LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida woman got a rude surprise over the weekend after she found an escaped inmate inside her vehicle, according to the Lady Lake Police Department.
In an arrest affidavit, police said they responded to a call about a vehicle burglary around 4:47 a.m. on Sunday.
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The woman told dispatchers her alarm had gone off in her BMW, and after she opened the car, the inmate — identified as Jesse Hall, 31 — grabbed her arm.
As a result, the woman screamed, broke away and went back into her home, arming herself with a firearm while waiting for law enforcement to arrive, the affidavit shows.
When officers arrived, they found Hall near the BMW, though he tried to flee, investigators said. However, police were eventually able to catch up to Hall, and he surrendered at gunpoint.
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“While searching (Hall) for weapons, a small key fob-like Taser was located on his person,” the affidavit says. “The victim then exited her residence hysterically crying.”
Afterward, the woman told police that it was normal for cats to set off her car alarm, which is why she went outside to check on it. It turned out that the key fob found on Hall also belonged to the woman.
Upon a search of the car, police said they found a black Nokia cellphone, which didn’t belong to the woman. Hill later told police that the cellphone was his, and the device continuously received calls at the scene from someone named “Joe DiBlasi,” the affidavit shows.
“(Hall) said he was dropped off by a friend named Joe to see a woman who lives in the neighborhood,” the affidavit reads. “(Hall) stated, ‘Some stuff went down. That’s why I was in the car. Look at the cameras from Jessica Rainwater’s house.’”
After confirming Hill’s identity, investigators said they discovered that Hill was wanted after escaping a prison in Orlando on May 22.
According to police, Hill had been sentenced in 2019 to seven years in prison for two counts of grand theft auto and several other drug-related charges.
Hill was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was placed without bond.
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