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Old Eagle Lake-Winter Haven Road Remains Closed until Friday Afternoon

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Old Eagle Lake-Winter Haven Road Remains Closed until Friday Afternoon
Old Eagle Lake-Winter Haven Road Remains Closed until Friday Afternoon
 
Bartow, Fla. (July 17, 2018) —Polk County will keep Old Eagle Lake-Winter Haven Road in southwest Winter Haven closed until Friday, two days later than planned, so crews can finish repairing pavement settlement problems related to mucky soils below the road. Old Eagle Lake-Winter Haven Road is expected to reopen Friday afternoon shortly after paving the rebuilt segment of the roadway.
 
Southbound through traffic will continue to be detoured at Lake Shipp Drive, while northbound traffic will be detoured at State Road 540. Motorists are still advised to drive with caution, follow detour signs and allow for extra time for trips through this area. For more information, contact Bill Skelton with the Polk County Roads & Drainage Division at (863) 535-2230.

Arrest Made in Homicide Investigation in Lakeland

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Arrest Made in Homicide Investigation in Lakeland

Arrest Made in Homicide Investigation

On July 12th, 2018, Ramon Turner, 28 years old was indicted for First Degree Murder of Michael Guthridge. Guthridge was shot and killed on April 6, 2018. The indictment was served on Turner today who is incarcerated in the Putnam County Jail, Florida. No other details are listed in the indictment and Turner is being held with NO Bond.

Homicide Investigation

LAKELAND, FL (April 6, 2018) On April 6, 2018 at 12:11 a.m., the Lakeland Police Department responded to 1668 Crystal Park Circle in reference to a 911 call of shots being fired in the area. Upon arrival, officers located Michael Robert Guthridge, 31 years of age, lying in the parking lot unresponsive with a gunshot wound. EMS arrived and pronounced Guthridge deceased at 12:21 a.m.

At this time, Guthridge’s home address has not been confirmed but it is known that he frequents 1668 Crystal Park Circle visiting friends. Detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit responded and interviewed several potential witnesses in the area. Details of those interviews are not being released at this time. There are no suspects and detectives are asking for the public’s assistance.

If you have any information regarding the murder of Michael Guthridge, please call Detective Stacey Pough at 863.834.8978 or email him at[email protected]

Anyone with information who wants to REMAIN ANONYMOUS and be eligible for a CASH REWARD is asked to call HEARTLAND CRIME STOPPERS AT 1-800-226-TIPS or log onto www.P3tips.com to submit your tip via the web. For a secure and password protected mobile app for your smart device, go to the app store and download the free “P3tips” mobile app.

 

Tech Tuesday: Password Security

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Tech Tuesday: Password Security

Did you know that 81% of hacking or identity theft incidents were caused by weak or stolen passwords? Password security and password complexity is simply something you cannot ignore. Your password security is vital to keep unauthorized users from accessing your online accounts and stealing your personal information. Your stolen information could be used to commit crimes in your name, steal credit card information, banking information, or even be used in identity theft.

Now you are probably wondering how hackers are able to crack your passwords. Well the most common methods are Brute Force Attacks, password sniffing, and email phishing.

Brute Force attacks involves trying every possible key combinations until the right password is found. Example most users have a 4 digit code to unlock their phone. Using just numbers 1-9 there are only about 9,999 combinations to use before the 4 digit pin code is hacked. Hackers use very complex algorithms and super computers to try the combinations until the account is hacked. In most cases a 4 digit pin only takes a couple seconds to break.

Password Sniffing is a technique used by monitoring computer communications over a non-secure link. Example if you go to a website that uses http:// all communications to and from that server are in plain text. So if you type a user name and password it simply shows up on the wire in plain text. This type of attack can be easily avoided by ensuring you are only entering your credentials on a secure site. Secure web sites utilize https:// in the url. All traffic to and from a secure site are encrypted and pass over the wire scrambled.

Email Phishing involves a little more persuasion and typically occurs in email. Example a potential hacker emails a victim posing as a financial institution. The email states that the user needs to update their information and to complete the update please click the link below. Typically the email link goes to a website that appears to be legit but is fake and just a replica of the real website. The user enters their credentials on the fake website not knowing they were just fooled. The hacker now has legit credentials to access your financial account and goes to the real site to steal your information or worst yet your hard earned cash.

At this point you’re probably thinking how the heck can I prevent hackers from stealing my credentials?

First, you need to make sure you use long password. A password like: “I really like ice cream and fig newtons” Is a lot harder to crack than a password like: “P@ssw0rd”. Making long and complex passwords is the best.

Second, Use a different password for each site or account. I know it is super simple to just use one password for all accounts but if that password is ever compromised just know that all your accounts are in jeopardy of being hacked.

Most of all, do not save your passwords in a text file on your pc, in an excel document, or some other plain text system. Do yourself a favor and subscribe to a password safe service such as Dashlane, LastPass, or 1Password. These services can save all your account information and passwords in a single encrypted place and be shared across multiple devices. The bonus is they can create random long complicated passwords.

Winter Haven Hospital Among Those With Unclaimed Funds From Polk County

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Winter Haven Hospital Among Those With Unclaimed Funds From Polk County

 

Bartow, Fla. (July 16th, 2018) – Stacy M. Butterfield, Polk County Clerk of Courts & Comptroller, announces that the annual list of unclaimed funds issued by the Clerk’s office is now available.

Each year the Clerk & Comptroller provides a list of people who have unclaimed checks issued by the office in the course of court-related activities. There are 87 unclaimed checks for $100 or more on the list this year.

Anyone who has unclaimed funds must contact the Clerk & Comptroller before September 1st. Funds can be claimed by contacting Sherry Watkins at 863-534-4491.

According to Section 116.21, Florida Statutes, regarding unclaimed court-related property, if a claim is not made the funds will be forfeited. The unclaimed fund list was officially noticed in The Ledger on July 14th, 2018.

Here is the list:

NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED FUNDS

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT Polk County, Florida has the following unclaimed funds.

Cash Bonds

Owner of Funds                     Date                        Amount                  Character of Funds

AARON ASHLY HIL                    5/12/2016               $ 500.00                  Unclaimed Funds

ADELAIDA SANJAVIER LANDIN 5/5/2016                 $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

ALICIA FRANCIS                       5/5/2016                 $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

AARON ASHLY HILL                  5/12/2016               $ 500.00                  Unclaimed Funds

BRANDON BITHELL                   5/5/2016                 $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

CARLOS E NAVARRO CHICAS 5/26/2016                  $ 500.00                  Unclaimed Funds

CHRIS D GOLDSMITH               4/14/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

DANTON WATSON                    10/6/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

DAVID H HIGGINS                    1/22/2016               $ 121.00                  Unclaimed Funds

DERRICK JAMAL CLARK            2/24/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

DONALD C SEGREE                  3/2/2016                 $ 968.00                  Unclaimed Funds

DONAT FORTIN                         9/22/2016               S 750.00                  Unclaimed Funds

FRANCISCO PACHECO ALVISO 12/22/2016              $ 450.00                  Unclaimed Funds

GLORIA JONES                         3/17/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

JOHNA PEACH                           7/28/2016               S 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

JOHNA PEACH                           7/28/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

JOSEPH ANTHONY MILLER        11/23/2016             $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

JUAN A ORTIZ NEGRON            7/14/2016               S 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

JUAN RODRIGUEZ                     9/29/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

KELLY R LEFF                            3/17/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

LISSETTE ASENCIO                   8/4/2016                 S 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

LIZ MARIE FIGUEROA RODRIGULA  10/20/2016        $ 313.00                  Unclaimed Funds

NANCY RIVERA                         7/7/2016                 $ 336.00                  Unclaimed Funds

NAYME JUAREZ                         5/5/2016                 S 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

NGOCT PHAN YEN                    7/14/2016               $ 136.00                  Unclaimed Funds

NICHOLSON MYRIANGELIZ       10/20/2016             $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

NYZEA WATSON                       12/1/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

RHONDA PEACOCK                    9/29/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

SHAD KENNA                            10/20/2016             $ 468.00                  Unclaimed Funds

SOLEDAD MARTINE HERNANDI2 12/1/2016             $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

STEVEN PACE                           2/25/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

SUONG NGUYEN IRAN              7/21/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

THOMAS K JOUANEAU              12/15/2016             $ 2,500.00               Unclaimed Funds

TYQUONNE NOEL                     11/3/2016               $ 500.00                  Unclaimed Funds

VICTOR MANUEL LUNA             5/12/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

WALKIRIA RIVERA TORRES      12/8/2016               $ 250.00                  Unclaimed Funds

County Witness

Owner of Funds                     Date                        Amount               Character of Funds

ALAN PIERCE                            7/28/2016               $ 118.25                  Unclaimed Funds

MICHAEL GIBSON                     4/15/2016               $ 396.50                  Unclaimed Funds

Registry 

Owner of Funds                     Date                        Amount                Character of Funds

ALBERTELLI LAW                      7/26/2016               $ 1,352.50               Unclaimed Funds

DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST CO     6/3/2016                 $ 6,314.51               Unclaimed Funds

DEUTSCHE BANK TRUST CO     6/8/2016                 $ 114,857.15           Unclaimed Funds

GREEN TREE SERVICING LLC   3/7/2016                 $ 743.92                  Unclaimed Funds

LEGACY PARK MASTER HOA INC 7/26/2016             $ 301.57                  Unclaimed Funds

OTS INVESTMENTS LLC            12/20/2016             $ 874.00                  Unclaimed Funds

POPKIN & ROSALER PA             9/9/2016                 $ 3,059.83               Unclaimed Funds

General Fund

 

Owner of Funds                     Date                      Amount

ALBERTELLI LAW                     8/4/2016                $ 200.00

AMANDA DUFFY                       1/29/2016              $ 100.00

AMANDA DUFFY                       3/1/2016                $ 100.00

AMANDA DUFFY                       3/10/2016              $ 100.00

BRANDON SCOTT COOKE         4/15/2016              $ 422.55

BRAY & LUNSFORD PA             2/25/2016              $ 100.00

CAPITAL ONE BANK                 5/11/2016              $ 100.00

CVS PHARMACY                        1/22/2016              $ 182.96

DANIELA CARDONA                  1/27/2016              $ 240.00

EXL LEGAL PLLC                       8/23/2016              $ 100.00

EXL LEGAL PLLC                       6/13/2016              $ 150.00

EXL LEGAL PLLC                       8/15/2016              $ 150.00

FIRST SELECT INC                   11/28/2016            $ 100.00

FLORIDA PETTY CASH              5/4/2016                $ 100.00

JESUS FELICIANO                     2/17/2016              $ 300.00

JOHNNIE HARVEY                    9/1/2016                $ 104.00

JP MORGAN CHASE BANK NA 2/25/2016               $ 100.00

JUAN FAVELA                           10/24/2016            $ 200.00

JUAN FAVELA                           5/24/2016              $ 400.00

JUAN FAVELA                           11/28/2016            $ 700.00

JUAN FAVELA                           7/22/2016              $ 800.00

JUAN FAVELA                            12/30/2016            $ 1,493.29

KASS SHULER PA                     3/1/2016                $ 100.00

KASS SHULER PA                     3/1/2016                $ 200.00

KEN KOUBA & JACKIE KOUBA 2/25/2016              $ 100.00

KENNETH L SALOMONE PA      2/25/2016              $ 300.00

LAW OFFICES OF EUZABEIH P DAVI 12/12/2016  $ 110.00

LOTTIE B LYNCH                       11/15/2016            $ 1,149.39

MARC B COHEN ESQ                3/10/2016              $ 100.00

MELISSA SUE CARRIZALES       5/24/2016              $ 300.00

MITCHELL GLENN KIKER          2/23/2016              $ 183.07

NISSAN MOTORPCCEPTANCE COPP 2/25/2016     $ 100.00

PUBLIX EMPLOYEES FCU          3/1/2016                $ 100.00

RODOLFO J MIRO ESQ             2/2/2016                $ 100.00

RODOLFO J MIRO ESQ             3/8/2016                $ 100.00

RODOLFO J MIRO ESQ             2/25/2016              $ 200.00

RUBIN & DEBSKI PA                2/11/2016              $ 200.00

SANCHEZ LAW PA                    6/13/2016              $ 100.00

SPRECHMAN & FISHER PA       2/25/2016              $ 100.00

TAMESHA PATTERSON             1/13/2016              $ 258.50

THE BARRANCO CLINIC PA      2/11/2016              $ 200.00

WINTER HAVEN HOSPITAL INC 4/25/2016             $ 3,419.20

 

All persons having or claiming any interest in said court-related funds or any portion therof shall file their written claims therto with the Polk County Clerk of Courts, Florida, at ifs office in Bartow, Florida on or before September 1st after such publication; otherwise, according to Florida statue 116.21 such unclaimed court-related funds shall be forfeited to such county and shall be deposited into the the fine and forfeiture fund established under Florida statute 142.01

POLK COUNTY CLERK OF COURTS, FLORIDA By: Stacy M. Butterfield

L3721 7-14; 2018

Lake Wales Native To Appear In Disney Channel’s Stuck In The Middle

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Lake Wales Native To Appear In Disney Channel’s Stuck In The Middle

Lake Wales Native To Appear In Disney Channel’s Stuck In The Middle

by James Coulter

Shane Hartline fondly remembers when he was younger performing his own personal comedy music shows at the Care Center and Toy World in downtown Lake Wales.

This Lake Wales native has since moved on from the small town stage to the big and small screens of film and television, which includes his upcoming role in the Disney Channel sitcom, “Stuck In The Middle.”

His proffesional acting career started seven years ago when he received his biggest acting role to date in the movie “Rock of Ages”, allowing him the honor to act alongside big name stars such as Tom Cruise, Russel Brand, and Alec Baldwin.

“It was an excellent opportunity that allowed me to move to Los Angeles and continue to be an actor,” he said.

Since then, he has appeared within the independent movie, “Addicted To You”, several television shows such as “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Graceland”, several television commercials, and many other appearances on Nickelodeon and MTV.

Hartline always jumps at the opportunity to further cultivate his acting career and audition for any role, including his upcoming role in “Stuck In The Middle”, which he auditioned for back in March.

A Lake Wales native, Hartline never appeared in any school or church plays, but he was always willing to show off his acting talents by shooting his own personal sketches and music videos with his parent’s camcorder.

So badly did he want to appear on national television that he would call the former Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios asking to appear on their shows, only to be told that this wasn’t the way to do that, he said.

“I wanted to be on film and television, but being in a small town, and the internet was not a big thing at the time, I had no idea how to get in,” he said.

Hartline would further cultivate his talent within his teenage years by taking improv comedy classes through Comedy Buffet in Winter Haven and the Sak Comedy Club in Orlando.

His personal inspirations were numerous, but his biggest inspiration in terms of his comedy was the late Robin Williams.

“As actors, we are influenced about many different things as simple as the people we meet and the people you are surrounded by when you grow up,” he said. “So I have been lucky enough to have been able to cultivate this artistic side from myself at a young age.”

Once YouTube started back in 2005, Hartline jumped at the chance to start making his own videos to showcase his talents. This inevitably caught the attention of many talent agents, which allowed him to move to Los Angeles ten years ago.

When not auditioning for new roles, Hartline is always producing and creating his own content to help further cultivate his talents and to showcase them to potential clients.

“You still have to keep busy to keep your stock hot, and that will in turn get you auditions, but you have to continue creating content and getting auditions,” he said. “You can never settle and that is something people may do as actors. You have to use what you take with the opportunity and it will help cultivate more opportunities.”

His biggest advice to young aspiring actors is to do what he did as a young man and take improv and acting classes as to better refine their talents.

After that, they should create a package for themselves to share with talent agents, especially within the southeast, where the acting market is currently booming, especially in Atlanta.

“Some people will give suggestions, but there is no right or wrong way with this business,” he said. “But the best advice I can give is never stop studying or creating or working toward your goal.”

Even though he now loves being a big actor in Los Angeles, his heart still remains in Polk County in his small home town of Lake Wales.

He misses many of the local restaurants like Norby’s, as well as the slower, quieter small town setting, which he greatly appreciates whenever he gets the chance to visit.

“I think growing up in a small town has allowed me to appreciate the opportunities that have happened for me, and I appreciate the slower lifestyle as far as the insane LA lifestyle with the traffic and everything that comes with it,” he said “It makes me appreciate where I came from.”

“Stuck in the Middle” airs daily on the Disney Channel. Hartline’s episode apperance will air on Tuesday. Check your local listings for times and dates.

For more information on Shane Hartline, visit: http://www.shanehartline.com/

Aid Overseas Missions Through Light of Hope Thrift Store

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Aid Overseas Missions Through Light of Hope Thrift Store

Aid Overseas Missions Through Light of Hope Thrift Store

by James Coulter

Would you like to assist under-privileged people in third-world countries? Ever wanted to go on a missions trip but never had the opportunity to do so?

What if helping out Christians in third-world countries was as simple as purchasing a gently-used shirt or other piece of clothing?

You can do exactly that by visiting Light of Hope, Winter Haven’s newest thrift store with proceeds going towards missions in other countries.

This little shop along Cypress Gardens Road has a little bit of everything and anything, from shoes, shirts and pants for men, women, and children, to toys, movies, furniture, and even gaming systems.

Whatever you find and buy at the store, the proceeds from which will go towards donations to New Jerusalem International in Winter Haven to help fund their missions in other countries such as Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

Priscilla Maldonado, the mother of the shop’s owner, Jouse, assures that the donations from her store will go directly to her church and its missions once her rent, utilities, and other expenses have been covered.

“It has been for helping,” she said. “We have different missions within our ministry, so we started a thrift store, and some of the funds will go help our missions over there in other countries.”

New Jerusalem International operates five churches in Central Florida, including Winter Haven, and also has churches outside of the state in Chicago, Boston, and Kentucky.

For the past five years, the church has been spreading their outreach outside of the country as well with missions to countries such as the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

Since that time, they have experienced immense progress. Five years ago, their mission within the Dominican Republic started under a tree; now, they have three church buildings, Maldonado said.

During the hurricane last year, their main building there had been destroyed, but thanks to the donations gathered from their churches in Florida and across the country, they were able to raise enough money for repairs, Maldonado said.

Other services provided by the church include youth camp and ministry, as well as involvement within Fire in the Bay in Tampa.

Maldonado herself has been involved with the missions and the other services provided by the church since she and her family joined in 2005.

Wanting to assist her church in more ways than simple volunteer work, Maldonado and her son decided to open the thrift store in an effort to raise funds for the many missions and services.

Having opened within the past month, their business thus far has been slow, but overall opening and operating the store has been nothing short of a miracle thus far, she said.

“It is a blessing to get done what we have done,” she said. “It has been a little slow because people don’t know we are here, but hopefully with some advertising, we will get it going.”

Maldonado currently runs the store with her son and other family members including her sister, nieces, and nephews.

Even with what little business they’ve had thus far, she has high expectations of expanding in the near future, opening separate stores for furniture and clothing.

Until then, she anticipates more people perusing the store and buying items that will go towards the many good causes of her church.

“I expect to get [it] bigger…so our proceeds to our mission can get bigger and we can provide more to our missions in other countries,” she said. “Please come so you can bless us and we can bless others.”

Light of Hope is located within Garden Grove Plaza at 3380 Cypress Gardens Road in Winter Haven, right next door to Southeast Eatery.

For more information, call 863-875-2526

Lake Wales Little League Junior Baseball All Stars Team Advanced to The State Tournament

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Lake Wales Little League Junior Baseball All Stars Team Advanced to The State Tournament

Lake Wales Little League Junior Baseball All Stars Team (boys 13-14) completed play in Tampa over the weekend and won the Sectionals (regional) Championship! They now advance to the state tournament this weekend in Tallahassee.

A big shout out to Bryce Rafa, Jack Maggard & Hunter Wilmoth, who all pitched a complete game in the championship series!

Multiple Helicopter Medical Evacuations After Situation In Golfview Park Area Of Lake Wales

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Multiple Helicopter Medical Evacuations After Situation In Golfview Park Area Of Lake Wales

Lake Wales, Florida – Earlier this evening multiple units of the Polk County Sheriffs Office, Polk County Fire Rescue & multiple helicopter medical evacuation units were staged at field near a situation in Golfview Park. The units were staged behind the Tire Barn in Lake Wales. The Daily Ridge is in contact with the Polk County Sheriffs Office for specifics on what exactly occurred.

According to multiple readers, who live in the area, gun shots were heard earlier this evening in the East Lake Wales neighborhood.

The Polk County Sheriffs Office is advising it appears to be some kind of accidental discharge of a firearm involving a father and his son. Minor arm injuries for both. There’s a language barrier & they are working through it. At this time no criminal charges.

We will update as soon as more information is confirmed.

Lakeland Police & SWAT On Scene Of A Disturbance Near Chestnut Woods Rd.

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Lakeland Police & SWAT On Scene Of A Disturbance Near Chestnut Woods Rd.

Update 8:41pm From Lakeland Police Department – On Friday, July 13, 2018, at approximately 1:26 p.m. Lakeland Police Officers responded to 2546 Chestnut Woods Drive in reference to a shooting. Officers found Rodrickles Boggan, age 36, lying on the ground. Boggan had two gunshot wounds to his legs. He was transported to Lakeland Regional Health by emergency medical personnel and expected to survive his injuries.

Members of the SWAT team responded to the area to search two empty residences. No suspects have been located at this time. The investigation is ongoing.

Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Laura Robertson at [email protected] or (863) 834-6974.

—————-

Lakeland, Florida – According to the public information officer with the Lakeland Police Department a situation has occurred in the area of Chestnut Woods Rd. The PIO is enroute to the scene and will give confirmation of what has occurred shortly.

The situation is believed to initially occurred several hours ago. Officers from the Lakeland Police Department and the Lakeland SWAT were at several residences in the neighborhood. Canine officers along with a robot were being used in some locations. Dozens of officers were on scene.

We will update as more information becomes available.

Man Charged With Aggravated Assault In Frostproof

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Man Charged With Aggravated Assault In Frostproof

Frostproof, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office & The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office were searching for a suspect in an aggravated assault case in Frostproof earlier today. That suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Christopher Monk. The Polk County Sheriff’s office had helicopter and canine deputies assisting. The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office was there assisting with the call.

According to reports Monk was at his mothers home, on Ft. Meade Rd., when the disturbance initially occurred. Monk was captured around 1:45 pm without incident. He has been charged with aggravated assault.

No further details are available at this time.

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