Much has happened over the past 100 years. The Great Depression. World War II. The Cold War. The Civil Rights Movement. The Moon Landing. The advent of personal computers and the internet. September 11. The election of America’s first black president.
So many milestones have occurred within the past century. Berneda Witter has lived long enough to see them all. When asked what historical moment stands out most to her, she merely replied: all of them.
“Everything has happened in 100 years,” she said. “In 100 years, everything is important [because] everything happened.”
Berneda Witter recently celebrated her 100th birthday at Oak Haven Rehab and Nursing Center in Auburndale on Tuesday. She was born on Sep. 26, 1923 in Pennsylvania. Much has changed since then.
“Back then, we did not have tractors, we had horses,” she said. “My father used to stand out and watch the Northern lights. [Before that] My grandfather came over to America on a ship. He was alone. He was adopted by two women.”
Berneda had been married for 42 years. She met her husband while roller skating, which she loved to do when she was much younger. She did not have any children or grandchildren.
She worked at a shoe factory for 19 years. Her occupation paid well and offered her a free vacation every year. She considered it a “pretty important job.”
When asked about her thoughts about the moon landing, she replied that such an idea would have been considered quite fanciful when she was born; so that such a technological feat of human ingenuity happened in her lifetime was a true testament.
“We never heard of such a thing,” she said. “Going to the moon and all that stuff, if you had mentioned it, they would not have known what you were talking about.”
As with most people her age, she owes her long life to God. She does not owe it to anything special she did health-wise. Considering when and where she was born, she was amazed she managed to live as long as she has.
“I don’t know what else kept me alive,” she said. “I didn’t do anything special. I was a poor little farm girl. We didn’t have anything special. We didn’t have any of this modern stuff.”
As for how it feels to turn 100, Berneda honestly doesn’t feel any older: “How does it feel? I don’t know. I don’t feel that much different. I do not feel older.”
At 2:07 a.m. on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies, acting on a tip, went to arrest Cheryl Lynn Williams on a felony warrant at 4345 Foxtown South in Polk City.
Three deputies entered a residence while Deputy Blane Lane remained outside in case Williams tried to exit.
When deputies found Williams inside, she pointed a gun (later determined to be a BB gun) at them. Two of the deputies quickly fired at Williams and wounded her, but one of the bullets missed her, struck a wall, continued outside of the house where it struck Deputy Lane in the left arm and entered his chest.
Deputy Lane was taken to the hospital but passed away a short time later.
Because Deputy Lane was fatally wounded as a result of Williams’ actions, she was charged with second degree murder.
Due to Polk County’s rapid growth, the Northeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility is approaching its maximum daily flow faster than expected. Today the BoCC approved a $1.8 million engineering contract with Wright-Pierce, Inc. to expand the flow from 6.0 MGD to 9.0 MGD.
No your vision is not blurry and your eyes are not deceiving you. Starting yesterday afternoon and all day today the sun has been hidden behind a gray sky with what appears to be dense fog or smoke.
What you are seeing is definitely smoke but not smoke from a controlled burn or local wild fire. Would you believe the smoke is coming from over 2,000 miles away?
According to the National Weather Service in Melbourne, Smoke from a wildfire in Quebec, Canada, has traveled this way and is now settling over Central Florida.
According to the Environment Protection Agency’s AirNow map, Central Florida has “Unhealthy levels of air quality”. The AirNow air quality forecast shows that air quality across Central Florida may be dangerous, especially for anyone sensitive to particle pollution such as people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens. Floridians are advised to stay inside as much as possible today.
AirNow predicts the smoke should start to move out Wednesday and air quality will gradually return to normal.
On October 2, Osceola deputies arrested Joseph Rinaldi-Rivera for multiple counts of Possession of Photo/Video of Sexual Performance by a Child.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) of an incident regarding child sexual abuse material. Detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit began an investigation into the incident.
On October 2, 2023, Detectives with the ICAC unit served an arrest warrant at 1121 Cobblestone Circle, Apt. F, Kissimmee, Florida, regarding this incident. The suspect was identified as Joseph Omi Rinaldi-Rivera, D.O.B. 11/06/2003. During a forensic review of the evidence obtained from the suspect, detectives located multiple videos and photos of egregious content of young children being sexually abused. Based on evidence obtained during this investigation, Mr. Rinaldi-Rivera was charged with ten counts of Possession of Photo/Video of Sexual Performance by a Child. Mr. Rinaldi-Rivera was arrested and booked into the Osceola County Jail with a $10,000.00 bond.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to serving our community and increasing public safety. To report a crime, please contact the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office at (407) 348-2222
SEBRING — Trevor Jaime Reggie Manning, 25, has been charged with second-degree murder in the Sept. 15 shooting death of 21-year-old Michael Hilton Jr. in Avon Park.
Hilton’s body was discovered in the back yard of a home on A Avenue in Avon Park around 9 a.m. the morning of Sept. 15. Residents of the home told detectives they had heard multiple loud gunshots around 1 a.m. the previous night. It was not until they went outside the next morning that they discovered Hilton’s body.
The investigation revealed that in the hours before the 1 a.m. shots were heard, Manning and Hilton had been in an altercation not far from where Hilton’s body was found.
Evidence from the crime scene was able to be linked to an earlier incident where Manning had been seen with a gun in the area. On Sept. 26, Manning was arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm in relation to that incident. He was still in jail when he was served with his new charges of second-degree murder and another count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call 863-402-7250, email [email protected] or leave a tip on the HCSO mobile app. Tips via the HCSO app can be anonymous.
You can also leave an anonymous tip with Heartland Crime Stoppers on their P3tips app or by calling 1-800-226 TIPS (8477), dialing **TIPS on your cell phone, or visiting www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com and clicking on the “Submit A Tip” button. Crime Stoppers tips are always anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward.
Note: Not all arrests result in convictions. Everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty in court.
In response to your inquiries, here is the probable cause affidavit for the man who climbed up and onto the railroad crossing over the northbound lanes of Combee Road in Lakeland, causing CSX operations and Combee Road to be shut down for approximately 10 hours today.
His name is Tieshawn Edwards, DOB 8/7/1995, and I do not yet have a mugshot for him (he has been taken to a local hospital for a medical evaluation and has not yet been booked into the Polk County Jail – he did not appear to have physical injuries, but he did consume illegal narcotics and made suicidal statements in the presences of deputies and first responders).
Special thanks to Polk Fire Rescue, Peace River Center, Lakeland Fire, and Hillsborough County Fire.
PROBABLE CAUSE: The suspect is identified as Tieshawn L. Edwards.
On 10/01/2023 at approximately 0439 hours, deputies were dispatched to the area of S. Combee Road and Hwy 92 (Lakeland, Florida) in reference a suspicious person. Upon arrival to the scene, deputies observed a male standing on the platform of the railroad crossing mast. Due to recent interactions with the subject, he was identified as Tieshawn L. Edwards.
Deputies made attempts to convince Tieshawn to climb off the crossing mast to which he refused. During the course of the investigation, Tieshawn refused to comply with lawful order to climb off the crossing mast to which he refused. By refusing countless lawful orders, Tieshawn resisted arrest without violence. While Tieshawn refused to comply with lawful orders, he began littering and tampering with evidence by throwing a plastic baggie onto the roadway. What initially appeared to be simple trash was determined to be a plastic ziplock baggie contacting a white in color residue. Based on my training and experience, the white color residue appeared to be methamphetamine. Utilizing a Q-tip, I swabbed the inside of the baggie and inserted the Q-tip into a #15 Narc test kit. The test kit indicated positive results for Methamphetamine. Also during this time, Tieshawn was exposing his penis in public in a vulgar manner and was witnessed by Polk County Fire Rescue.
During the course of the investigation, Tieshawn interfered with railroad signals and interfered with railroad track and other equipment. While Tieshawn was on the crossing mast, he removed a bolt from the stabilizer arm which would require repair. He also damaged wires for the flashing signals on the crossing arms. As a result, at least 4 trains were extremely delayed and disrupted normal operations on the track and normal operations of roadways in the area. Tieshawn was criminal charged for these offenses and issued citation #AI5ZZOE for obstruction of public streets.
Supervision requested the Polk County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T. team respond to the scene to attempt and remove Tieshawn from the crossing mast as safely as possible and take him into custody. It should be noted that the crossing mast has an approximate height clearance of 30 feet. With the assistance of fire rescue trucks equipped with bucket ladders, four S.W.A.T. team members were lifted in the bucket ladder to physically secure Tieshawn. These dangerous measures performed by the S.W.A.T. members exposed them to personal injury. Once the S.W.A.T. member were able to physically detain Tieshawn he began resisting with physical violence and furthermore exposing the S.W.A.T. members to personal injury.
At approximately 1400 hours, member of S.W.A.T. team were able to safely secure Tieshawn and remove him from the crossing mast. Tieshawn was taken into custody and criminally charged with the following offenses:
-Interference with Railroad Signals (F/3) (2 counts)
-Interference with railroad track and other equipment (F/3)
The Ridge Scenic Highway CME will host the 16th Annual “39 Mile” Yard Sale on Saturday, November 4th2023, from 8:00 am – 2:00 pm along the entire length of the Ridge Scenic Highway, (SR-17), from Haines City to Frostproof. Vendors are encouraged to reserve their space at one of numerous official sites as thousands of “treasure hunters” are expected.
Polk County 39-Mile Yard Sale
In previous years, spontaneous vendors have sprung up all along the highway and area restaurants, shops, and service providers offer enticing “Yard Sale” specials throughout the day. The “39 Mile Yard Sale” was started in 2007, to encourage tourism in the Central Florida communities along the Ridge Scenic Highway, and to promote awareness of the natural beauty of the Lake Wales Ridge, an area of rolling hills and scenic vistas; including many historic sites and nationally recognized attractions.
Polk County 39-Mile Yard Sale Main Location’s
39-Mile Scenic Highway Yard Sale November 4, 2023 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Six Official Locations
LAKE HAMILTON:
Town Hall Grounds, 100 Smith Ave., Lake Hamilton, FL 33851 Angie Hibbard or Doug Leonard at 863.439.1910, [email protected]
Lake Wales, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office on 9/24/23 arrested a Lake Wales man in connection to a domestic complaint of Attempted Murder, Kidnapping and Aggravated Assault. During the arrest the suspect was also charged with Resisting Arrest Without Violence, Resisting Arrest With Violence, Aggravated Assault On Law Enforcement Officers. The man, Seth Garrett Hawkins, DOB: 9/27/97, was involved in a physical altercation with a female victim at a residence on Jennings Fish Camp Rd. in Lake Wales.
According to the PCSO arrest affidavit Hawkins and the victim got into a verbal and physical altercation over an argument about an upcoming trip. The victim was reportedly taking a shower when the argument with Hawkins escalated to a physical confrontation. According to the affidavit on the victim got out of the shower and was intentionally grabbed by Hawkins against her. Hawkins then allegedly grabbed a camouflage shirt and began to wrap it around the victim’s neck. At this time the victim began gasping for air. Hawkins reportedly held and kept the shirt wrapped around the victim telling her feel free to leave. Hawkins began to tell the victim he was going to kill her. Eventually Hawkins lessened his grip and the victim fell to the floor.
During the entirety of the attack. Seth was recording himself on a cellphone. Deputies viewed two separate videos of the incident both approximately one and a half minutes in length.
The first video depicts Seth holding the victim to the floor of the bathroom with the shirt wrapped around the victim’s neck while he is nude sitting on the toilet. Shortly into the video. Seth states we both finna die in this bitch! Throughout the first video the victim can be seen periodically gasping for air and barely moving.
The second video depicts Hawkins continuing to keep a tight grasp on the shirt around the victims neck and tells the victim to say “I brought this upon myself.” The victim then states “I can’t breathe my head hurts” then Hawkins reportedly repeats “I cant breathe.” The video is then ended by Hawkins facing the camera to his face and stating “everybody is going te die today.”
Below is an excerpt from a supplementary affidavit regarding the taking into custody of Hawkins by Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies. This is a redacted, but unedited version of the affidavit:
“On September 24, 2023, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to the address of REDACTED Jennings Fish Camp Rd, Lake Wales, FL, in reference to a suspicious incident. PCSO Lieutenant Kenneth Hill #4935 and D/S Bryan Mixon #4648 arrived dressed in their agency-issued Class B uniform with 5 point star badge and an affixed Polk County Sheriff office patch on each shoulder, and made contact with the victim, REDACTED, who was involved in a domestic violence incident.
While speaking with REDACTED outside the residence, the suspect, Seth Hawkins (W/M 09/27/97), stepped outside as well. Lt. Hill went inside the residence with the victim and D/S Mixon stayed outside in order to separate the victim and suspect for further investigation. While investigating Mr. Hawkins became irate and loud in a verbally aggressive manner. Lt. Hill stepped back outside to assist D/S Mixon with detaining Mr. Hawkins. In an attempt to detain Mr. Hawkins for further investigation, Mr. Hawkins pulled away aggressively and began to run away from D/S Mixon and Lt. Hill. Units chased Mr. Hawkins down the road and behind REDACTED Jennings Fish Camp Rd, where Mr. Hawkins tripped and immediately got back to his feet taking a fighting stance. Lt. Hill then took Mr. Hawkins to the ground. While attempting to secure, a struggle ensued due to Mr. Hawkins, striking both Lt. Hill and D/S Mixon in the head with his fist as well as using his feet and knees to strike the units. Mr. Hawkins continued to resist by attempting to bite Lt Hill, potentially causing great bodily harm. Mr. Hawkins also reached for Lt. Hill’s firearm grabbing a hold of the handle but was unsuccessful at removing the firearm from the holster. Mr. Hawkins also grabbed a hold of Lt. Hill’s radio and removed it from its location on his uniform, temporarily depriving him of communication with other units Lt. Hill was able to gain back control of his radio. During the struggle, Mr. Hawkins threatened to kill both Lt. Hill and D/S Mixon. D/S Mixon sustained a contusion on the left side of his head from Mr. Hawkins striking him in the head, as well as a minor laceration to his left arm.
Additional units arrived and Mr. Hawkins was secured and received medical attention for minor injuries.
• A criminal history query was completed on Mr. Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins was previously convicted on 11/15/2019 on three counts of battery LEO and one count of resisting with violence.
Based on the above-described facts , probable cause exists that Mr. Hawkins violated F.S.S, 784.07(2) (C)
(Aggravated assault on LEO), 843.01. (Resist officer with violence) 843.02 (Resist officer w/o violence), 843.025
(Deprive officer means of communication/protection), 777.04(1) (Attempted deprive law enforcement of communication/protection. and 88.02 13(8 corrunt or threaten law enforcement)
