A homeless man with a history of trespassing was arrested after he was found sleeping on the handicap ramp of the Leesburg Library.
Officers responded to the library at 100 E. Main St. at about 5:36 a.m. Friday following a report of an individual sleeping on the property. Upon arrival, a Leesburg police officer found 29-year-old Michael Poole fast asleep on the building’s handicap ramp, accompanied by a gray suitcase and a Huffy bicycle.
After identifying Poole, a check with the Leesburg Communication Center revealed he was already a wanted man. Poole had an active Lake County warrant for failure to appear in court. Furthermore, records showed he had been slapped with a formal trespass warning specifically banning him from the library property on Oct. 30, 2025.
Poole was taken into custody for trespassing after warning. A criminal history check revealed he already had two prior convictions for the exact same offense. Officers collected his bicycle and suitcase for safekeeping before booking him at the Leesburg Police Department. He was subsequently transported to the Lake County Jail without incident.
This latest arrest highlights an ongoing struggle in the city’s downtown corridor, where officials have previously been warned that a growing transient population poses a threat to local businesses.
It also comes as the city enforces a stringent anti-camping ordinance passed by Leesburg commissioners in the fall of 2025. The local measure was enacted in response to a state law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The legislation—Florida Statute 125.0231—strictly prohibits unauthorized camping or sleeping on public property at any time.
To ensure municipalities comply, the law empowers residents, business owners, and the state attorney general to file injunction lawsuits against the city if it fails to crack down on individuals sleeping at public facilities, parks, or rights-of-way.