A Leesburg man was arrested after backing into another vehicle and leaving the scene before law enforcement arrived.
An officer responded to a traffic crash at the Candlelight Motel, located at 1306 S. 14th Street, around 9:40 p.m. Thursday, July 4, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
Upon arrival, the officer spoke with the male driver of one of the involved vehicles. He explained that he was waiting at the stop sign to pull onto South 14th Street when he was struck by a dark SUV, later found to have been driven by 60-year-old Julian Raynard Javis. The SUV backed into the rear driver’s side bumper of the victim’s vehicle, causing about $1,500 worth or more of damage, the report said.
The SUV then pulled back into the parking spot, and Javis got out of the driver’s seat. He gave the victim his vehicle registration and insurance card but no identification. The victim told Javis he was going to contact law enforcement, to which Javis advised him to reach out so the two could handle the cost of the damage. He returned to his vehicle and drove northbound on South 14th Street, the report said.
The victim showed the officer pictures of the SUV’s license plate number and Javis. When the officer ran the number, the information came back to a couple in their eighties. A deputy from the Lake County Sheriff’s office responded to their residence in Leesburg in an attempt to find the vehicle and Javis, the report said.
The deputy contacted the female registered owner and advised her of the incident. The LPD officer spoke with her over the phone and further explained the incident. He then asked i she knew who had or was driving her vehicle, the report said.
She stated it was her son, Javis. He called his mother immediately after the accident and advised her of the incident. When she tried to call him back, he would not pick up the phone, the report said.
A check of Javis’ driving history revealed his license photo which was used to positively identify him. It also showed three prior convictions for driving while his license was suspended from 2007, 2011 and 2024, the report said.
Javis was ultimately arrested and charged with leaving the scene of accident with property damage and driving while license suspended or revoked with knowledge. The North Carolina native was taken to Lake County Jail with bond set at $2,000.