On August 22, 2023, at around 2:55 a.m. the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit began searching for 3-year-old Thomas Owen Santos who was reported missing in the Acorn Court area of unincorporated Davenport.
Thomas’ family was visiting from out of town. Family members last heard and checked on Thomas at around 1:00 a.m. A family member noticed the front door of the residence wide open at approximately 2:45 a.m., and the child was not found to be in the home. The family called the Sheriff’s Office to report the child missing.
The PCSO Aviation Unit, Drone Unit, Marine Unit, and K-9 Unit (with a bloodhound) also responded and assisted in the search.
Thankfully, at around 7:20 a.m., detectives located Thomas, who was safe and sleeping on a neighbor’s porch less than a half-mile from where the family was staying.
Thomas was returned safely to his family.
Young Boy With Autism Found Safe After He Wandered Away From A Davenport House In The Middle Of The Night
“Just Take Me To Jail Man” Suspect Tells Trooper After Being Stopped In Davenport With Multiple Drugs
A Florida Highway Patrol Trooper pulled over man for speeding past his marked patrol vehicle. Troopers would find Marijuana along with a scale and extra baggies, hallucinogenic psilocybin mushroom, Alprazolam, Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine and Buprenorphine Hydrochloride. The stop resulted in the suspect being arrested for the multiple drug offenses.
On 8/17/2023 at approximately 6:48 am an FHP trooper was traveling westbound on I-4 in the left lane when he observed a white in color SUV traveling too closely behind him. The trooper then switched lanes into the center westbound lane and the white SUV passed him in the left lane. The SUV then changed lanes into the right lane and the trooper got behind the vehicle. While he was traveling behind the vehicle, the trooper pace clocked the SUV in his marked Florida Highway Patrol vehicle traveling 68mp in a posted 60 mph zone.
The trooper then conducted the stop and while speaking to the driver, Geoffrey Coffman of Casselberry, Florida, he smelled a strong odor of fresh marijuana coming from inside of the vehicle. He asked the driver if he had any mariuana inside of the vehicle and the suspect stated that he did have marijuana inside the vehicle. He then asked if the suspect had a medical marijuana identification card and the suspect stated he did. He then asked the driver if the Marijuana was in the original containers and the suspect advised it wasn’t. The trooper asked if could search the car and the suspect allegedly agreed to the search. During the search Marijuana in multiple forms was found, multiple different pills were found, mushrooms were found along with extra baggies and a scale with Marijuana residue found on it.
Coffman was read his Miranda Rights and taken into custody. According to the affidavit the trooper asked him why did he have all that Marijuana inside of the vehicle and the suspect allegedly stated “just take me to jail man”.
Coffman was transferred to Polk County Jail.
Lake Alfred Man Charged With Unlawful Sex With A Minor
On 08-02-2023 the Polk County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into Unlawful Sexual Activity at a home in Lake Hamilton. The investigation resulted in the arrest of Alberto Carreno, 30, of Lake Alfred.
According to the arrest affidavit a female victim told deputies she had consensual sex with Carreno multiple (10) times after she turned 16. The offenses allegedly started in October of 2022.
On 8-17-2023 a recorded interview was conducted with Alberto Carreno at his residence in Lake Alfred. According to the affidavit Carreno stated he knew the victim was underage, possibly 17. He allegedly admitted to engaging in sexual intercourse with the victim on two occasions and possibly up to four times. The sex was consensual according to Carreno.
Based on the investigation, it was determined probable cause exists that Alberto Carreno violated the following Florida State Statutes: 794.05 – Unlawful Sexual Activity with Certain Minors
A hold was also put on the release of Carreno for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Haines City Man Found Guilty & Sentenced To Life In Prison For Homicide Shooting On New Years Day
Man Convicted and Sentenced to Life in Prison for Second-Degree Murder
According to HCPD, On January 1, 2022, Jeffery Jerome Bouiye, 42 fatally shot Michael Andre Jackson, 47, near North 12th Street and Avenue I near New Beulah Missionary Baptist about 12:20 a.m.
According to witnesses, Bouiye was angry with Jackson because he believed Jackson was involved with a female Bouiye had been dating. Jackson did not want to be involved in the argument and began to walk away. Bouiye pulled out a handgun and shot Jackson multiple times. Jackson was transported to the hospital where he was declared deceased. Bouiye was convicted by a Polk County Jury of Second-Degree Murder and sentenced to Life in Florida State Prison.
State Attorney Brian Haas thanks Assistant State Attorney William Beaver and the Haines City Police Department for seeking justice in this case.
18 Yr Old Winter Haven Young Man Killed After Being Ejected From His Vehicle During Bartow Crash
Last night (August 18, 2023) around 7:15 p.m. the PCSO received a 911 call from the area near 3655 U.S. 17 North in unincorporated Bartow. 18-year-old David Watson of Winter Haven was driving a 2004 white GMC Canyon south on U.S. 17 in the outside lane. At the same time, 48-year-old James Shaw of Orlando was driving a 2014 black Dodge 3500 pulling an enclosed trailer north on U.S. 17.
Mr. Watson traveled into the inside lane to pass another vehicle, when he entered the grass median and lost control of the truck. The GMC Canyon slid through the grass median and rotated counter-clockwise. Mr. Shaw attempted to avoid the crash, but the GMC Canyon continued into the northbound lanes and struck the front of the Dodge.
Upon impact, Mr. Watson was ejected from his vehicle, and his truck again entered into the grass median where it stopped. The Dodge stopped on the east shoulder of the roadway.
Mr. Watson was transported to an area hospital, where he was declared deceased. He was not wearing his seatbelt. Mr. Watson was a student attending Travis Technical College.
Mr. Shaw was transported to an area hospital where he was treated and released for minor injuries. His passenger was uninjured. Mr. Shaw showed no signs of impairment and speed does not appear to be a factor.
The northbound lanes of U.S. 17 in the area of the crash were closed for approximately four hours during the investigation, which is on-going.
46 Yr Old Man Shot & Killed In Lakeland
LAKELAND, FL (August 18, 2023) – On Friday, August 18, 2023, at approximately 2:30 a.m., a traffic crash occurred just outside the City limits of Lakeland, near the intersection of West Memorial Boulevard and Chestnut Road, involving a white Kia and a black Ford truck. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) responded and began investigating. Just prior to the crash, the driver of the truck was traveling west of West Memorial Boulevard when the Kia struck his vehicle. Deputies were able to interview the driver of the truck, who remained at the scene and did not sustain any injuries. The Kia vehicle was found abandoned a short distance away in the center median with multiple bullet holes.
Detectives learned that the 46-year-old male driver of the Kia, who sustained gunshot wounds, had been transported by a personal vehicle to Lakeland Regional Health prior to law enforcement arriving at the scene. Despite the best efforts of emergency medical professionals, he was pronounced deceased a short time later.
PCSO began to investigate and learned the location where the shooting occurred was located within the city limits of Lakeland in the 2900 block of West Memorial Boulevard. The Lakeland Police Department was notified, and our detectives responded to assume the investigation. Detectives are actively working to gather all evidence and interview all witnesses.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have information to contact Detective Troy Smith at [email protected].
Persons who wish to remain anonymous can contact Heartland Crime Stoppers:
* Call 1-800-226 TIPS (8477)
* From a cell phone, dial **TIPS
* Visit the website www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com and click on “Submit A Tip,”
* Or download the free “P3tips” app on a smartphone or tablet.
Tipsters will always remain anonymous when they send a tip through Crime Stoppers, and they are eligible for a cash reward if their information leads to an arrest.
Polk County Fire Rescue Congratulates Members Who Graduated From Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Paramedic Programs at Polk State College Center for Public Safety
Polk County Fire Rescue
Please join #PCFR in congratulating some of our outstanding members who graduated from the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Paramedic Programs at Polk State College Center for Public Safety!
Yesterday evening, PCFR members Michael King and Malcom Orduna graduated from the school’s EMT Program, and two additional members, Ari Seaman and Ziere McCoy graduated from the PSC Paramedic Program.
We would also like to congratulate PCFR Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Bracewell for being awarded the Polk State Instructor of the Year Award, which is voted on by PSC students.
Congratulations, PCFR Members! #PolkFLFireRescue #Congrats #Paramedic #EMT
US 92 Shutdown Near Wabash Ave Due To Crash Which Appears To Be Related To A Death Investigation Being Conducted
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a death investigation and are on the scene of a traffic crash that appear related in Lakeland on US 92 near Wabash Ave. The crash occurred around 2:30 a.m. Friday, August 18, 2023. The roadway is shut down in both directions on US 92 between Wabash Ave. and Chestnut Rd. and will be for several hours.
Please avoid this area and find alternate routes of travel.
UPDATE: While this investigation does not involve Kathleen High School nor any students or staff, it will impact school traffic this morning. If you are dropping off students at Kathleen High School this morning, please use Crutchfield Road on the north side of the high school.
Welcome, World Travelers! TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Brings Turtle Power!
Welcome, World Travelers! TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Brings Turtle Power!
by James Coulter
I was born in 1987. The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescartoon was released in 1987. So, I’ve been a fan of the Turtles ever since I was born. I had a toy bin filled with Turtles action figures. I even had the Technodrome playset. (Though I always wanted the Turtles sewer playset as well!) So, if anyone should be excited to watch the new TMNT movie, it’s certainly me.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has had many incarnations over the years, including cartoons, comic books, video games, and movies. The latest theatrical adaptation, Mutant Mayhem, comes straight from the mind of “perpetual teenager” Seth Rogan. But will this new movie bring Turtle Power? Or is it time for the Turtles franchise to go back to the sewer?
Mutant Mayhem starts off with the same familiar backstory: four turtles and a rat get covered in ooze, transform into mutants, and learn the art of ninjitsu. However, this time around, the Turtles’ sole desire isn’t simply to become superheroes. Rather, they want to venture out of the sewer and into the human world to live as normal teenagers, but their rat father, Splinter, forbids it because he doesn’t trust humans.
Eventually, the Turtles sneak out of the sewer and rescue a human girl named April O’Neil, a high school reporter who’sinvestigating a string of robberies being carried out by a criminal gang, not lead by the Shredder, but rather a mutant named Superfly. Will the Turtles solve this crime spree?
Like Into the Spider-Verse and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, this computer-animated film takes on a unique highly-stylized animation style. While Into The Spiderverse felt like a comic book come to life, and The Last Wish felt like a storybook, Mutant Mayhem feels like a notebook of children’s marker drawings come to life its vibrant colors and uneven designs.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themselves are real fun. They act and talk like actual teenagers rather than young adults—and it helps that they’re performed by teenagers themselves. They have a very close, fun camraderie with one another with conversational talking-over-each-other dialogue that sounds exactly how other teenagers talk with each other.
The story itself isn’t anything new. The Turtles want to be part of the human world. Their father forbids it. They disobey them anyway. They meet other mutants that make them feel less alone, but discover these mutants are led by a villian who wants to destroy the human world so they can stop being oppressed. Essentially, it’s The Little Mermaid meets X-Men.
Despite its run-of-the-mill story, the movie itself is fun to watch with its vibrant art style, dynamic action scenes, and quick-witted conversational dialogue. Overall, the movie isn’t as good as the original 1990 live-action Turtles movie, but it’s way better than the Michael Bay movies that were released last decade. If you and your kids love the Ninja Turtles, you’ll love this movie. It’s a fun film that’ll have you screaming “Cowabunga!”
Man Throwing Rocks At Cars Facing Many More Charges After Being Caught On Camera Fighting With Polk Deputy’s
Bartow, Florida – Polk County motorist traveling S.R. 60 last Friday (August 11th at 4:22pm) got a show. The show consisted of a clearly disturbed or impaired Juan Roman Jr. walking back and forth in the roadway and median fighting with deputies, being tasered and still standing after being tasered twice.
A witness caught part of the altercation on her camera phone and streamed it on Facebook where it’s near 30k views.
The following is an excerpt from the arrest affidavit by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It should be noted that this is an unedited, but redacted report of facts by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. These facts are up for question and everyone is entitled to question the validity of facts by law enforcement in a court of law. The Daily Ridge does not rewrite these facts as some meanings or interpretations could be in error and change context. We hope readers appreciate being able to read the information and come to their own understanding and conclusions)
“On 08/11/2023, at approximately 1622 hours, I was requested by supervision to respond to the area of Highway 60 and Hankin Road to conduct a follow-up investigation regarding a person throwing rocks at passing vehicles and attacking a responding officer. I made contact with dayshift supervision and learned the following:
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) received two calls from passing motorists along the eastbound lanes of Highway 60 near Hankin Road. The first reportee, REDACTED, called at approximately 1533 hours and stated that a white male was standing very close to the roadway talking to himself, and she was concerned for his safety and the safety of passing motorists. REDACTED stated he wore blue shorts, a red shirt, and a black beard. The second reportee, VICTIM called at approximately 1544 hours and stated a man in the same area, with the same clothing and physical description, was throwing rocks at passing vehicles and that one of the rocks struck her vehicle.
PCSO Deputy Sheriff (D/S) Wells #8900 responded to the call and arrived at the scene in his marked agency-issued patrol vehicle at approximately 1549 hours. D/S Wells was wearing his agency-issued green patrol uniform with a Sheriff star affixed to the front of my uniform. Both sleeves of the uniform contain a patch that reads “Sheriff Polk County”. When D/S Wells arrived, he attempted to detain the suspect, later identified as Juan Roman Junior, to investigate throwing deadly missiles at passing vehicles.
D/S Wells advised Roman that he was being detained and ordered him to put his hands behind his back. Roman then began resisting his commands by walking onto the roadway of Highway 60 in the eastbound lane. D/S Wells followed him into the roadway, and Roman stopped briefly. D/S Wells attempted to grab Roman’s left arm, and Roman pulled away from him, running south across the eastbound lane. D/S Wells began a foot pursuit into the outside lane of eastbound traffic. Roman then turned toward D/S Wells, balled up his fists, and assumed a fighting stance. This action placed D/S Wells in a well-founded fear of imminent physical violence.
D/S Wells then attempted again to grasp Roman and take him into custody. Roman then struck D/S Wells with his left fist making contact with D/S Wells’ right cheek near his right temple. Roman again struck D/S Wells several times, knocking off his radio communications and depriving him of his ability to transmit radio communications. D/S Wells deployed his agency-issued Taser cartridge, but the weapon did not affect Roman. D/S Wells retreated in an attempt to grab his radio microphone and call for backup. Roman then walked north, crossing the eastbound lanes, and attempted to flee.
At that time, D/S Alexander #3909 arrived and stopped traffic in the westbound lane. D/S Alexander exited his agencyissued marked patrol vehicle and ordered Roman to stop, get back, and get on the ground. D/S Alexander was wearing the same style uniform as D/S Wells. Roman walked aggressively toward D/S Alexander while ignoring D/S Alexander’s commands, placing him in a well-founded fear that violence was imminent. D/S Alexander was able to maneuver out of Roman’s path and deployed his agency-issued Taser, which also had little to no effect on Roman. During this time, Roman completely disregarded D/S Alexander’s commands to get on the ground and walked to the passenger side of D/S Alexander’s occupied patrol vehicle and attempted to enter it with negative results.
Roman again crossed the westbound lanes of Highway 60 and entered the median with Deputies chasing him. Roman was eventually taken into custody while attempting to cross the eastbound lanes again.
I contacted reportee two, VICTIM, and obtained a sworn recorded statement. In her statement, VICTIM advised that Roman threw rocks at several passing vehicles and struck her vehicle with a rock.
Polk County Fire/EMS transported D/S Wells to receive treatment for his injuries.
Through my investigation, I determined probable cause existed to place the suspect, Juan Roman Jr., under arrest for the following violations of Florida State Statutes:
790.19 Roman wantonly and maliciously threw a stone at an occupied vehicle traveling at highway speeds that could produce death or great bodily harm.
F.S.S. 843.02 (2 counts) – Roman intentionally and illegally refused to comply with the Deputies’ orders, inhibiting them from carrying out their lawful duties.
F.S.S 843.01: Roman knowingly and willingly opposed an officer during the lawful execution of his legal duty.
F.S.S. 784.07 (Two counts) Roman intentionally and unlawfully threatened, by act, to do violence to D/S Wells and D/S Alexander. At the time, Roman appeared able to carry out the threat. The act of Roman created in the mind of (victim) a well-founded fear that violence would occur. D/S Wells and D/S Alexander were law enforcement officers at the time. Roman knew D/S Wells and D/S Alexander were law enforcement officers. At the time of the assault, D/S Wells and D/S Alexander were engaged in the lawful performance of their duties.
F.S.S. 784.07 (2)(D) Roman actually and intentionally touched or struck D/S Wells against his will and intentionally caused bodily harm to D/S Wells. In committing the Battery, Roman intentionally or knowingly caused great bodily harm to D/S Wells. D/S Wells was a law enforcement officer. Romanm knew D/S Wells was a law enforcement officer. D/S Wells was engaged in the lawful performance of his duties when the battery was committed against him.
F.S.S. 843.025: Roman deprived a law enforcement officer of his radio, disallowing the officer to defend himself or summon assistance.
F.S.S. 810.02: Roman illegally attempted to enter an occupied conveyance with the intent to commit a crime within the conveyance.
F.S.S. 877. 03 Roman committed acts that outraged the sense of public decency and affected the peace of the persons who witnessed the acts. Roman fought in full view of the drivers and passengers on the highway during this incident.
F.S.S. 856.021- Roman loitered in a place, at a time, or in a manner not usual for law-abiding individuals. Such loitering was under circumstances that warranted justifiable and reasonable alarm or immediate concern for the safety of persons or property in the vicinity and took flight upon the appearance of a law enforcement officer.
Video footage of the incident was obtained, and I observed several pedestrian traffic violations committed by Roman. Roman was issued Florida Uniform Traffic citation numbers AHQ98CE, AHQ98DE, and AHQ98EE for the violations”
Juan Roman Jr. is no stranger to law enforcement or the court system. Roman has previous arrests for is a convicted felon with three prior convictions for Aggravated Battery on an LEO/Firefighter/EMT, two convictions for Disorderly Conduct, and other convictions for Robbery, Possession of Controlled Substances, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Exposure of Sexual Organs.
