On Saturday afternoon, deputies found the body of a car burglary suspect who fled from deputies in an Orange County lake, the sheriff’s office said.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit located the body of Clarance Lake, 18, in the lake around 3 p.m.
An hours-long search for the car burglary suspect was suspended Friday, but picked up again Saturday until deputies found the body after a total of 14 hours of searching.
Someone called 911 shortly before 1:45 a.m. Friday to report that a car was being burglarized at the Hawthorne Groves apartments at Good Homes and Old Winter Garden roads, Orange County Deputy Ingrid Tejada-Monforte said.
Deputies said they arrested an 18-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, but a third person, now known to be Lake, ran to a nearby Lowe's store on West Colonial Drive.
Lake hid in a shed in the store's parking lot before scaling a fence and running into Lake Sherwood, Tejada-Monforte said.
.@OrangeCoSheriff searching for 1 car burglary suspect who ran into Lake Sherwood. 2 people in custody. @WFTV pic.twitter.com/V3yGSrYL2u
— Roy Ramos (@RramosTV) June 23, 2017
OCOEE, Fla. — "It was pretty dark early this morning, and it seemed like he was swimming," Tejada-Monforte said. "He seemed to be in distress. It appears to be that he was in distress."
Investigators said they used a helicopter, three airboats, a raft and two divers to search for Lake, of whom they had lost sight.
Deputies said there has been a recent spike in vehicle burglaries in the area.
The incident remains under investigation.
No other details were given.
Cox Media Group
