[PHOTO CREDIT: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 10/10/20]L
LADY LAKE, Florida — A man who was already on probation for weapons charges is in the Lake County Jail accused of threatening to shoot a woman in front of her 18-month-old son and then kidnapping the tot.
Lady Lake Police responded to The Quarters Apartments, 797 Teague Trail, Lady Lake on a report of a kidnapping and armed robbery shortly after 1 a.m. Sept. 29. The victim told police Steven Richard Allen Jr., a man she had a prior relationship with, robbed her at gunpoint and kidnapped her son.
The victim said she and her son met Allen, 23, and an unidentified man at a local hotel where the victim was staying and Allen asked her to leave her phone in the vehicle while they went to the room. The unidentified man stayed downstairs, according to an arrest affidavit.
They returned to their vehicles about 10 minutes later and Allen, of Leesburg, pulled up in his vehicle and allegedly pointed a gun at her. Allen told her he had her phone and cash from the vehicle and told her to “drive where all the money is” and if she stopped or did not do it, he would “shoot her in front of her son,” the affidavit states.
The victim drove to The Quarters and Allen followed her; once they arrived Allen and the unidentified male reportedly both pointed guns at her and Allen took the victim’s son from her arms. Allen told her to go get the money and if she failed to do so, he would take her son and shoot him.
The victim went to her current boyfriend’s apartment and called police; when she went back outside she saw that Allen and his accomplice had fled the scene and found her son in the backseat of her vehicle, according to the affidavit.
The victim said Allen had a “smaller” black gun with a laser and stole her wallet, $570 in cash and an iPhone. Approximately two hours later, Allen was identified on a traffic stop and found with a Smith & Wesson .380 with a built-in laser sight and nine bullets; he was also found with $600 cash in his pocket, according to the affidavit.
When questioned about the robbery and kidnapping, Allen said the gun belonged to his girlfriend and he withdrew $500 from a local ATM, but Allen did not have a debit card or a wallet, the arresting officer noted in the affidavit. Allen said he met and followed the victim to buy a puppy from her and when the victim could not reach her boyfriend, Allen and his friend left.
Allen was arrested for aggravated kidnapping, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. He is also facing two charges of violating his probation on weapons charges from a case earlier this year. He is being held in the Lake County Jail on no 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]
