[PHOTO CREDIT: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 06/08/21]
MOUNT DORA, Florida — A man is facing a slew of charges stemming from two separate incidents last month and a search warrant at his home Saturday, according to multiple public records.
According to a probable cause affidavit, on May 25, a man was backing out of a parking spot at Dollar General, 3850 North Highway 19A when he struck a vehicle being driven by a woman Lake Legal News is not identifying because she was not charged with a crime.
Both drivers exited their vehicles, and the man asked the woman if she wanted to call police or handle it among themselves. The woman asked the man if he knew her boyfriend, “Lil’ Man,” and said she had to discuss it with him. Both parties went their separate ways.
The man, who had his girlfriend with him, returned to Mount Dora Apartments, 3001 Northland Road and noticed the same vehicle he collided with was following him. Two men exited the vehicle, one identified as Gregory “Lil’ Man” Howard Coleman III and his younger brother. LLN is not identifying the brother because he had not been charged with a crime at press time. The victim told Mount Dora Police, Coleman approached his girlfriend, who was outside the vehicle, followed by his brother.
Coleman, allegedly armed with a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, pounded on the vehicle and demanded the girlfriend give him money.
“[Expletive,] give me your purse and $500. I want my $500,” Coleman is alleged to have said. The male victim exited the car and Coleman and his brother— who the victim said was also armed— approached him; two females then arrived, one identified in the affidavit as Coleman’s girlfriend and the other identified as Coleman’s sister. The women tried to calm Coleman down to no avail, according to the affidavit. Coleman allegedly raised the gun, pointed at the victim’s torso and said, “I’ll [expletive] kill your [expletive] right now!” Coleman and his brother began to pat the victim down and the victim’s girlfriend begged Coleman not to kill him, according to the affidavit. Coleman then directed his attention to the victim’s girlfriend and said, “[Expletive] give me your purse or I’ll kill him right now!”
The victim told Coleman he would give him the money to pay for the damages to the car and when the victim reached for the money, he saw an opportunity and ran, the affidavit states. Coleman then fired a shot into the front of the victim’s car, hitting the driver’s seat.
A shell casing was found in the victim’s car, along with a bullet that went through the seat and lodged into the floorboard, according to the affidavit. Both Coleman and his brother were identified in two lineups.
Four days later, MDPD, responded to a home on Limit Avenue on a report of a battery. Coleman’s girlfriend told police he punched her in the face several times and hit her with a bottle in front of his mother, before fleeing in his girlfriend’s car.
On Saturday, MDPD, Lake Sheriff’s Office SWAT and Mid Florida SWAT served a search warrant and Coleman was found at the home. MDPD has released very little information on the search warrant. Law enforcement found 282 grams of marijuana, 9 grams of powder cocaine, 12 grams of crack cocaine and a handgun with an extended magazine.
Coleman was arrested on warrants for armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, domestic battery, grand theft auto and no motorcycle endorsement. Charges are pending from the search warrant, according to Lake County Jail online records. Coleman is being held in LCJ on $61,000 on the charges stemming from the warrants, and no bond on the pending charges.
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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]
