Lake County

Lake County sheriff, leaders to meet to address increasing crime concerns

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — The Lake County sheriff is meeting with community members on Wednesday to try to address increasing crime in a local neighborhood.

The Bassville Park area of Lake County is known to have drug activity and has been dealing with it for years, but community members are trying to change that.

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They’re looking for better street lighting and possibly a community center to help build job and life skills.

“We’ve had a problem with the area growing. And the greatest concern in that growth is the crime,” said event organizer Joseph Mattiace.

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Mattiace said it’s no secret there is drug activity in the area that goes back years, and that along with that activity comes other crime like thefts, car break-ins and sometimes even violent crime.

“Absolutely it goes hand in hand with crimes of violence, property crimes and everything under the sun,” said Lt. John Herrell with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

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That’s why Mattiace and others have organized town hall meetings to get people from the community together to address it. They recently came up with ideas to clean up the area, including asking for increased street lighting.

“I think it’ll make a big difference. And you know, if you walk into a dark area, that’s just an opportunity for a lot of things that maybe shouldn’t be happening to happen,” event organizer John Sokol said.

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Sheriff Peyton Grinnell will attend Wednesday night’s town hall at Graceway Church to give residents a chance to ask questions and hear what his department is and will be doing to help change the community for the better.

“It shows he has a true concern regarding the area, and he’s willing to get on the front line with the rest of the community leaders to help make this change for Bassville Park area,” Mattiace said.

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Jeff Deal

Jeff Deal, WFTV.com

I joined the Eyewitness News team as a reporter in 2006.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.