High Springs Man Sentenced for Shooting at Repo Agent

HIGH SPRINGS ‒ A 75-year-old High Springs resident has been sentenced to two years in state prison, followed by five years of probation, after pleading nolo contendere to shooting at a man who was attempting to repossess his daughter’s car.

Winzoir Van Durr entered the plea on June 10, 2024, to charges of shooting into a vehicle and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The charges carried a potential maximum sentence of 20 years, but on Nov. 25, 2024, Judge David Kreider accepted his open plea and imposed a reduced sentence.

The case stems from an incident on Feb. 14, 2023, when an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call about shots fired in the 14700 block of Northwest 270^th Avenue in High Springs.

According to reports, the victim—an automobile recovery agent—had gone to the residence to repossess a car. The victim told deputies that he had spoken to Durr at the front door, where Durr inquired about ways to prevent the repossession. After their conversation, Durr went back inside to retrieve what he claimed was paperwork.

As the recovery agent began to back up his vehicle to leave, he suddenly heard a "pop" and saw Durr standing near the front door, pointing a firearm at him. The agent reported hearing five more gunshots as he sped away in fear for his life.

When questioned by deputies post-Miranda, Durr admitted that he knew his daughter was behind on her car payments and acknowledged that he retrieved his gun from his office when he saw the agent taking the vehicle.

Durr initially claimed he fired a “warning shot,” but later admitted he fired three more rounds at the tires to try to stop the agent from leaving.

After spending two days in jail, Durr was released on bail and remained free until sentencing.

Durr’s case moved through the court system over the following year. On June 10, 2024, he entered a nolo contendere plea, meaning he neither admitted nor denied guilt but accepted the legal consequences of the charges.

On Nov. 25, 2024, Judge David Kreider imposed two concurrent two-year prison sentences, meaning Durr will serve both sentences simultaneously before beginning his five-year probation period.

Durr’s legal troubles also had political repercussions. Shortly after the shooting incident, he was appointed to the Alachua County Historical Commission at a Feb. 28, 2023, County Commission meeting. However, after a member of the public informed the board about his recent arrest, Commissioner Ken Cornell moved to change his vote. The board subsequently selected a different applicant to fill the position.

On his application, Durr had listed a background in the U.S. Army and previous employment with the Smithsonian Institution in Human Resources.

Durr will serve his prison sentence in a Florida state facility before beginning his five years of supervised probation.

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