CASSELBERRRY, Fla. – A man who drove a car into a retention pond Saturday night is now facing charges, according to Casselberry police.
Officers were originally responding to a criminal mischief call at a home along Legacy Park Drive. Investigators said Justin Lorrison turned up that home asking the woman who lives there for help after he was kicked out by his grandmother.
The woman tried to offer the 29-year-old $100 to stay at a nearby hotel, but Lorrison refused twice saying, “Don’t play, I will light your (expletive) house on fire,” according to the arrest report.
Records show the woman went back inside, then looked out the window to see if Lorrison had left. The woman told officers she watched as Lorrison then backed his gold Cadillac into her car, shoving it about a foot, then drove off, according to the report. The damage to the victim’s car totaled about $3,000, police said.
While police were speaking with the victim, officers were patrolling the area looking for Lorrison’s car. Records show police spotted the Cadillac but it took off speeding until officers lost sight of it and they did not pursue it.
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Witnesses told police the car appeared to lose control and ended up in a retention pond between Legacy Park Drive and the Geneva School, police said.
Police said they arrived at the pond to find Lorrison standing on the vehicle as it sank in the water. Officers said the man chucked a bag into the water and then refused to swim back to shore. Eventually, Lorrison made it back to land and was arrested. The report said he smelled of alcohol and that Lorrison later failed a sobriety test.
Investigators said the man was the only person in the car and was not hurt. Lorrison faces charges of hit-and-run, driving under the influence and reckless driving.
A dive team was brought in to help retrieve the car from the pond.
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