Felon, 80, Found By Bloody Car In Sarasota

SARASOTA, FL — The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of an 80-year-old convicted felon from Missouri.

According to the agency, deputies received a call about a car cash in the 6000 block of Clark Road around 9:30 p.m. Jan. 3. When they arrived on the scene, they found Leslie Achter standing outside a vehicle that was covered in blood.

Achter, an email from the agency said, claimed to have been a passenger in the car. He said the driver fled after hitting a deer.

“Due to the massive amount of blood, forensics personnel responded,” the sheriff’s office said. The blood, however, did not come from an animal, the agency noted.

When authorities attempted to take Achter to a local hospital due to a wound on his forearm, a cylinder pin from a firearm fell out of his pocket, the email noted.

“Detectives interviewed Achter, who admitted to traveling to Florida from Missouri where he was recently released from prison,” the email said. Deputies also found a disassembled revolver with a missing serial number and ammo in his car.

Achter, who has past convictions that include manslaughter and aggravated stalking, was charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He was also charged with possession of an altered firearm.

As for the blood, detectives "are confident the blood came from the laceration on Achter's forearm," sheriff's office spokeswoman Kaitlyn Perez said. "There was no evidence indicating anything else."

Photos courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office