LAKE PLACID -- Two people involved in the shooting of a Lake Placid man yesterday afternoon were arrested in Leon County last night and will soon be brought back to Highlands County face attempted murder charges.  

The shooting took place on Crestmore Drive in Highway Park around 4:15 p.m. following an altercation between the victim, a 50-year-old man, and 26-year-old Derwin Traevon Callahan Jr. The victim was shot once in the hip area and fled the scene on foot, taking shelter in a nearby home. Callahan fled the area in a maroon Chevy Cruz that was driven by 22-year-old Naijah Benae Sholtz.

Both Callahan and Sholtz were quickly identified as the suspects, and a BOLO (be on the lookout) was issued for them. At 11:17 p.m., the vehicle was spotted by Leon County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Bryan Cornwell on Interstate 10 in Tallahassee. The vehicle, with Sholtz still at the wheel, exited the interstate and then fled from a traffic stop. After a pursuit and a spike-strip deployment, the car crashed into a gate and a tree. LCSO K-9 Deputy Seth Garrett used his vehicle to pin the car against the tree, and Callahan and Sholtz were taken into custody around 11:45 p.m. Leon County deputies also did an article search and located shell casings that had been thrown from the vehicle during the pursuit.

Callahan and Sholtz will be extradited back to Highlands County to face charges of attempted first degree murder. Callahan will also be charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Sholtz is facing charges of fleeing to elude law enforcement and criminal mischief in Leon County.

“This was great work by all involved,” Sheriff Paul Blackman said. “We had a deputy on scene within a couple of minutes of the 911 call and rendered first aid to the victim until EMS arrived. Then, detectives and deputies quickly identified both suspects, collected evidence, and began the search for them.

“I can’t say enough about how grateful I am to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office for their actions and I am grateful that none of their deputies were injured when they were pursuing and capturing these two suspects.”

Callahan had just completed a two-year sentence for aggravated battery after being convicted in a 2017 shooting in the Sylvan Shores area of Lake Placid (https://www.hcso-news.org/hcso-news/man-jailed-after-shooting-in-lake-placid). In that incident, he fired a round into a window of his pregnant girlfriend’s home, causing her to be wounded by flying glass. Callahan was released from custody on April 7, 2021.

Note: Not all arrests result in convictions. Everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty in court.