up the following day and held without bond. On Saturday, Cazeau was charged with tampering with a witness in his methamphetamine trafficking case. The witness told the State Attorney’s Office Cazeau contacted her twice while he was out on bond and told her not to cooperate with authorities and she would only do a couple of months in jail. He also told her the SAO was threatening him with a life sentence because he had enough methamphetamine to kill six people, according to the arrest affidavit.
The witness told the deputy she had never been in fear of Cazeau before, but she is under the impression he could put a “hit” on her because he has the money to do it and he has shown violence before. The tampering with a witness charge was added to his long list of charges Saturday.
Cazeau’s next scheduled court date in the trafficking case is set for Feb. 3.
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Our Editor-in-Chief, Marilyn M. Aciego, began writing for Lake Legal News in 2010. Born and raised in Lake County, she is a graduate of Umatilla High School and Lake-Sumter State College. She started her journalism career at LSSC, where she was editor of both student publications, The Angler and The Odyssey. Her professional career began at the Daily Commercial in 2004 where she covered cops and courts the majority of her time there until she left in 2009. Currently, along with being Editor-in-Chief of Lake Legal News, she is the Florida bureau chief for an international media organization. She has made more than two dozen appearances on live national television, including Nancy Grace and the Greta Van Susteren show, along with her appearance on Evil Twins. Contact her with breaking news, tips, and feedback by sending an e-mail to 352Tips@gmail.com. You can also contact us on our Facebook page — and make sure you “Like” and “Follow us” there. [PHOTO CREDIT: Bonnie Whicher]
