Murder arrest warrants, road rage and PepperBall guns in SWFL

Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:
Christopher Davis, Timothy Burrows and Charles Eitel

This weekly segment of WINK Neighborhood Watch features a long-awaited arrest in a murder-missing person’s case, a DUI with a child in the car and a 74-year-old shooting at a driver during road rage.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Christopher Davis for the murder of Barry Schmalbach.

This was announced during a Cape Coral Police Department press conference on Friday morning.

Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore confirmed that detectives have collected evidence leading back to Davis for the murder of Schmalbach.

Schmalbach, 56, was reported missing in July.

Davis was Schmalbach’s boyfriend and was the last person believed to have seen him alive.

Schmalbach’s remains have not been located.

Find more details here.

Timothy Burrows was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence on Interstate 75 with an unrestrained 5-year-old in the passenger seat, along with an AR-15 rifle and multiple magazines inside his vehicle.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, troopers conducted a traffic stop stemming from a van swerving and driving recklessly on Tuesday around 9:00 p.m. on Interstate 75 at Mile Marker 148.

As troopers approached, the driver, 39-year-old Timothy Burrows, attempted to drive away but the van became stuck on the loose soil of the shoulder.

They found an unrestrained 5-year-old girl in the passenger seat and an AR-15 rifle with multiple magazines.

Burrows was placed under arrest for DUI.

Once arrested, Burrows made threats against the trooper.

He was charged with negligence, DUI with a child and threats to a public servant.

Find more details here.

Seventy-four-year-old Charles Eitel was arrested after allegedly crashing into a car, then grabbing a gun and shooting at the victim in Naples.

The victim said Eitel nearly hit him at the intersection of Pine Ridge Road and Airport Pulling Road on Wednesday. The victim then flicked off Eitel and yelled at him.

A short time later, Eitel crashed into the victim’s car, grabbed a PepperBall gun, and shot at the victim.

Eitel is being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage.

Find more details here.

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