[PHOTO CREDIT: Lake County Sheriff’s Office]
[Original Publish Date: 05/18/21]
LEESBURG, Florida — A combat veteran with diagnosed mental health issues is facing several charges after a four-hour standoff Monday.
Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about a suicidal female at a home on Silver Lake Drive around 11 a.m. Monday. The woman’s husband told LCSO his wife, Ieaka Yatanta Olmstead, 41, had been experiencing a mental health crisis that continued to escalate for the last month. He said Olmstead had been receiving treatment at a mental health facility and after 28 days, she checked herself out against medical advice. A representative of the facility confirmed Olmstead’s history to LCSO, according to the affidavit.
Olmstead’s husband said she had not been taking her medication since checking herself out of the facility and on Sunday she had what he called a “manic episode,” according to an arrest affidavit. He said she broke a window on his truck, backed the truck into a trailer and ran over two trees and a fence. She exited the truck and ran inside the home and armed herself with a pruning tool and a .380 Glock handgun. She pointed the gun at him and threatened to slit the throat of their 10-year-old child, who was standing behind the victim.
On Monday, Olmstead threatened to burn the house down and stated law enforcement killing her would be the easiest way to die. The man told LCSO Olmstead was home alone, and her black VW Beetle would be in the backyard. He said he hid the handgun in a closet after unloading it.
LCSO’s Negotiations Team and the SWAT Team responded to the home and a perimeter was established. While gathering information, LCSO found that an AR-15, two shotguns and an additional handgun were in the home. Olmstead had a fire burning in the yard and was seen entering and exiting the residence numerous times, adding items to the fire. A deputy also saw her grab her dog and slam it on the ground numerous times before putting it in a white bag, according to the affidavit.
The Negotiations Team attempted to convince Olmstead to surrender for around four hours and the SWAT Team eventually took Olmstead into custody. She was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of child abuse and animal cruelty. She is being held in the Lake County Jail on $10,000 bond.
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Our Editor-in-Chief, Marilyn M. Aciego, began writing for Lake Legal News in 2010. Born and raised in Lake County, she is a graduate of Umatilla High School and Lake-Sumter State College. She started her journalism career at LSSC, where she was editor of both student publications, The Angler and The Odyssey. Her professional career began at the Daily Commercial in 2004 where she covered cops and courts the majority of her time there until she left in 2009. Currently, along with being Editor-in-Chief of Lake Legal News, she is the Florida bureau chief for an international media organization. She has made more than two dozen appearances on live national television, including Nancy Grace and the Greta Van Susteren show, along with her appearance on Evil Twins. Contact her with breaking news, tips, and feedback by sending an e-mail to 352Tips@gmail.com. You can also contact us on our Facebook page — and make sure you “Like” and “Follow us” there. [PHOTO CREDIT: Bonnie Whicher]
