Former Lee County deputy accused of shooting into Lehigh Acres jewelry store

Reporter: Elizabeth Biro Writer: Carolina Guzman
Published: Updated:

A former Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been arrested after allegedly shooting into a Lehigh Acres jewelry store and speeding away.

On June 30, around 2 a.m., deputies responded to an alarm activation at Gold Forever Jewelry.

On the scene, deputies found a broken glass door and a bullet casing in the roadway.

According to LCSO, detectives reviewed security camera footage from nearby businesses and witnessed the driver shooting out of a truck toward the jewelry store and speeding away.

During the investigation, detectives identified the truck involved in the incident, which is owned by former deputy Michael Soto.

On July 2, Soto was brought in for questioning. He resigned that same day.

As the investigation continued, detectives worked with the state attorney’s office to approve a warrant for Soto’s arrest.

On Tuesday, Soto turned himself in at the Lee County Jail. Wednesday afternoon, he was released on $100,000 bond.

LCSO hired Soto on Nov. 19, 2018. At the time of his resignation, he was assigned to the corrections bureau.

This isn’t Soto’s first time getting in trouble with his employer. An LCSO report shows that off-duty LCSO Deputy Michael Soto was pulled over for speeding on the morning of Aug. 20, 2023.

Although the speed limit is 45, GPS information shows that the deputy who pulled Soto drove 118 miles per hour to make the stop.

An alcohol influence report from that night shows Soto “did a poor job” with field sobriety tests and refused to give a blood, breath or urine sample.

The highest-ranked deputy at the scene determined that Soto was having a medical incident, and he was taken home.

Sheriff Carmine Marceno spoke to WINK News about it back in April.

“A decision was made, one by Soto and two by the watch commander. The watch commander drove him home. Soto, as an adult, says, ‘I don’t want to go to the hospital. I want to go home to my family where I can be treated.'”

In regard to this apparent drive-by shooting, Soto resigned last month after turning himself in.
In a statement, the sheriff said, in part, “I hold every agency member to the highest standard. Former Deputy Soto’s actions betrayed our community’s trust, and nobody is above the law.”

Gold Forever Jewelry expressed to a deputy they do want to prosecute for damages.

Soto, who has since resigned and bonded out, is being charged with two second-degree felonies, discharging a firearm from a vehicle and shooting at a business.

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