Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said today they are seeking the public’s help in a triple homicide in Frostproof, Florida. There are three adult male victims who were fishing on Lake Streety last night (Friday, July 17, 2020) prior to being murdered. Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) have identified theContinue Reading
Lakeland Hospitality Group, McKibbon Hospitality, and local officials gathered for the grand opening of Lakeland’s newest and cleanest hotel, SpringHill Suites Lakeland. Located next door to the RP Funding Center, the hotel suites are within walking distance to not only the convention center, but to many local eateries, shops, andContinue Reading
A Polk County middle school teacher, Leslie Bushart, was arrested Thursday for having sexual relations with a juvenile, after the boy’s parents notified the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on June 16. Bushart, 49, confessed to another person at a graduation party on June 6 that she performed oral sex onContinue Reading
U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell has sentenced Antonie Latimore (36, Winter Haven) to 10 years and 10 months years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine base. Latimore had pleaded guilty on March 6, 2020. According to court documents, the FBI received information that Latimore, spelled in someContinue Reading
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of James “Jamie” Wetherington, 45 and Elizabeth Wetherington, 36, both of Mulberry for stealing from Mulberry Dixie Youth Baseball League. According to officials, during the transition from the former league president (Wetherington) to the current league president, suspicious transactions on the previous MulberryContinue Reading
Polk County schools are planning now for a fall reopening. Over 30,000 parents responded to a Polk County survey to integrate with the district’s task force. “We see a strong sense for students to return to some sense of normalcy,” said Michelle Townley, interim assistant superintendent of curriculum. “This hasContinue Reading
A Winter Haven man stabbed his mother at her home Wednesday morning, June 10, 2020, then shot at three Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies, forcing the deputies to return fire. 36-year-old Phillip Dibenedetto died at the scene, and his 62-year-old mother was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center inContinue Reading
Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives and the Lakeland Police Department have coordinated to investigate and arrest five people linked to the crimes and violence which tainted the May 30 and 31 protests in Lakeland. Raul Guzman was charged with inciting a riot for making statements to attempt to start aContinue Reading
Four of the biggest names in sports are hitting the greens in Florida this weekend in support of COVID-19 charities, and LEGOLAND® Florida Resort wanted a sneak peek at what’s happening on the links. To commemorate this mega matchup of Tiger Woods with Peyton Manning and Phil Mickelson with Tom Brady, MasterContinue Reading
Florida Highway Patrol and the Plant City Police Department arrested Alex Antunez in connection to the fatally shooting of a man with a black AR-15 style rifle. Antunez, 26, reportedly was outside of his home in the 100 block of South Forest Street with the unidentified victim and witness. PoliceContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services reported a confirmed Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) case in a one-year-old Quarter horse in Polk County. The horse, which was vaccinated 1 year prior to the illness, died. EEE is a mosquito-transmitted disease that is much more severe than West Nile VirusContinue Reading
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of 34-year-old Todd Michael Jackson for the double murder of a Haines City couple. On Friday, Raymond Mark Cline, 33, and his wife, Crystal Ann Cline, 37, were found in a swamp behind their home at at 3500 Windy Hill Road. AuthoritiesContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) reported an additional 34 hepatitis A outbreak cases last week, bringing the total for the year to 239. From January 1, 2018 through February 15, 2020, 4,184 hepatitis A cases were reported. While Polk County in the Tampa Bay area continues to report someContinue Reading
Notching its ninth 30-plus win season in its 150-year history, the Boston College Eagles will take on the Northern Illinois University Huskies in a battle of top NCAA Division I teams at historic Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven to kick off the 2020 RussMatt Central Florida Baseball InvitationalContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health reported an additional 29 hepatitis A cases last week, bringing the total cases to 61 this month. The latest cases also took Florida over the 4,000 case count threshold with 4,006 cases since Jan. 2018. Approximately seven out of 10 cases required hospitalization. 58 deathsContinue Reading
A Winter Haven man has been arrested for felony animal cruelty after Polk County Animal Control found five neglected dogs, including an adult dog with skin growing around a chain. Last Wednesday, detectives arrested 51-year-old Fernandez Gunter. An anonymous tip on December 8, 2019 to the Polk County Sheriff’s OfficeContinue Reading
Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) report the investigation of a murder that appears to have started over an ongoing dispute regarding an alleged theft of a horse. 24-year-old Henry Fernandez-Soto of Lakeland was shot Wednesday evening, January 8, 2020, at 1735 Oakland Road East in Lakeland. The PCSO Emergency CommunicationsContinue Reading
In a follow-up on the hepatitis A outbreak in Florida, state health officials reported 32 outbreak cases from Jan. 1- Jan. 4, 2020. From January 1, 2018 through January 4, 2020, 3,976 hepatitis A cases were reported. The number of reported hepatitis A cases more than doubled from 2016 toContinue Reading
After 14 months of hard work, the recently named AdventHealth Fieldhouse and Conference Center will host its first event. Featuring more than 50 teams, the Polk County Hoopfest will bring boys and girls basketball teams from across the state to test their mettle on the court. The grand opening ofContinue Reading
Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Vice Unit conducted a special investigation known as “Operation Santa’s Naughty List” over six days where undercover detectives identified and helped victims of human trafficking who might be forced into prostitution. Assisting PCSO in the operation which began on Tuesday, December 3, 2019, were officers fromContinue Reading
This week, Polk County Sheriff’s Office Animal Control responded Towering Pines Drive in Lakeland, in reference to a fight between a dog and a raccoon. The owner of the dachshund separated the two animals and confined the raccoon until Animal Control responded and took it into custody. The raccoon wasContinue Reading
