Two Lake County sheriff’s deputies barely escaped injury late Monday night after jumping out of the way of an oncoming motorist at the scene of a fatal crash.
Deputies Jake Corman and Preston Leonard were assisting the Leesburg Police Department with a fatal crash that left 54-year-old pedestrian Joseph Meister dead when they were quickly reminded not to ever turn their backs on traffic.
With two lanes of U.S. Hwy. 27 shut down and emergency vehicles parked with their lights flashing, a green Toyota passenger car came upon the incident and it’s driver, 28-year-old Kevin Lee Meadows, of Leesburg, failed to heed warnings or slow down, a sheriff’s office report states.
Just after both deputies jumped out of the way of Meadows’ oncoming vehicle, he sideswiped Leonard’s patrol car and then slammed on his brakes. As deputies approached Meadows’ vehicle, they could smell the odor of alcoholic beverages, the report says.
After failed attempts at roadside sobriety tests and a brief struggle, Meadows was arrested and placed in handcuffs. He was transported to the Lake County Jail and charged with driving under the influence with property damage and resisting without violence. He was released Tuesday morning on $3,000 bond and is due in court Sept. 16 at 8 a.m. to answer to the charges.
