Pair arrested after K-9 finds wanted man hiding under 4-foot pile of items

Staff report

ARCHER, Fla. – Michael Louis Leopold, 47, and Michele Belinda Lewis, 47, were arrested yesterday at a home in Archer after a K-9 team reportedly found Leopold, who was wanted on a warrant, under a four-foot pile of debris.

At about 2:13 p.m. on January 12, Alachua County Sheriff’s (ASO) Deputies responded to a home in Archer in an attempt to locate Leopold, who was wanted in Sarasota County for failing to appear at a hearing on a felony drug charge.

A neighbor reportedly told an ASO Warrants Investigator that Leopold had been seen going into the home, and another resident of the home told a deputy that Leopold and Lewis should be the only people inside the home. The deputy noted that Leopold and Lewis are living in a “make-shift enclosed porch” attached to the home.

The deputy reported that they knocked on the front door, but there was no answer. A loose dog in the back yard was secured before deputies knocked on the back door, but dogs could also be heard inside the home. A female voice was also heard inside the home, and it sounded like she was talking to someone. Deputies made loud announcements for anyone inside to come out.

When nobody emerged, multiple K-9 teams responded. Lewis reportedly refused to come out of the home or provide her name, and she said Leopold was not there. Deputies continued to issue commands to come out for about 30 minutes, and then they created a hole next to a window-mounted air conditioning unit and saw Lewis. Lewis allegedly continued to refuse to come out of the home for some time, but then she came outside, was detained in handcuffs, and provided her name. Lewis allegedly said Leopold was not home and she had no idea where he was.

The owners of the home provided consent for a search of the home, and deputies reportedly found a Ruger 10/22 rifle in Leopold’s bedroom; Leopold is a convicted felon who is not permitted to possess firearms.

Deputies noted that Leopold’s bedroom was “full of debris and belongings,” and about an hour later, a K-9 team alerted to a pile of “debris and belongings” that was about four feet tall.

A deputy began issuing loud commands to come out, and another deputy began removing items from the pile and eventually found Leopold lying on the floor under a blanket; Leopold was apprehended by a K-9 and allegedly started shouting and grabbing the K-9’s face, mouth, and neck until he was pulled away. Leopold was treated for a dog bite and transported to a local hospital.

Based on the size of the pile, Lewis was arrested because deputies reported that Leopold could not have placed all those items on top of himself without assistance.

Leopold was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, striking a law enforcement K-9, and resisting an officer without violence. He has one felony conviction (non-violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (non-violent). Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $60,000 on the new charges.

Lewis has been charged with resisting an officer without violence. She has no criminal convictions, and Judge Miller-Jones ordered her released on her own recognizance to the supervision of Court Services for mental health treatment.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.