A man who allegedly began stalking a woman after spotting her at Lake Sumter Landing has been arrested with a knife, belt, gloves and a Bible in his truck.
James Godfrey Nicholson, 50, of Lady Lake is being held on $15,000 bond at the Lake County Jail. He is being charged with stalking, following his arrest by Lady Lake police.
He began talking to the woman after spotting her Tuesday near the Old Mill Playhouse in Lake Sumter Landing, according to an arrest report. He went up to the woman and asked for the time. He then said, “I am going to play on my phone over here if it doesn’t bother you.”
She made a phone call to someone “in case something happened,” the arrest report indicated. Â
Later that same day she went to Dollar General in Lady Lake, and saw Nicholson leaning against an ice machine “with a creepy expression,” the arrest report said. When she left in her vehicle, he followed her in his truck.
On Wednesday, she saw Nicholson again as she was walking out of the Walgreens at Rolling Acres Road and U.S. Hwy. 27/441. This time the woman had her 10-year-old daughter with her.
She went to the RaceTrac service station on U.S. 27/441 and went into the store and spotted Nicholson again. She grabbed her daughter, ran into the restroom, locked the door and called 911.
An officer soon spotted Nicholson’s truck and pulled him over. Nicholson appeared nervous, according to the arrest report. An inventory of his truck turned up a kitchen knife concealed under a floor mat, an extra belt, a pair of black gloves, hedge trimmers and a Bible.
In that case, he allegedly struck his 87-year-old mother who was trying to take him to church.
