LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – This Saturday, a segment of U.S. Highway 27 in Lake County will be renamed to pay tribute to a fallen deputy, commemorating the first anniversary of his passing.
Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link lost his life on August 2, 2024, in what authorities have called an ambush in an area of Lake County not governed by a municipality. Deputy Harold Howell and Deputy Stefano Gargano were also wounded in the incident but managed to survive.
The stretch of highway now named as “Master Deputy Sheriff Bradley Michael Link Memorial Highway” will extend along U.S. 27 from Division Street to County Road 561 in the town of Minneola.
The city council approved the renaming in March, with Link’s father, Daniel, present at the meeting.
Link, a graduate of Minneola High School, was remembered as a hero by the community and his fellow deputies.
Officials report that the deputies were attending to a neighborhood altercation near County Road 439 and Brookside Drive, and upon entering a house, found themselves ambushed.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Julie Sulpizio orchestrated the ambush by instructing her husband and two adult daughters to wait inside the house with an arsenal of weapons and ammunition. After the gunfire exchange, the three family members ended their own lives.
Sulpizio, who survived, was later found incompetent to stand trial in May and remains in custody at the Sumter County Detention Center.
In May, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation honored Master Deputy Link posthumously. His father accepted the award on his behalf.
Saturday’s roadway dedication ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at Minneola City Hall.
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