Sumter County sheriff’s detectives are seeking assistance identifying a suspect who damaged the Paradise Gate.
On two separate dates, Jan. 12 and 30, the individual attempted to drive through the Paradise Gate. As a result of not having a gate card, access was denied. The subject subsequently damaged the opening mechanism in order to manually open the gate.
Several hundred dollars’ worth of damage was caused to the gate during these two incidents.
If you have any information to assist in the identification of this individual, contact Detective Torchia at (352) 569-1614, (352) 569-1680 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS(8477).
The gate is located on the Historic Side of The Villages and was put in place in 2013 after a controversial wall was put in place, blocking golf cart access to both Villagers and outsiders.
Eventually, the wall came down and the card-operated gate was put in place. There is no button to open the gate as on the roadways in The Villages.
