LAKELAND, FL (September 27, 2023) – On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at approximately 10:36 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 600 block of East Parker Street for a traffic crash involving a single vehicle, a black Nissan Versa. At the scene, officers
located an unresponsive male who had been operating the Nissan. The Lakeland Police Department, Polk County Fire Rescue, and the Lakeland Fire Department all arrived on the scene to begin life-saving measures. Despite the efforts of first responders, the 55-year-old male was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Based on information gathered thus far in the investigation, officers believe the Nissan was traveling east on East Parker Street when it left the north side of the roadway for an unknown reason. The vehicle impacted two mailboxes, then a metal electric pole. The driver was unrestrained at the time of the crash.
The roadway was shut down for approximately two hours to process the scene for the ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact Traffic Crash Investigator Officer Travis Payne at [email protected].
Brian Woods works full-time as a firefighter, so he knows a thing or two about things that are smoking hot. That’s why, on the weekends, he visits local markets and festivals to sell his homemade jerky. Made from beef brisket, Florida’s Finest Jerky Co. sells jerky in 13 different flavors ranging from sweet to savory to spicy and hot.
Woods works as a firefighter, while his girlfriend owns her own business. Together, the two sell their jerky at places like the Bartow Fall Festival. Last Saturday, they attended the Bartow Fall Festival for the first time, and their first time more than met expectations.
“This is our first time here,” she said. “We are always looking for new people to meet and show our jerky to and do our business. This event was really good. I hope they come to have this again.”
Brian and Jennifer were one of several hundred vendors who attended the annual Bartow Fall Fest on Saturday. Hosted by Main Street Bartow, the outdoor market allowed local vendors and food trucks to line up along Summerlin Avenue and nearby streets to sell their wares for the fall season.
Sandy and Ray Landers live in Mulberry. They have been making various handmade crafts for the past five to six years. Prized among their crafts are their sitting characters designed after animals and other cute characters. This year’s fall fest was their first time attending, and their expectations were more than exceeded.
“My daughter-in-law comes out here every year, and she says it is the best around,” said Sandy. “It has been a great day. A great event. A lot of people, friendly people. We will come back.”
Linda Holcomb, Executive Director of Main Street Bartow, was pleased by the overall turnout. She owed the event’s success to the good weather and the growing demand for local events following a summer-long hiatus.
“It has been wonderful,” she said. “The weather has been great. We had lots and lots of people on the streets. They have been shopping. They have been shopping with the merchants. They have been eating down here. Everybody had been very, very happy.”
Main Street Bartow will be hosting various other events soon, including the Honey Bee Festival & Craft Fair in November and the Mistletoe Market in December. She has high expectations that all these events will be bigger and better than the last.
“It certainly draws people down. The more you have to offer, the more people want to come down for,” she said. “I am hoping that each event is more successful than this and they will all have an added element that will make them more different than each other.”
For the second consecutive year, Plant City had the most Wunderbar time with its annual Downtown Oktoberfest. Hundreds of attendees visited Downtown Plant City to eat pretzels and sausage, drink craft beer, listen to oompah music, and peruse several dozen vendors and food trucks in celebration of all things German.
This year’s event was hosted last Saturday, which was coincidentally the first day of autumn; and yet while the trees had not turned their fall colors and the air did not go below 80 degrees, the somewhat cooler weather was undoubtedly a big factor in drawing a large crowd downtown.
“I think it is very successful,” said Christy Lyle, President of Plant City Main Street. “It looks like we have a full crowd. We have more vendors and more entertainment and looks like a good event.”
The Oktoberfest event was proposed by Plant City Manager, Bill McDaniel. As Lyle explained, “He wanted something like this in Downtown Plant City and we decided to do it.”
For the second annual event, this year’s Oktoberfest far exceeded expectations, with residents and officials alike enjoying a local event that brings people together of all stripes and colors; and with their expectations far exceeded, expectations for the future remain high, Lyle explained.
“This is an event that people like to go to and like to attend,” she said. “So, I think our social media presence and getting the word out, we have been advertising for months and people have been looking forward to it. We are just going to get bigger and bigger.”
35-year-old Jose Chaidez of Haines City is wanted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for battering his 64-year-old former girlfriend and then severely beating another man who tried to intervene in his attack on the woman.
Chaidez is wanted for: attempted 2nd degree murder, armed burglary with battery, burglary with battery, criminal mischief, and stalking (DV). The attacks occurred at J and S Food Mart located at 3084 East Hinson Avenue, Haines City, Florida on Saturday, September 23, at around 4:23 p.m
Chaidez threatened the woman at the store with a butcher knife, slapped her with the knife, struck her and pulled her by the hair. A 43-year-old Haines City man saw the violence occurring and stepped forward in an attempt to stop the man from beating the woman and taking the woman from the store. Chaidez overpowered the man and repeatedly struck him in the head while he laid unconscious on the floor.
Chaidez then engaged with another man, hitting him, then left the store before deputies and EMS arrived. The second man was not seriously injured and left before deputies could identify or interview him. Deputies are asking for this man to come forward so we can hold Chaidez accountable for the battery.
The Good Samaritan was transported to an area hospital where he remains hospitalized. The victim remains in critical condition at this time but is improving and is expected to recover.
“We need to locate this very violent man and put him in jail where he belongs. Anyone who would beat up a 64 year old woman and then ruthlessly beat up a man who tried to help a woman in distress, is a menace and needs to be locked up. If you know where Jose Chaidez is, call us or call Crime Stoppers. This guy needs to be held accountable.” Grady Judd, Sheriff
An extensive search was completed in an effort to locate the suspect; however, deputies were unable to locate Chaidez. Deputies are asking the public to help us locate and arrest Chaidez. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200.
Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous, and be eligible for a cash reward, can contact Heartland Crime Stoppers in one of four ways:
or DOWNLOAD the free “P3tips” app on your smartphone or tablet.
Jose Manuel Chaidez’s criminal history includes aggravated assault with a weapon, battery domestic violence, kidnapping/false imprisonment, resisting an officer without violence, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, hit and run, battery, and battery DV.
51-year-old Fernando Gonzalez of Lakeland was charged with battery domestic violence for pushing his girlfriend during an argument, during which she was trying to leave their shared residence. Gonzalez is employed as a Federal Air Marshal.
At approximately 1:15 pm on Sunday, September 24, deputies responded to a residence in Lakeland. The victim reported she was pushed against her will against a door in the home by Gonzalez. Deputies observed a small cut mark on the victim’s left wrist that had minor bleeding.
Fernando Gonzalez denied touching the victim during the argument. Deputies observed in the affidavit that the victim’s description of what happened was consistent throughout the investigation and that Gonzalez’ was not consistent, changing his description of the event several times.
“We expect better from a law enforcement officer. We have notified the Air Marshal’s office of this arrest.” Grady Judd, Sheriff
Gonzalez was arrested and transported to the Polk County Jail.
Haines City, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a serious injury altercation that occurred Saturday In Haines City. According to Scott Wilder, Director of Communications for the PCSO, the altercation happened shortly after 4pm near J & S Foods (convenience store) on the corner of Hinson Ave. & 30th St. in Haines City.
“Looking for the known suspect “ advised Wilder. At this time the PCSO isn’t releasing any names and the incident is still under investigation.
This is a developing story and we will update as soon as more information is released.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating a body found in Lake Ned in unincorporated Winter Haven. The initial call came in 11:49am. The Polk County Fire Rescue brought boats to the lake and the PCSO helicopter flew over for a substantial period of time.
Scott Wilder, Director of Communications for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, has confirmed that they did recover an adult body from the lake. At this time the scene is under investigation. At this time it appears the victim drowned, however this a developing story.
Osceola County Sheriff Detectives arrested Joel Quiles-Rodriguez, D.O.B. 08/02/1996, on Thursday, September 21, 2023, for possessing child pornographic material.
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 photographs and videos. Detectives with the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit began an investigation into the incident and, on September 18, 2023, served a search warrant regarding this incident at 2201 Simpson Ridge Circle, APT C, Kissimmee, Florida.During a forensic review of the evidence obtained on the scene, Detectives located multiple videos and photos of young children being sexually abused.
Based on evidence obtained during this investigation, Mr. Quiles-Rodriguez was charged with 20 counts of Possession of Photo/Video of Sexual Performance by a Child. Mr. Quiles-Rodriguez was arrested and booked into the Osceola County Jail with a $50,000.00 bond.
On September 22, 2023, detectives were continuing to follow up on this investigation and were able to locate the stolen necklace. The necklace was found in the area of the Sunshine Flea market, 24200 HWY 27. The suspect, Shaneka Webb, was able to dispose of it in that area before she was taken into custody.
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Lake Wales Police Press Release
On September 20, 2023 at approximately 3:19pm officers from the Lake Wales Police Department were dispatched to Kay Jewelers, 483 Eagle Ridge Dr., in reference to a reported robbery that had just occurred. Officers were told the suspect entered Kay’s Jewelers and asked to see a 10k gold, 24”, necklace valued at $6,000.00. When the employee handed the suspect the necklace to try it on the suspect immediately fled with the necklace. While responding to the call, some officers responded directly to Kay’s Jewelers while others circulated the area. A suspect and vehicle description were given out over the radio. Officers located the suspect and suspect vehicle in the parking lot of the Gate gas station, located at 2950 Ridge Way, just north of the Eagle Ridge Mall.
Officers attempted to stop the suspect in the parking lot but she jumped in her vehicle and took off. The suspect fled out of the parking lot, across HWY 27, into area of the Sunshine Flea Market, located at 24200 HWY 27, where she was blocked in. At this point, officers were able to take her into custody without further incident. The suspect was identified as Shaneka S. Webb, a 37 year old Tampa resident. Webb was no longer in possession of the stolen necklace when detectives placed their silver “bracelets” on her. Webb would not say what she did with the necklace. She was positively identified by those who witnessed the theft.
Webb was booked into the Polk County Jail on the charges of Grand Theft, Fleeing to Elude, and Driving While License Suspended or Revoked (Habitual Traffic Offender). Webb has an extensive criminal history which includes previous grand thefts, violent crimes, drug charges, and fraud. If you have any information regarding this crime or a similar crime, please contact Lake Wales Police Department Detective David Arana at (863) 678-4223 extension 2007.
If you would like to remain anonymous and be eligible for a CASH REWARD through Heartland Crime Stoppers, you can call 1-800-226-TIPS (8477) or from your cell phone, dial **TIPS. You can also visit the website www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com and click on “Submit a Tip”, or download the free “P3tips” app on your smartphone or tablet to provide information.
When Nan Langston took her first tour of the new Children’s Resiliency Campus for Peace River Center in Lakeland, she teared up. After serving at the non-profit since 1988, being able to see all its programs and services provided under one roof at the new facility was a dream come true.
“I was given a tour of the building the first time I came here,” she explained. “By the time I got to the third floor, I was weeping. I am just thrilled that all the children’s services are in one place because we were all over with programs in Sebring and Bartow and Lakeland. But now we are all in one place and that was my dream.”
Nan Langston is the retired Children’s Services Director at Peace River Center, a local non-profit organization whose mission, according to their website, is “to engage, restore, and empower individuals in our community to reach their fullest potential.”
Throughout her career, she wanted to see her organization’s programs provided in one place under one roof. That dream has since become a reality, and she hopes it only continues to grow from there.
“That we will enlarge and grow because we are in one place now,” she said. “The more employees we can hire, the more children we can serve.”
On Thursday afternoon, Peace River Center celebrated the grand opening of its Children’s Resiliency Campus in Lakeland. The grand opening ceremony was hosted by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, which not only included a ribbon cutting, but also the installation of a plaque dedicated to Nan Langston in a therapeutic garden outside the facility.
Peace River Center has been a community partner and provider since 1948. According to its website, the organization was created in “response to the community’s concern for the emotional and psychological well-being of children.” Over the past 75 years, it has expanded to 20 programs in 25 locations. Before its Children’s Resiliency Center, its newest facility was the Lakeland Crisis Campus opened in January 2018.
Candace Barnes, Chief Operating Officer, had previously worked under Nan Langston. She remembers how Nan often wished for the Peace River Center to have a facility where all its programs and services could be provided in one place. So, when the organization discussed plans for such a continuum of services, she remembered how such a vision was Nan’s lifelong dream.
“She not only spent so much of her time and energy making sure we have excellent services for children and families, but also so much time pouring into the next generation of professionals,” Barnes said of Langston. “Two years ago, we were adding three to four programs at a time. It dawned on us we could relocate all programs under one umbrella. This was her dream that finally came to fruition.”
Larry Waters, Peace River Center CEO, commended his organization for opening the new facility. The organization had served the community for 75 years and counting, and the new location would help them better expand their services to the community in one convenient location.
“Now that we have everything under one roof, we have a continuum of care for our children and our adolescents,” he said. “This building was a long time coming. It was a dream of Peace River Center for a long time.”
The Peace River Center’s Children’s Resiliency Campus is located at 1664 Williamsburg Square, Lakeland, FL. For more info, call 863-500-3780, or visit their website at: https://www.peacerivercenter.org/
