A son whose parents left him their home in The Villages has been arrested at the residence which remains in violation of deed compliance.
Timothy James Cronin Downey, 40, was arrested early Friday morning at the home at 1906 Augustine Drive in the Village of Santo Domingo. Sumter County sheriff’s deputies went to the home after a report of concern that the Weymouth, Mass. native might be a danger to himself. When deputies asked if he had any intention of harming himself, Downey indicated he’d had “too much to drink” the previous night.
A check revealed Downey was wanted on a Lake County warrant charging him with failure to appear on a charge of driving while license suspended. He had been arrested on the charge Sept. 23 while at the wheel of a 2016 Honda in Fruitland Park. He was also issued a written warning for having a license plate which had expired six months earlier.
The house where Downey has been living was the subject of a public hearing in March before the Community Development District 2 Board of Supervisors. A complaint was received in January by Community Standards about overgrown grass, weeds, hedges over four feet tall and mold at the home. The District has taken over mowing the grass, but the overgrown hedges and the mold remain.
Joseph and Rosemary Downey purchased the home in 2004 for $182,500. They married in 1968 and she died in 2016. Joseph Downey died Sept. 3, 2020, the day after his 81st birthday. That same month, the home was turned over to his son, Timothy.
At the time of the public hearing, the utilities and amenity fees were past due. Community Standards’ efforts to reach Downey had been unsuccessful.
