[IMAGE CREDIT: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 01/30/20]
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TAVARES, Florida — A man who allegedly threatened to “blow-up” retired Circuit Judge William G. Law’s home and kill him and his family more than a year ago was charged with written threats to kill Tuesday.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Vinzett L. Watkins, 26, is serving a 10-year sentence handed down by Law in 2013 for armed robbery and is serving his time at Santa Rosa Correctional Institute. He is accused of sending the letter to the Lake County Courthouse, 550 West Main Street, Tavares, on December 18, 2018, where a judicial assistant opened the handwritten letter. The letter contained a threat to “blow up” Law’s house and kill him and his family.
The envelope was addressed to Law and Watkins was the addresser, the affidavit states. The envelope also had the address to Santa Rosa Correctional Institute and a Florida Department of Corrections identification number.
On August 1, 2019, the arresting Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy found the letter had not been entered into evidence at LCSO and found it was in the mailbox of the original responding deputy and only accessible by security staff. The deputy, who is not a handwriting expert, compared the letter to handwritten jail forms and noted they appeared to be similar.
The deputy also sent the envelope to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for DNA testing and the results are pending, according to the affidavit.
Watkins was transported back to the Lake County Jail and charged. He was scheduled to be released from Florida DOC this Friday on the armed robbery charges. He is being held at the Lake County Jail on $50,000 for the threat against Law.
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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]
