[PHOTO CREDIT: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 10/12/20]L
EUSTIS, Florida — A homeless man who called a store clerk a racial slur and spat on him was arrested for felony battery late last month, according to an arrest affidavit.
On Sept. 30, Ernie Wayne Wilburn, 42, bought a beer at Shell, 1905 North State Road 19 just before 6:10 p.m. This is the same store Jayson Colvin robbed in December 2019 and later returned to before shooting Eustis Police Capt. Gary Winheim. Winheim was shot in the neck and survived the shooting.
Wilburn went outside to drink the beer and returned a few minutes later and accused the clerk of stealing the beer from him, according to an arrest affidavit. He called the clerk a racial slur and began throwing merchandise on the floor.
The clerk came out from behind the register and told Wilburn to leave; the pair went to the parking lot and Wilburn is alleged to have told the clerk he would “beat his (expletive)” and was throwing up “gang signs,” the affidavit states. Wilburn then spat on the clerk.
Wilburn, who has four prior battery convictions dating back to 1997, was taken into custody by Eustis Police and transported to the Lake County Jail where he remains on $2,000 bond.
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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]
