Original story: Stabbing incident in DeLand
Suspect in double homicide arrested
UPDATE: 2:10 p.m.: The Volusia Sheriff’s Office has reported Scott Mitchell is in custody in Daytona Beach. A tipster will earn $10,000 for their information.
UPDATE: 1 p.m.:
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with the Binghamton Police Department, is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Scott Mitchell.
A dashcam still of a man suspected to be Mitchell is included in the Volusia Sheriff’s Office last update. The still shows a man in dark clothing walking north along Hontoon Road with a large backpack.
Andy Kelly, Hontoon-area resident, took the video, which he supplied to the Sheriff’s Office.
“I am glad I was running late to work,” Kelly told The Beacon. “Otherwise I would have stopped and offered him a ride.”
Kelly, who owns Betty W. Kelly Accounting in DeLand, was heading into town the morning of Feb. 11 when he saw the man around 8:03 a.m., he said.
“We made brief eye contact,” Kelly said.
According to Kelly, the man had unkempt stubble on his face.
“He was minding his business,” Kelly said. “But his attire didn’t seem appropriate.”
“If this is the right man, I hope it helps find him,” Kelly added.
The Sheriff’s Office is asking the public to call 911 with any sightings of Mitchell, who is wanted in connection to a double homicide in Binghamton, New York.
UPDATE, 11:45 a.m.: The Beacon has confirmed with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office that the car tied to Scott C. Mitchell, suspect in a Binghamton, New York double-murder, was found yesterday abandoned on Hontoon Road.
Hontoon Road is the only road into the Hontoon area, a residential peninsula that has multiple marinas and is less than half a mile from the DeLand SunRail station.
According to the Sheriff’s Office Facebook post, Mitchell is believed to be on foot and should be considered armed and dangerous.
UPDATE: 10:20 p.m.
The possibility of a double-murder suspect loose and on foot in West DeLand has put police, residents and the media on high alert today, Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Scott Mitchell, a suspect in a double-murder in Binghamton, New York, had last been tied to Dorchester, South Carolina, where his abandoned vehicle was found Feb. 9, according to local media reports.
Scott Mitchell
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office then alerted the public via a Facebook post this afternoon, Feb. 11, that another vehicle tied to Mitchell was traced to DeLand. The car was found abandoned. The Sheriff’s Office believes Mitchell may now be traveling by foot and is possibly in West DeLand, according to the post.
Then, a stabbing incident around 5:15 p.m. Feb. 11 between two individuals believed to be transient led to the unusual sight of Air One, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office helicopter, landing near a major crossroads of DeLand while hundreds of cars drove by.
Multiple media representatives were on the scene quickly, anticipating the apprehension of the double-murder suspect.
One injured man was airlifted with non-life-threatening injuries. Joseph Varela, 30, has been charged with aggravated battery, according to Community Information Manager Chris Graham.
There is no known connection to the search for Mitchell.
Mitchell is wanted in connection to the deaths of Daniel McCloe, 58 and Marshall VanOven, 55 in Binghamton. Both men were reported missing two days before their bodies were found in a private residence on Feb. 5, according to multiple news reports.
An obituary for VanOven describes him as having a “generous, peaceful and loving attitude.”
Original story: Air One, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office helicopter, landed in North DeLand at Gateway Village near International Speedway and Woodland Boulevard around 5:40 p.m. today in connection to a stabbing near The Dollar Tree, The Beacon has confirmed. One individual was airlifted to be treated for their injuries, according to the City of DeLand.
There is no known connection to the search for a murder suspect in a double homicide in Binghamton, New York, whose abandoned car was found today and who is suspected to be on foot in West DeLand.
Bystanders in the parking lot of Gateway Village in North DeLand watch the aftermath of a police investigation after a Volusia Sheriff’s Office helicopter airlifts one stabbing victim. An unrelated search for a suspect in a New York double-homicide, whose last known location may be in West DeLand, has put both police and residents on high alert. One puppy seems unaffected.
According to an official release from the DeLand Police Department, officers responded around 5:14 p.m. to reports of a disturbance between two men that left one injured with stab wounds. The other man fled the scene. The injured man was airlifted to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The initial investigation suggests that the two men were transients, according to the press release. Police are attempting to identify the suspect, who may have been wearing a half-face face mask.
“We don’t expect any additional attacks on anybody,” Dice said.
Captain Prurince Dice addresses reporters.
The location of the alleged stabbing is at a major crossroads of DeLand and multiple media representatives were on the scene quickly.
Police continue to search for the suspect from Binghamton, New York, and now, a second suspect in the case of the stabbing.
This story will be updated.
