A Leesburg man was arrested for trespassing after he was found sleeping underneath a woman’s patio couch.
Police responded to an undisclosed Leesburg residence regarding a trespasser, later identified as 30-year-old Derius Lashane Dabney, at about 5:20 a.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
The caller advised that Dabney entered her property and left shortly after, the report said. At about 5:32 a.m., she believed he returned to her rear patio area.
Upon the officer’s arrival, he canvassed the victim’s property from the road but was unable to find Dabney. The victim had a fence that spanned her property line with two swing gates secured by master locks. Due to this, the officer asked the victim to unlock one of gates, the report said.
The officer then conducted a security assessment of the rear patio area where he found Dabney sleeping on the floor underneath an outdoor sofa. He was immediately handcuffed and escorted to the officer’s patrol vehicle, the report said.
The report noted that the victim stated this issue of Dabney entering her property without permission had been ongoing. However, he always vacated the area before law enforcement arrived.
Dabney was charged with trespassing occupied structure or conveyance. He was transported to the Lake County Jail with bond set at $5,000.
Dabney was arrested last week while hiding in the bushes of a Lakeshore Drive neighborhood. He was also arrested for trespassing in July when he was found hiding behind a fence on private property.
