On January 7, 2025, Haines City Police Officer Sean Bruner was patrolling his assigned beat, when a concerned citizen called in on 911, regarding an unresponsive driver in the area of Davenport Blvd. When Officer Bruner arrived, he observed the driver, Miguel Anguel Rodriguez, unresponsive behind the wheel with his foot on the brake, the car in gear, and the engine running.
Concerned for the safety of the driver and other motorists, Officer Bruner positioned his patrol car in front of Rodriguez’s vehicle, to prevent it from lunging forward into traffic. Officer Bruner then attempted to wake Rodriguez, but was unsuccessful. Officer Bruner then had to force entry into the passenger-side window, so he could put the vehicle in park, and remove the keys from the ignition. Once inside the vehicle, Officer Bruner observed Rodriguez briefly open his eyes and enter in and out of consciousness, unaware of the events unfolding. Officer Bruner also observed 12 opened and consumed bottles of wine inside the vehicle.
Emergency medical personnel responded to the scene and transported Rodriguez to the hospital, where tests confirmed dangerously high levels of alcohol in his system.
“This incident underscores the serious dangers of driving under the influence. We are grateful for the citizen who contacted law enforcement and that no one was injured. We will continue to work tirelessly to keep our roads safe from impaired drivers and will hold Mr. Rodriguez accountable for his actions.” – Police Chief Greg Goreck
Miguel Anguel Rodriguez was charged with one count of DUI, indicating a Blood Alcohol Content of .523. The legal presumption of impairment in the State of Florida is a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .08 or higher. Rodriguez does not
have any prior DUI arrests, but does has a history of miscellaneous traffic citations. Chief Goreck stated that he has almost 30 years in law enforcement, over ten of those exclusively dedicated to Traffic Homicide and DUI investigations, and that Rodriguez’s BAC was the highest level he remembers seeing, where the driver was still alive.
On Saturday, January 11, 2025, Polk County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 22-year-old Emerick Priddy of West Palm Beach, FL, after he groomed a 14-year-old Polk County girl online then traveled here to engage in sexual activity with her.
Deputies spotted the suspect’s Honda Civic parked in a parking lot just before 3:00 a.m. that morning. They found Priddy in the backseat with the victim. Both were in various stages of undress.
Priddy told deputies that he was 17 years old, but when they ran his driver’s license in the system, they learned he is actually 22 years old.
The investigation revealed that Priddy met the victim on Snapchat, and convinced her to sneak out of her home in the middle of the night and meet him. He then drove from his residence in West Palm Beach to her home in Polk County, where the victim climbed out of a bedroom window and got in Priddy’s vehicle. Priddy then drove her to the park, where they got into the backseat and engaged in sex. He told the victim when he met her online that he was 17 years old. She told him that she was 14 years old to which he replied, “its prolly a one time thing” and “I aint worried.”
Priddy was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
Traveling to meet a minor for sex (F2)
Lewd battery (F2)
Transmission of material harmful to a minor (F3)
Interference with child custody (F3)
Use of a two-way communication device in a felony (F2)
“Emerick Priddy picked the wrong county to come to and sexually batter a child. He’s now facing five felonies and hopefully will be registered as a sexual offender for the rest of his life.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office was involved in a foot pursuit of a sexual offender suspect near the 700-Block of North Lorri Avenue in Lakeland that began at approximately 2:46 PM on Thursday, January 9, 2025.
Deputies were in the area searching for the suspect, 53-year-old Curtis Novell Young, for failing to follow sex offender registration requirements. Young was located in the area on foot, and when a PCSO deputy attempted to speak with him, he physically assaulted the deputy. During the struggle, Young was able to rip a PCSO firearm away from its holster. He then fled on foot and jumped into Lake Bonnet, on the western side of the lake.
PCSO Air, Marine and K9 Units responded to the scene, and a perimeter was set up to prevent Young from escaping the area. He was located by the Marine Unit, hiding in aquatic vegetation, approximately 50-75 yards offshore. He was arrested at approximately 4:30 PM, and charges for the assault of the deputies and the foot pursuit are still pending further investigation at this time.
Curtis Young’s criminal history includes arrests for lewd & lascivious battery on a victim between 12 and 15 years old, battery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, fraud, forgery, grand theft, grand theft of a motor vehicle, DUI, and failure to register as a sex offender.
“This violent and dangerous suspect wasn’t going to escape after assaulting my deputy. He was quickly apprehended and my detectives will thoroughly investigate the incident to file all appropriate charges. Also, I don’t recommend jumping in a lake in this weather Even if you’re trying to run from law enforcement. You’ll just end up going to jail cold and wet.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Polk County Fire Rescue responded to a fatal crash that occurred between Fort Meade and Bowling Green Wednesday night, January 8, 2025, in which a bicyclist was killed.
Units were dispatched at 6:28 pm to the crash on US 17 at Bill Bryan Road.
Upon their arrival, they found the 58-year old male bicyclist deceased. The driver of the black 2012 Chevrolet Caprice that hit the bicyclist was not injured.
Based on evidence and witness statements, Traffic Homicide detectives determined that the bicyclist was northbound on US 17 when the Chevrolet, also northbound, hit the victim from behind.
The bicycle was not equipped with lights, and the victim was wearing dark clothing.
The northbound lanes of US 17 were closed for approximately three-and-a-half hours.
No charges are anticipated, but the investigation remains ongoing.
I grew up during the Console Wars of the 1990s. Back then, the big divide was between Sega and Nintendo. My first game console was a Super Nintendo, so I was squarely on the side of Nintendo.
But even though I was raised on Mario, I still had an affinity for Sonic. My friend at the time had a Sega Genesis, which we would play together when I visited their house. I was enamored with the super-fast blue hedgehog running at the speed of blast processing.
Now, nearly 40 years later, it seems as though the console wars have been revived. Only instead of games played on the small screen, both Mario and Sonic have transitioned to the big screen with their own movies. Of course, while the red plumber has one, the blue hedgehog now has three.
But how is the third installment of the Sonic film franchise? Does it have the hedgehog rolling around at the speed of sound? Or will he have to live and learn not making it to the end of the level?
Sonic 3 takes place one year after the events of the last two films. Sonic and his friends are celebrating his birthday when a new threat rears its head—and strangely enough, it looks like a darker version of the blue hedgehog.
Shadow is his name, and with the aid of not only Dr. Ivo Robotnik, but also the doctor’s long-lost grandfather, Dr. Gerald Robotnik, he has his evil eyes set on unlocking a super weapon to—you guessed it!—destroy the world! Will Sonic stop his dark doppelganger in time?
I’ve watched many films last year. Some were great (The Beekeeper and Deadpool & Wolverine). Some were bad (Harold and the Purple Crayon and Madame Web). And others were bland and boring (Despicable Me 4 and Kung Fu Panda 4). So, when I decided to end the year by watching one last film, I was thoroughly surprised to watch a movie that was…pretty good.
Sonic 3 essentially delivers what you want to see in a Sonic movie: our favorite blue hedgehog going super-fast and fighting evil machines and bad guys. And it delivers it pretty well. It’s an entertaining movie which, while not superbly profound, was still a fun movie to watch.
This movie adapts the Shadow storyline from Sonic Adventure 2 on the Sega Dreamcast, later released for the Nintendo GameCube. Shadow is a dark clone who was created by GUN for his super powers. His only friend was a young girl named Maria who met with a tragic fate. Placed into stasis and awakened 50 years later, he now sets on to avenge her.
If you understood any of that, congratulations! You understand the basic premise of this movie, and you will no doubt be pleasantly surprised as to how faithfully this movie adapts this nearly 30-year-old storyline. Certainly helping matters is Keanu Reeves’ performance, which flawlessly captures the dark hedgehog’s dark and brooding personality.
Jim Carrey returns again to not only reprise his role as the Mad Doctor Robotnik, but also as his long-lost grandfather, Dr. Gerald Robotnik. As always, Carrey does an excellent job of hamming it up as a hammy villain. And his entire dual performance as two mad doctors certainly delivers a real ham and cheese sandwich.
The Sonic movies are not profound cinema. They were never meant to be. They’re film adaptations of a popular video game franchise created to entertain little children and Sonic fans. And, well, these movies certainly succeed at doing just that. Sonic 3 was no exception. It’s a pretty good movie in a pretty good film series. And that’s…well, pretty good.
Lakeland, Florida – Yesterday afternoon United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the indictment and arrest of Stephen Andrew Leedy (59, St. Petersburg) on three counts of production of child sexual abuse material and two counts of coercing or enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. If convicted on all counts, Leedy faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. According to the indictment and court documents, Leedy, a palliative care doctor in the Tampa Bay area, including limited treatment privileges at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center in Polk County, utilized the username “maximumuncle#9112” to sexually exploit and victimize approximately ten minors online. In online conversations and video chats, Leedy instructed the minors to produce sexually explicit images of themselves and directed them to cut, choke, and hang themselves. In November 2021, Minor Victim 1 was discovered deceased, having hanged herself in front of her phone in a manner consistent with instructions Leedy had previously provided her.
In a statement to the Daily Ridge, Timothy J. Regan, MD, President of Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and Chief Medical Officer of Lakeland Regional Health, addressed Dr. Leedy’s limited association with the hospital and outlined the hospital’s swift actions in response to this tragic news:
“We are deeply troubled to learn of the recent arrest of Dr. Stephen Leedy. Dr. Leedy is not, and never has been, employed by Lakeland Regional Health and there is no record of Dr. Leedy ever treating patients at our hospital. Through his affiliation with an outside hospice organization, he had limited consulting staff privileges for adult-only hospice and palliative care and was not on the active medical staff. These privileges at our hospital were relinquished immediately upon notification of his arrest.”
The US Attorney would go on to say:
“An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and the FBI – Tampa Office, with assistance from St. Petersburg Police Department, FBI – Atlanta Office, and the Holly Springs Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Abigail K. King and Ilyssa M. Spergel.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.”
This is a developing story and if any further information comes to light we will update this article.
Yes! 2024 has come and passed, and 2025 is now upon us. And last year was…well, it was certainly a year. I’ll say that much.
Personally, last year was a rough one for me. And the last few years have especially been rough. I won’t go into personal details. Let’s just say last year placed circumstances on me that forced me to move from my home in Florida.
However, two things have provided me light in these dark times: my family and my work. Yes, I can safely and honestly say I’ve truly been blessed to be employed by the Daily Ridge. They have been so good to me ever since I started working for them.
And they have proven to be a major blessing during my big move. Not only have they permitted me to continue working for them remotely, but they have allowed me to accomplish so much more than when I was living in Florida.
This fact has especially been proven true with my work on the Chattin on the Ridge podcast, which has reached a major milestone with its 50th episode being released last month. Hard to believe that what started as a side project nearly two years ago has grown to become a massive feature.
Last year allowed me to create some of my favorite episodes of the podcast. Without a doubt, my most shining accomplishment was being able to interview our own Honorable Sheriff Grady Judd. My chat with him at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was one of my proudest moments, and it made for perhaps our podcast’s most listened-to episode.
Yet perhaps my favorite podcast episode was with fellow movie critic Jennifer Nanek as we discussed our top picks for the best and worst movies of 2023. As many of you know, I also write movie reviews. So being able to bounce my opinions about the latest films with another critic was quite a pleasurable experience.
I enjoyed a similar experience later that year in May, when I celebrated May the Fourth with a special episode with Syfy Bartow’s Sean Serdynski and local Star Wars enthusiast Ken Heavenridge. While that episode was, admittedly, not my best (I have a self-conscious hatred of my own voice, so I hated how I sounded in that episode, plus editing more than an hour’s worth of audio recording was a pain!), overall, it was fun being able to chat about Star Wars with two other geeks.
As for articles, my favorite assignment last year, without a doubt, was my coverage of Central Florida Comic Con in Lakeland. I had the honor and pleasure of interviewing many famous celebrities, many of whom helped create the media I watched and enjoyed as a kid.
Such notable figures included Tom Ruegger and Paul Rugg, the creators behind such classic cartoons like Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures (I even have an autographed pin from Rugg), Dan Green and Eric Stuart, the voice actors of Yugi and Kaiba from the anime Yu-Gi-Oh!, and perhaps the biggest name of them all, Tom Kenny, the voice actor for SpongeBob SquarePants.
Another favorite article of mine was my coverage of the fundraiser Rockin’ on the Chain. I’ve covered that event for many years, but that year’s event allowed me to return to Polk County with my first business trip. Being able to come back to my old home to help cover the event was quite a delightful privilege, and I hope to be able to have that privilege once more.
Undoubtedly, one of my bigger and newer developments was with helping edit our new Weather on the Ridge segments with our resident meteorologist Omar Gonzalez. The two of us did a phenomenal job tracking the weather with Hurricane Milton last October. Truly, one of the few instances where I was glad not to be living in Florida anymore.
Of course, none of the good work I do for the Daily Ridge would be possible without the support of my employers, Carl Fish and Kip Kirchberg. Both of them have been more than just my bosses. They have almost been like family to me, and they consider me part of their family as well.
So, it really meant something when my editor Carl Fish wrote the following about me on Facebook, especially when it was written during a time when I was feeling especially down and depressed:
“We hit a milestone with our Chattin On The Ridge with J.C. Publication: 50 Episodes! Thankful for James Coulter who conducts interviews, writes and edits all the content including the jingles and advertisements. Many of you know that James is on the autism spectrum, but that in no way means a negative. He is an amazing person. You could not know he has autism and you would be amazed. He is an award-winning journalist, written novels, song writer, content publisher, podcaster and still finds time to experiment with cooking and doing movie reviews! Simply one of the best human beings I know!”
Thank you very much Carl! I appreciate working with such a great editor and publisher as yourself.
Overall, while last year may not have been the best for me personally, it did allow me to create some of my best content. And I hope this year will allow me to become even better.
So adios, 2024! And here’s hoping 2025 proves to be slightly better.
Disney World guests can soon expect to see the Magic Kingdom light up the night with thousands of shimmering lights with its new nighttime parade, which is set to make its grand debut next summer.
During the D23 2024 expo in August, Disney announced many new rides and attractions coming to Disney Parks worldwide. One of those announcements was for a new nighttime parade set to premiere in the Magic Kingdom next summer.
Recently, during “The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular,” which aired on ABC on Sun. Dec. 1, the full name and logo of the parade were revealed: “Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away.”
Disney Starlight will follow the tradition of previous nighttime parades like the Main Street Electrical Parade. It will star the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio. It will also include floats from Disney movies like Peter Pan, Moana, Frozen, and Encanto.
The Magic Kingdom has been without a proper nighttime parade since 2016 with the departure of the classic Main Street Electrical Parade. Since then, the park’s only form of nighttime entertainment.
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So what will the new parade look like? Most likely, it will follow in the tradition of previous nighttime parades like the Electrical Parade and SpectroMagic, with floats and characters shimmering in thousands of lights and spectacular colors.
As Disney Parks Blog proudly announced: “The parade’s vibrant lights will dance in the dark, transforming the night into a mesmerizing canvas of glowing colors.”
And what will the parade sound like? Disney had yet to reveal the parade’s theme or soundtrack. However, many eager fans have put forward the effort of creating their own fan-made music.
Recently, a fan by the name of Jake Warden released a fan-made soundtrack for the parade. Taking inspiration from previous parades, the music weaves songs from classic Disney movies into a single vibrant melody.
This particular fan-made composition includes samples from songs from movies including Frozen, Moana, Wish, and Aladdin, and even songs from lesser-known films like “Miracles Happen” from The Princess Diaries and “This is What Dreams Are Made Of” from the Lizzie McGuire Movie.
Since its release, the fan video has received more than six thousand views. Give it a watch and listen for yourself: https://youtu.be/fFTAkKKkDWc?si=fotXtKMbnQNkdIBa
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that they are currently on scene of a domestic disturbance that began at 8:30pm Friday night.
According to Brian Bruchey, Public Information Officer, with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office a male & female got into an altercation. Law enforcement was called and the female victim fled the house. The unidentified male suspect refused to come out.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies were able to apprehend the suspect and he has been transported to a local hospital with unreported injuries.
This is a developing story and we will update as information is released. This appears to be an isolated incident and the suspect is in custody.
Palm Coast, Fla. – Around 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31, a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) trooper was traveling northbound on Interstate 95 (I-95) near mile marker 290 in pursuit of a vehicle with a BOLO (Be on the Lookout) alert due to the driver of the vehicle making suicidal threats. The trooper lost visual of the driver, later identified as Dominic Joseph Guerrisi, 18, calling off the pursuit.
Dispatch regained visual of Guerrisi and advised troopers he was exiting onto US 1 traveling south. During this time, another trooper positioned at County Road 204 and US 1 witnessed Guerrisi pass their marked FHP unit, accelerating rapidly as if he was attempting to flee and elude. The trooper activated their emergency lights and sirens and pursued Guerrisi. Weaving in and out of traffic in an effort to flee, Guerrisi entered a roundabout at US 1 and Old Kings Road, exiting onto Old Kings Road. Ensuring the roundabout was free of traffic, the trooper continued the pursuit down Old Kings Road.
At this time, the trooper noticed another trooper further down Old Kings Road with emergency lights activated who also had an auxiliary trooper riding with them. Guerrisi proceeded to drive on the wrong side of the roadway toward the trooper and auxiliary trooper, making intentional contact with their patrol vehicle. The trooper witnessing this swiftly responded and approached Guerrisi’s vehicle, giving verbal commands for him to exit. With the help of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), Guerrisi was placed under arrest, transported to an area hospital for his injuries, and booked into the Flagler County Jail. Both the trooper and auxiliary trooper involved were transported to the hospital and have since been released.
State Troopers put their lives at risk in defense and protection of our state 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” said FLHSMV Executive Director Dave Kerner. “This incident and arrest highlights the immense courage Florida’s Finest and our Auxiliary Troopers display daily.”
“Your Florida Highway Patrol Troopers and FHP Auxiliary Officers are committed to upholding the law in Florida, courageously being in harm’s way while courteously protecting and serving our residents and visitors. This service includes holding reckless individuals accountable for their choices that endanger innocent others,” said FHP Colonel Gary Howze II. “We are thankful that none of the law enforcement involved were more seriously injured, and grateful for the invaluable assistance from our telecommunication professionals and fellow law enforcement partners.”
