An 18-year-old from Leesburg was arrested at his home after breaking his ankle monitor and leaving it on the highway almost an hour away.
Police responded to 33933 Fairhaven Court under orders to take Barkee Muller into custody Tuesday morning, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Prior to arrival, deputies received information from a Department of Juvenile Justice officer regarding Muller tampering with the electronic monitor device on his ankle and having a Lake County order to take him into custody. The device had produced an alert that the strap was forcefully removed, the report said.
The device was recovered in the area of 9600 U.S. Hwy. 441 by the Leesburg Police Department. It appeared that Muller forcefully removed the device, causing his whereabouts to be unknown. He did not have permission to do so, the report said.
Muller was ultimately located about 40 minutes away from the highway at his home on Fairhaven Court and transported to the Lake County Jail without incident. He was charged with tampering with an electronic device, and bond was set at $5,000.