On 12/28/19 at approximately 3:03 a.m, officers responded to a car accident involving another Mascotte police officer.
Upon arrival, the officers observed the Mascotte Police Cruiser had been totaled, and equipment ejected from the vehicle. An eyewitness flagged down one of the officers and stated she observed Lisa Goodwin and Robert Caruso take a “scale, a flashlight, a knife, and a nicotine vape” that belonged to the injured officer.
Robert Caruso was located walking with objects bulging out of his pockets. He was asked what was in his pockets and emptied out the stolen objects, claiming that he was going to return the items to the injured officer at the hospital. Upon securing Caruso, the officer found a syringe with a clear liquid that field-tested positive for methamphetamine.
The officer asked him what happened and he stated that he saw the crash, picked up the items to take to the officer in the hospital, and claimed the syringe was filled with “just water”.
Later, officers searched for Lisa Goodwin with negative results. The Mascotte Police Department was contacted by witnesses who stated they were given a flashlight that was purchased from Goodwin for ten dollars without knowing that it had been stolen from the injured officer. At no point were these witnesses on the initial crash scene. Once they realized it had been stolen, they contacted the department to return it.
Officers later made contact with Goodwin and detained her, and she claimed that Caruso gave her the flashlight on scene and she knew it belonged to the injured officer. She then went on to say that she gave it to the witnesses because she thought one of their friends needed it and “knew you guys were coming for me.” (in reference to the police)
Goodwin was placed under arrest. Both defendants were transported to the Lake County Jail.
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