Bartow, Fla. (Oct. 20, 2025) — Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR) and Haines City Fire Department (HCFD) displayed exceptional professionalism and heroism in a potentially dangerous situation as the first responders disarmed a naked, combative patient on Monday, Oct. 20. Their quick thinking helped avoid a disastrous situation.
Crews arrived on scene of a medical call on Kalogridis Road where they found a patient on the floor. During the treatment, the patient became combative and grabbed a firearm. Through a combined effort from PCFR Firefighter/Paramedic Brandyn Harris and HCFD Engineer Justin Keene, they were able to neutralize the patient and grab the firearm.
The first responders told Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputies the patient was actively trying to pull the firearm’s trigger. After securing the firearm, Keene safely unloaded the weapon and placed it out of reach from the patient. The first responders then requested support from law enforcement to help with the situation.
The combative patient was transported to a local hospital. PCSO is investigating the incident.
PCFR and HCFD are pressing charges over this incident. The patient has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a firefighter.
Ever wondered what it takes to step into someone else’s shoes? The Career Cosplay series at the Winter Haven Public Library invites kids to do just that! Each month, participants get the chance to explore a new profession through engaging presentations and hands-on activities designed to spark curiosity and creativity.
This month’s theme shines a spotlight on the exciting world of makeup artistry! Children will learn about the skills and creativity behind transforming faces for theater, film, and everyday beauty.
Don’t miss this fun and educational experience! Register today at https://ow.ly/O6Wl50XaE5A and join the event on Monday, October 20th at 4:30 p.m.
The Annual Winter Haven Ducks Unlimited Dinner, held this past Thursday at Venue 650, was a rousing success, drawing a lively crowd of local residents, business leaders, and outdoor enthusiasts. The event, a cornerstone for conservationists and nature lovers alike, was a night of fellowship, fundraising, and a shared commitment to preserving North America’s wetlands and waterfowl.
Live Auction
The venue buzzed with energy as attendees mingled, swapped stories, and rallied around Ducks Unlimited’s mission to protect our natural landscapes. From the clinking of glasses to the excitement of raffle draws, the evening was packed with opportunities to support a worthy cause while enjoying a hearty dose of community spirit.
Auction Items
The heart of the event was its live and silent auctions, featuring an impressive array of exclusive items. Hunting gear, home décor, and unique Ducks Unlimited merchandise were up for grabs, sparking spirited bidding wars that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Raffles added to the fun, with lucky winners walking away with everything from top-notch outdoor equipment to one-of-a-kind collectibles.
No Ducks Unlimited dinner would be complete without great food, and Thursday’s spread didn’t disappoint. Attendees enjoyed delicious eats and refreshing drinks, fueling conversations about conservation and the great outdoors. It was the perfect setting for connecting with like-minded folks who share a passion for preserving our natural heritage.
Matt (Founder of Victory A/C and Refrigeration) and Kip Kirchberg (Co-Founder of The Daily Ridge)
The turnout was a testament to Winter Haven’s dedication to conservation and camaraderie. Local business leaders rubbed shoulders with residents, all united by a love for the outdoors and a desire to give back. Whether you were there for the auctions, the raffles, or simply to connect with fellow enthusiasts, the evening delivered something for everyone.
As the night wrapped up, the sense of accomplishment was palpable. The Winter Haven Ducks Unlimited Dinner wasn’t just a fundraiser, it was a celebration of shared values and a reminder of what we can achieve when we work together.
Brian Beilke, Melanie Brown Culpepper Beilke (Founder of Culpepper Cardiac), and Kip Kirchberg (Co-Founder of The Daily Ridge)
For those who missed out, mark your calendars for next year’s event. It’s a night of fun, food, and purpose that you won’t want to miss. To learn more about Ducks Unlimited and how you can support their mission, visit their official website or checkout the Winter Haven Chapters Facebook Page.
DailyRidge.com is proud to cover events that bring our community together for causes that matter. Got a story tip? Reach out to us at [email protected].
The Haines City Parks & Recreation team has been hard at work this month, preparing an exciting new event for the community — the Boogie and Boo Family Costume Bash! This free, family-friendly celebration will take place on Friday, October 24, 2025, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Oakland Auditorium (915 Ave. E, Building C).
Families are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite costumes and enjoy an evening full of music, refreshments, and festive fun. The event promises activities and entertainment for all ages, making it the perfect way to celebrate the Halloween season together.
The Recreation staff can’t wait to welcome everyone for a night of dancing, laughter, and community spirit. Mark your calendars and get ready to boogie — it’s going to be a spooktacular time in Haines City!
No Trick-or-Treating? No Problem! Here’s 6 Spooktacular Alternatives for Halloween Fun
by James Coulter
Can’t go trick-or-treating this Halloween, but still want fun and safe activities to do with your young ones? Whether your little ones are too skittish or you simply don’t have the time and money, here are some fun alternatives to trick-or-treating:
1. Candy Scavenger Hunt. Here’s a fun way for kids to have their fun and candy, too. Hide small candy and other fun trinkets around your house or in your yard. Then give your young ones a checklist of clues on where they can find these sweet treats. Be creative and write riddles for them to solve. (For children still learning to read, use picture clue cards.) Your young ones will have a fun time hunting for their candy, almost like a Halloween Easter egg hunt!
2. Halloween Arts and Crafts. Spend Halloween night making not-so-scary arts and crafts. Turn old toilet paper rolls into funny monsters by sticking on googly eyes, stickers, pom-poms, and pipe cleaners for arms. Or turn paper plates into spiders by painting them, attaching pipe cleaners or streamers for arms, and then applying googly eyes, then use yarn to hang them up (you can even weave a web from white yarn). Or turn your child’s handprint into a unique jack-o-lantern by either tracing their hands on orange paper or having them apply their handprint with orange paint, then coloring in the eyes, leaves, and stem with colored marker.
3. Halloween Fun and Games. Have some fun indoors or out with these simple games. Play monster or ghost freeze in a nice open space with kid-friendly Halloween songs like “Monster Mash” or “Five Little Pumpkins.” Or go Halloween bowling: decorate plastic bottles as ghosts and monsters and have your kids knock them over with a plastic ball or even a small pumpkin. Or try your hand at a pumpkin ring toss. Set up real or faux pumpkins in an open area and have your little ones try their luck at tossing rings onto their stems.
4. Halloween Story Time. Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card. Check out some Halloween-themed storybooks, then set up a “reading fort” by stacking pillows or going under a table. Add to the “spoopy” ambience by dimming the lights and using glow sticks.
5. Family-Friendly Halloween Movies. Obviously, it’s not a good idea to make your young child watch the latest bloody, gory R-rated slasher flicks. Fortunately, there are plenty of G and PG-rated Halloween-themed movies for young children. Some family-friendly classics include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Casper, Coraline, and Ghostbusters. Many of these movies are available to stream or rent. Be sure to check ratings and content warnings to ensure they’re the right films to show your kids. And be attentive to how your child reacts. If it gets too scary for them, you can always change it to their favorite movie. And be sure to pop some popcorn.
6. Halloween Sensory Bins. Sometimes Halloween can be a little overstimulating with the many spooky sights and sounds, especially for neurodivergent children. Consider Halloween-themed sensory bins to help children relax and unwind from any potential sensory overload, or to simply give them a low-stimulation activity. Fill a plastic bin with your choice of filler, and add themed items like plastic pumpkins, bats, spiders, and bugs. Be sure to add bright and friendly objects, and avoid anything too scary or creepy. Glow-in-the-dark filler and objects are especially ideal for dark, soothing environments with black lights. Be sure to play low-intensity music or white noise.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit has issued an arrest warrant for a Guatemalan man who was here in the country illegally, charging him with leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, a first degree felony.
The crash occurred around 5:15 p.m. on Thursday, October 9th, on Campbell Road West in Lakeland. According to multiple witnesses and evidence at the scene, a 28-year-old Lakeland man was riding his electric bicycle westbound inside the fog line of the road when he was struck from behind by what appeared to be a tan Nissan Altima. The victim was knocked off his bike, and then run over by the car once he was on the ground. Witnesses reported that the driver, described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, got out, looked at the victim, then got back in his car and put the car in reverse, running him over again before fleeing the scene heading westbound. The victim was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.
The witnesses provided a possible vehicle tag and description, and the investigation ensued. Through investigative resources, detectives learned the vehicle was known to be driven by 21-year-old Erick Perez De Leon, who lives in a house on Old Tampa Highway in Lakeland.
Detectives responded to the house and spoke with three men inside, who were found to be in the country illegally from Guatemala. ICE was contacted, and all three of these illegal aliens were taken into custody:
Dany Perez De Leon, DOB 9/1/2004
Jorge Becerra Perez, DOB 10/17/1986
Urasis Chilel Perez, DOB 11/2/1982
They learned Erick De Leon is also here illegally from Guatemala. They contacted the Department of Homeland Security and learned De Leon boarded a plane in Orlando bound for Guatemala on Saturday, October 18th. The plane landed in Guatemala that afternoon.
Detectives found the suspect vehicle parked at another residence nearby. The homeowner, who had no knowledge of the investigation or car, told detectives that someone he knows as “Erick” asked if he could park the car there overnight and said he would come back in the morning to retrieve it – he never did. The car was towed from the scene and processed. Parts that were left behind at the crash location matched up to parts missing from the car, and biological evidence taken from the car was sent to FDLE for testing.
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant charging De Leon with leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury (F1), and no valid DL with serious bodily injury (F2).
“If this suspect had not been in the country illegally, the victim would not currently be in the hospital with multiple critical facial and brain injuries. We will seek justice for this victim and his family, and work with the proper authorities to bring Erick De Leon back here to face his felony charges.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal crash that occurred around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, 2025, in Lakeland.
According to reports, deputies responded to the area of Reynolds Road and Flat Road after receiving a 911 call about an overturned 2019 Jeep Wrangler on the shoulder. Evidence from the scene suggests the driver, a 26-year-old man from Lakeland and the sole occupant of the vehicle, was traveling north on Reynolds Road when the Jeep veered off the roadway, struck guide wires attached to a utility pole, and overturned.
The driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation remains ongoing.
No Trick-or-Treating? No Problem! Here’s 6 Spooktacular Alternatives for Halloween Fun
by James Coulter
Can’t go trick-or-treating this Halloween, but still want fun and safe activities to do with your young ones? Whether your little ones are too skittish or you simply don’t have the time and money, here are some fun alternatives to trick-or-treating:
1. Candy Scavenger Hunt. Here’s a fun way for kids to have their fun and candy, too. Hide small candy and other fun trinkets around your house or in your yard. Then give your young ones a checklist of clues on where they can find these sweet treats. Be creative and write riddles for them to solve. (For children still learning to read, use picture clue cards.) Your young ones will have a fun time hunting for their candy, almost like a Halloween Easter egg hunt!
2. Halloween Arts and Crafts. Spend Halloween night making not-so-scary arts and crafts. Turn old toilet paper rolls into funny monsters by sticking on googly eyes, stickers, pom-poms, and pipe cleaners for arms. Or turn paper plates into spiders by painting them, attaching pipe cleaners or streamers for arms, and then applying googly eyes, then use yarn to hang them up (you can even weave a web from white yarn). Or turn your child’s handprint into a unique jack-o-lantern by either tracing their hands on orange paper or having them apply their handprint with orange paint, then coloring in the eyes, leaves, and stem with colored marker.
3. Halloween Fun and Games. Have some fun indoors or out with these simple games. Play monster or ghost freeze in a nice open space with kid-friendly Halloween songs like “Monster Mash” or “Five Little Pumpkins.” Or go Halloween bowling: decorate plastic bottles as ghosts and monsters and have your kids knock them over with a plastic ball or even a small pumpkin. Or try your hand at a pumpkin ring toss. Set up real or faux pumpkins in an open area and have your little ones try their luck at tossing rings onto their stems.
4. Halloween Story Time. Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card. Check out some Halloween-themed storybooks, then set up a “reading fort” by stacking pillows or going under a table. Add to the “spoopy” ambience by dimming the lights and using glow sticks.
5. Family-Friendly Halloween Movies. Obviously, it’s not a good idea to make your young child watch the latest bloody, gory R-rated slasher flicks. Fortunately, there are plenty of G and PG-rated Halloween-themed movies for young children. Some family-friendly classics include The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, Casper, Coraline, and Ghostbusters. Many of these movies are available to stream or rent. Be sure to check ratings and content warnings to ensure they’re the right films to show your kids. And be attentive to how your child reacts. If it gets too scary for them, you can always change it to their favorite movie. And be sure to pop some popcorn.
6. Halloween Sensory Bins. Sometimes Halloween can be a little overstimulating with the many spooky sights and sounds, especially for neurodivergent children. Consider Halloween-themed sensory bins to help children relax and unwind from any potential sensory overload, or to simply give them a low-stimulation activity. Fill a plastic bin with your choice of filler, and add themed items like plastic pumpkins, bats, spiders, and bugs. Be sure to add bright and friendly objects, and avoid anything too scary or creepy. Glow-in-the-dark filler and objects are especially ideal for dark, soothing environments with black lights. Be sure to play low-intensity music or white noise.
Robert Paine Meadows, 80, of Winter Haven, Florida passed away on Monday, October 13, 2025, at the Spring Lake Health and Rehab Center in Winter Haven.
Born November 26, 1944 in Ocala, Florida he has lived most of his life in Winter Haven. He retired as a supervisor at Banks Lumber in Auburndale, FL and attended the Christian Heritage Baptist Church in Winter Haven.
He is preceded in death by his parents and a son, Robert A, Meadows.
He is survived by his wife of 26 Years, Jannie; a daughter, Anita Marie Mitchell and her husband Kaliffe of Riverview, FL; a son, Christopher Meadows and his wife Lola of Juneau, Alaska; a stepson, David Dennis of Michigan; a brother Phillip Geiger of North Dakota; a sister, Janie Gould of North Carolina; ten grandchildren; and twelve great-grandchildren.
A Memorial Service will be held at 10:00am, Saturday, October 25, 2025, at Steeles Family Funeral Services in Winter Haven.
