A Leesburg man who wouldn’t leave deputies alone while they investigated a fight at a local bar was arrested on charges of disorderly intoxication, trespassing, resisting an officer without violence and possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana.
A Lake County sheriff’s deputy responded to the Copperhead Lodge Saloon, 1850 U.S. Hwy. 441, at around 1:45 a.m. Monday to investigate an aggravated battery incident. The deputy spoke with the victim while he was being treated by EMS and then started talking to bar patrons, according to the sheriff’s office report.
One of the patrons the deputy interviewed was Joseph Scott Shreffler, 42, of 236 Bentbough Drive. Shreffler said he didn’t see what happened and had no comment. The deputy observed Shreffler’s speech was slurred and he had the odor of alcohol on his breath, the report said.
While the deputy interviewed other witnesses, Shreffler continuously interrupted, becoming more and more belligerent and shouting obscenities. The deputy asked Shreffler numerous times to stop and he refused. Finally, the deputy told Shreffler he’d be arrested if he didn’t leave, according to the report.
Shreffler then got his bicycle and started walking down the sidewalk. However, he stopped and continued to be belligerent. Shreffler refused to leave after several more warnings and was placed under arrest, the report said.
A search of Shreffler’s backpack turned up a plastic pill bottle containing a green leafy substance that tested positive for marijuana, as well as a multi-colored glass smoking device that had a burnt residue consistent with marijuana, according to the report.
A criminal records search showed Shreffler had been trespassed from the Copperhead Lounge in July 2020. He was taken to the Lake County Jail, where he was released Monday afternoon on $5,000 bond. Shreffler will answer to the charges in Lake County Court on March 16.
