A woman was killed early Sunday morning after she was struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross State Road 33 in Lakeland, according to the Lakeland Police Department.
Officers were dispatched to the 5700 block of State Road 33 at approximately 12:37 a.m. Sunday, June 28, following reports of a traffic crash involving a pedestrian.
According to the preliminary investigation, a black Mitsubishi SUV was traveling southbound on State Road 33 when an adult female pedestrian entered into the vehicle’s path for reasons that remain under investigation. The SUV struck the pedestrian.
Lakeland Police officers, along with Polk County Fire Rescue and the Lakeland Fire Department, responded to the scene and immediately began life-saving measures. The woman was transported to Lakeland Regional Health, where she later died from her injuries despite the efforts of medical personnel.
The driver of the Mitsubishi, identified by police as 48-year-old Demetrius Berry of Lakeland, was not injured in the crash.
Investigators with the Lakeland Police Department’s Traffic Homicide Unit responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. State Road 33 remained closed for approximately three and a half hours while investigators documented and processed the crash scene.
Authorities have identified the victim but are withholding her name until next of kin has been notified.
The crash remains under active investigation. Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact Traffic Homicide Investigator Travis Payne at [email protected].
A collision between a bicycle and a scooter late Friday night, June 26, 2026 in the Kathleen area of Lakeland resulted in the death of one man, and critical injury to another.
Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched at around 11:12 pm, along with Polk County Fire Rescue, to Cherry Road, just north of Paul Brown Road.
First Responders arrived at the scene to find two adult males injured. They were both transported to a local hospital.
The bicyclist suffered blunt force trauma injuries and died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The other victim suffered head trauma and lacerations and was last reported to be in critical condition.
The preliminary investigation showed that the bicyclist was traveling north in the southbound lane of Cherry Road, and the blue 2018 Sanmen Scooter was traveling south in the same lane. The two collided head-on.
The scooter and bicycle were both equipped with lighting, but whether the lights were operable at the time of the crash is still under investigation.
Neither man was wearing a helmet.
The roadway was closed for about three-and-a-half hours, and the investigation remains ongoing.
PCSO Animal Cruelty Investigations detectives have charged 33 yo Caroline Kanyamauri with 10 counts animal cruelty and neglect after a family member reported finding 4 puppies and a dog in deplorable conditions at Caroline’s home.
33-year-old Caroline Kanyamauri (DOB 11/17/1992) was arrested by the Davenport Police Department on June 24, 2026, and charged with five traffic-related misdemeanors. While taking her into custody, Kanyamauri asked DPD officers if she could call her sister to respond to her (Kanyamauri’s) residence to check on her dogs due to the fact that she would be in jail.
After the sister arrived at Kanyamauri’s home the next day, she contacted law enforcement regarding the conditions in which she found the animals.
In the backyard, deputies located a black wire kennel containing the decomposing remains of a deceased dog, and four live puppies contained on a porch covered in feces. There was also an adult male dog inside the home with visible ribs and bone structure. The five living dogs appeared to be malnourished and infested with parasites. A full medical exam of all of the animals is ongoing at Polk County Animal Control.
A nurse employed by CFG Health Systems (the contracted medical provider for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office) who currently works at the South County Jail was arrested for possession of cocaine on Thursday, June 25, 2026.
Winter Haven Police Officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that appeared to have illegal tint and failed to stop at two stop signs. They made contact with the driver, 50-year-old David Lindsay Pohl of Winter Haven, and during the interaction, Pohl was seen by WHPD officers wiping a white substance off of his pants and a white rock-like substance was observed on the driver’s seat. The substance tested positive for cocaine.
50-year-old David Lindsay Pohl of Winter Haven
Pohl was charged by WHPD with one count of possession of cocaine (F3) and issued a citation for his illegal tint. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office booking staff noticed Pohl’s employer information and immediately contacted CFG Health and PCSO supervision.
“He was familiar with our jail as a contracted nurse. Today, he’s seeing it from the other side of the bars. We expect everyone who works with our agency to obey the law. Clearly this suspect is no longer trusted to work within our detention facilities, especially having access to prescription medications.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
Notice is hereby given that the undersigned pursuant to the fictitious name statutes 865.09 Florida statues will register with the division of corporations of the state of Florida upon receipt of proof of publication of this notice the fictitious name to BROTHERS IN ARMS MULTI-SERVICES OF FLORIDA, LLC. the fictitious nameBIA Priority Courier & Logistics. Located in Polk County, Florida that parties interested in said business enterprises are as follows Names or officers Candida Dawne Colson.
On June 23, 2026, PCSO Cyber Crimes detectives arrested 29-year-old Wesly Hulin of Lakeland and charged him with 5 counts promoting sexual performance of a child after receipt of a NCMEC (National Center for Missing and Endangered Children) tip and the subsequent investigation.
The tip indicated that several files containing child sexual abuse material were uploaded by someone in Lakeland with an email address of [email protected]. The files depicted children between the ages of 5-8 years of age engaged in sexual activities.
After positively identifying Hulin as the possible owner of the email address, they responded to his home and served a search warrant, seizing his electronic devices. During an interview, Hulin confessed to possessing the child pornography.
During the initial review of his electronic devices, detectives located 5 separate images depicting child pornography, but after a forensic analysis of all the devices seized, more charges are possible.
“Criminals are finding new ways to misuse technology, but our mission remains the same: protect children and safeguard our community. We will continue to dedicate the resources necessary to investigate crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children and pursue justice wherever the evidence leads.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
Hulin was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with five counts possession of child pornography (F3), and is being held on no bond.
PCSO’s Traffic Homicide investigators solve April fatal hit & run crash in Polk City
Two men were arrested by Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, as part of an investigation of a fatal hit and run crash that occurred in April.
The investigation by the PCSO’s Traffic Homicide Unit began in the early morning hours of April 23, 2026 when 39-year-old Brandon Roy Moran of Polk City was found on Fussell Road near Polk City, deceased, and near the 4-wheeler he had been riding.
Evidence at the time suggested that a 2009-2014 Hyundai Sonata was possibly involved in the crash.
Detectives learned a 2012 Hyundai Sonata was registered in Auburndale, about eleven miles away from the crash scene. When detectives located the vehicle, they recovered evidence from it that confirmed it was involved.
Following additional interviews, detectives determined that the driver was Richard Slaughter, 52, from Lakeland. Slaughter’s cell phone records also showed that he was in the area of the crash at the time that it occurred.
Finding Slaughter proved to be difficult, but on June 23rd, detectives followed up on a tip that he was at a residence at 5533 Fussell Road, and multiple PCSO units responded and surrounded the property.
Contact was made with a resident at the home, 71-year-old Stanley Walker. But Mr. Walker claimed Slaughter was not inside the home.
Regardless, deputies gave K9 warnings and eventually Slaughter emerged from within the residence.
Detectives arrested both men, and they were transported to the Sheriff’s Processing Center.
Richard Slaughter was charged with Leaving the Scene of a Crash Involving Death (F1), Operating a Vehicle as a Habitual Traffic Offender (F3), and Resisting without Violence (M1).
Stanley Walker was charged with Accessory After the Fact in a 1st Degree Felony (F2).
Shoppers are paying closer attention to the products they bring into their homes. They want to know what ingredients are used, how items are packaged and whether the production process includes thoughtful choices. Beauty brands are taking note, and sustainability is increasingly shaping decisions across sourcing, packaging, production, shipping, storage and replenishment.
Responsible product lines rarely come from sweeping change. They are built through smaller, connected choices made throughout development. Packaging, ingredient sourcing and production planning influence how a product performs, how much waste it creates and how sustainably products can be produced.
Consider this beauty sustainability information from Laura Badcock, Chief Operating Officer of NourishUs Naturals.
Why packaging matters beyond appearance
“Packaging is often the first thing shoppers notice,” Badcock said. “It can shape how someone feels about a product before they ever try what’s inside.”
A package should look appealing, though appearance is only part of the equation. It also needs to protect the product, travel safely, store well and hold up through regular use. Once the product is finished, the packaging should allow easy recycling, refilling or responsible disposal.
There is no single packaging option that works best for every beauty product. A lightweight container may reduce shipping weight. A refillable option may stay in use longer. A recyclable material may work well in one area but create challenges in another if local recycling systems cannot process it. Event packaging that appears sustainable can create problems in practice if it leaks, breaks or requires excess shipping materials.
Why ingredient sourcing matters
“Ingredient lists have become an important part of how people evaluate beauty products,” Badcock said. “Shoppers often look for familiar oils, butters, botanical extracts and information about how ingredients were sourced, which plays a major role in the environmental impact.”
A product’s environmental footprint is influenced by many factors, including shipping distance, processing methods, storage conditions and supplier practices.
These factors can also affect product consistency and ingredient availability over time. Beauty brands working with wholesale skin care suppliers or private label manufacturers often need to balance ingredient goals with sourcing reliability and production needs.
How better planning can lead to less waste
“Packaging and ingredients are usually the first things people associate with sustainability, but how much product gets made, stored and discarded matters, too,” Badcock said.
Overproduction is one of the biggest hidden sources of waste in beauty and personal care. Products that sit too long in storage may eventually expire or remain unsold. Excess inventory can also create additional packaging waste, warehousing needs and disposal costs.
Smaller batch sizes give producers more room to adjust as trends or demand shift, and producing closer to expected sales windows helps reduce long storage periods and unnecessary waste. Testing new products in smaller volumes and restocking based on actual demand makes overproduction less likely.
How sustainable beauty choices are connected
Packaging, ingredient sourcing and production planning are closely connected throughout development.
“A packaging choice can affect shipping weight, storage needs and whether a package can be refilled,” Badcock said. “Ingredient choices can influence sourcing timelines and how products need to be stored. Production planning affects how much material gets used and how much product could eventually go unsold.”
Beauty shoppers want more transparency around sustainability claims
Sustainability claims carry less weight when those claims aren’t explained in practice.
This shift is pushing many beauty brands to focus more heavily on traceability, supplier relationships and clearer product information. Transparency is becoming part of the customer experience itself.
More responsible product lines are built over time
Responsible beauty products come together through ongoing choices around packaging, sourcing, production and inventory planning. For shoppers, those choices influence the products they bring into their homes.
“The brands that build sustainability into early decisions tend to have the easiest time maintaining it later,” Badcock said. “Once supplier relationships, packaging formats and production routines are in place, small adjustments are far easier than major changes. Treating sustainability as part of product development from the beginning, rather than something to fix later, is what makes it work in practice.”
A Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigation into animal cruelty began with a photo of a dog on Facebook and ended with the arrest later that day of an Auburndale woman.
The dog had been found with duct tape wrapped around its muzzle by a different woman who posted the photo on the social media page instead of notifying law enforcement or Animal Control about the situation.
Members of the Sheriff’s Office saw the photo online and PCSO detectives immediately began trying to locate the dog and the people involved.
After locating the woman who posted the photo, they learned that she found the dog under a wheelchair ramp and it appeared to be hyperventilating. The woman said she and her son cut the tape off, and the dog began breathing freely.
Cooper
A detective began canvassing the neighborhood and eventually found the dog’s owner at 100 Chipman Lane, just off Old Berkley Road in Auburndale.
There was no answer at the door, but the detective heard a voice from the back yard. That is where he encountered 57-year-old Tammy Annette Roosa, sitting down, completely naked.
Roosa admitted that the dog was hers and that she taped his muzzle shut the night before because she said that the dog tried to bite her.
According to the detective, Roosa showed no sign of remorse and refused to accept that what she did was wrong. She surrendered the dog to the PCSO.
The dog, named Cooper, was taken to the PCSO’s Animal Control and examined by Dr. Kerry Jackson. In addition to scarring from the duct tape, Cooper was malnourished and had marks on his neck that indicated he had been tied up for an extended period of time.
Roosa physically resisted as she was being arrested for animal cruelty but was secured in a patrol vehicle. At that time, she asked the detective to retrieve her purse from inside of her RV. Upon entering the RV, the detective noticed a lot of garbage, roaches, and the strong odor of feces and urine.
Also inside the camper were seven cats, three fish, two lovebirds, two finches, and a duck. These animals were also taken to Animal Control for examination and treatment.
Polk County Fire Rescue responded to conduct an ammonia level reading due to the amount of urine. They reported there were 100 parts per million of ammonia, which is an extreme level that causes chronic respiratory problems, eye irritation, and other issues.
“Cooper the dog had been treated horribly, but I am happy to report that some good things have come out of this ordeal. Cooper is getting wonderful treatment and care by the great staff at Animal Control, and all of his little animal friends have been freed from their horrible living conditions as well. All of the animals are expected to fully recover. Meanwhile, Tammy Roosa is facing an abundance of criminal charges.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
The PCSO’s Agriculture Crimes Unit also responded to the RV location and found multiple piles of garbage, discarded household items, and decaying material in waist-high grass. The septic system and pipes were leaking raw sewage, and there was a large presence of flies and mosquitoes.
Tammy Roosa was taken to the Sheriff’s Processing Center and charged with Aggravated Animal Cruelty (F3), Animal Neglect (M1, 15-counts), Resisting without Violence (M1), Operating an Unpermitted Landfill (M1), and Keeping Nuisance Injurious to Health (M2, 3-counts).
Polk County Code Enforcement, Polk County Health Department, and Polk County Building Division were also notified.
The Polk County Sheriff’s encourages citizens to contact law enforcement when they witness animal abuse or other criminal activity—not only post something on social media. We applaud the efforts of the person who initially found and recued the dog—including removing the tape covering the dog’s snout. The earlier law enforcement is notified, the earlier we can begin an investigation, and the earlier treatment can be provided to an animal that has been abused. In this case, deputies were also able to locate and rescue a number of other animals confined in horrible conditions.
Creating Fun in Early Childhood Education Helps Young Learners Thrive
By: Pastor Sherol D. Larkin/Owner of Larkin Little Lambs Academy
Early childhood classrooms are becoming more than places for ABCs and 1,2,3’s Across many schools and childcare centers, teachers are finding that fun, playful learning can help young children build confidence, curiosity, and important social skills.
From singing songs during circle time to using blocks, puppets, art, and movement games, early childhood educators are turning everyday lessons into engaging experiences. Experts say these activities are not just entertaining—they help children learn how to solve problems, communicate with others, and express their ideas.
“When children are having fun, they are more excited to participate,” said a local early childhood teacher. “Play gives them a chance to practice language, teamwork, and creativity in a way that feels natural.”
In many classrooms, teachers use hands-on centers to support learning. A pretend grocery store may introduce counting and money skills, while a sensory table can encourage scientific thinking. Storytelling corners, music activities, and outdoor play also give children opportunities to explore new ideas while developing motor skills and friendships.
Parents can support playful learning at home as well. Reading together, cooking simple recipes, sorting toys by color, or taking nature walks can turn ordinary moments into learning opportunities. As Early childhood Educators the goal is not to make every activity feel like a test, but to help children discover that learning can be joyful.
STEM is another avenue to introduce early childhood learning and a way that the family can have plenty of fun using science, technology, English and Math. STEM in early childhood learners bring tons of fun and allows the family to work together working those mental muscles and strategies and have that family participation that is needed for bonding.
As early childhood programs continue to grow, many teachers believe that fun will remain an important part of the classroom. By combining play with purpose, educators can help young learners develop the skills they need for school and life. At Larkin Little Lambs Academy, where we have been in business for 26 years in the city of Lake Wales we strive to meet the needs our children to develop in the areas of cognitive, physical, social, emotional and language, using Learn Every Day, Frog Street, Marco Polo and Nemours as our curriculums, combined these curriculums work hand in hand to enrich the dynamics of our children.
It is essential as we embark into the journey of Early Childhood Learning, as educators and childcare employees we strive to be sensitive to every child that we encounter and help meet the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards and needs individually and collectively. Lastly as we set forth to accomplish our goals as childhood educators it makes a tremendous difference in the lives of our children and their development that cause our children to THRIVE and grow to be successful individuals in our communities and in their everyday walk of life. I would recommend that parents consider placing their precious jewels in a learning facility that will help cultivate and build social and learning skills at an early age.
