Teen Accused Of Stabbing Girl, Setting Her On Fire

A 14-year-old girl is in serious condition after police say she was stabbed and then set on fire in Clermont early Wednesday morning. Officers say the girl sneaked out of her home in the Greater Pines neighborhood around 5:30am to talk to 15-year-old Calva Haskell when she was attacked.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office said the girl was stabbed several times by Haskell, who then squirted an accelerant on her and set her on fire. Officers say the girl ran to a neighbor's house, who then called 911.

Detectives arrested Haskell at his home and charged him with attempted first-degree murder. People who live in the quiet neighborhood of Greater Pines were horrified when they learned that Haskell was arrested.

AT THE SCENE: Investigators Search For Clues

Teenagers who live in the subdivision say the victim is a girl named Taylor Mack, but the Lake County Sheriff's Office has not confirmed that information. Friends say Mack and Haskell had just finished 8th grade at East Ridge Middle School and at one point the two had been dating.

"I was really shocked when I found out. I was freaking out," friend Kaitlynn McCroy said. "They used to go out but then they broke up. They were really good friends but I know she still really liked him."

Eyewitness News learned that Mack is the daughter of an Orange County deputy.

Authorities say they haven't figured out a motive. They also say that Haskell lives in a neighborhood about two miles away.

"He apparently returned home after this incident. We took him into custody without incident," Corporal James Vachon of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said.

Detectives say Haskell does not have a criminal background. His friends say he is active in school and is an athlete.

"Calva knows a lot of people. He was a basketball player and into sports," McCroy said.

It will be up to the State Attorney's Office whether or not to charge Haskell as an adult. Prosecutors say it will take a couple of days to review the case before a decision is made.

"He would send her a lot of mean text messages. She would cry and show me on the bus, but that's it. I never knew of hitting or anything," McCroy said.

Investigators are asking anyone who may have witnessed the teens walking in the neighborhood to contact the Lake County Sheriff's Office at 352-343-9529.