A former Haines City High School math teacher was arrested late Wednesday afternoon and charged with having inappropriate sexual contact with a 17-year-old female student at the school.
The girl’s father called 911 on October 11 to report the incident. Because the father called 911 from outside Haines City, another agency responded and took his initial statement. He said the girl came home from school, and told him that she was upset about rumors of an incident circulating through the school about a relationship between her and a teacher.
The officers took a statement from the girl and contacted Haines City detectives because the incident took place at Haines City High School.
The girl said the teacher, 25-year-old Jeremiah Stringer, met her in his classroom on October 7, an early dismissal day when fewer students were on campus. She said the teacher began kissing her, grabbed her and she performed oral sex on him. The teacher tried to engage the girl in intercourse but was unsuccessful.
During an interview with detectives Stringer said he did exchange social media messages with the girl and that they could be perceived as “flirty.” Stringer denied having sex with the student.
During the course of the investigation, detectives learned the victim’s clothing likely contained DNA evidence.
On November 2, detectives received confirmation from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that the DNA on the victim’s clothing matched Stringer’s.
Stringer was arrested at his Winter Haven home the same day.
After the teacher was arrested, the Polk County School District sent a message to parents with students at Haines City High School alerting them to the incident and also encouraging parents and students to come forward if they have any additional information. The statement also added that the teacher has been terminated and is no longer working in the school system.
Haines City Police Chief Greg Goreck said “If the public has any additional information about this or any other incidents, we encourage them to contact us right away.”
Stringer is charged with Custodial Sexual Battery on a victim older than 12 but younger than 18-year-of-age, a first-degree felony.
Dailyridge is proud to sponsor Hayleigh, a young talented barrel race rider on her competition journey. We thank all of our readers and sponsors for giving us this privilege and making our sponsorship possible. Now let’s all support Polk Counties very own Hayleigh Rodgers as she represents our youth at national racing competitions.
Rodgers placed 13th in the 3D for the second round in the open competition on Reba.
She is competing this weekend at the 2022 NBHA Open and Senior World Championships at the National Fairgrounds in Perry, Georgia.
Stephanie Randell, grandmother of Rodgers said, “Hayleigh qualified for finals on her first horse Reba in the first round. Today she is running in the redemption round to try and qualify on her second horse Diesel. Tomorrow she competes in the finals competition.”
Today she is running around 11:45 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. at draw 122. Tomorrow (Saturday) will be the finals. They start at 11 a.m. Stay tuned for her draw number for tomorrow. (Draw number 66)
To watch the race live today, visit https://wranglernetwork.com/portfolio-view/2022-nbha-open-and-senior-world-championships-friday-november-4th/
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested two murder suspects from the Virgin Islands on Thursday, November 3, 2022.
Deputies, supported by K-9 and Drone units, responded to a residence at 107 Arizona Avenue in Lakeland and quickly arrested the suspects, 30-year old Jonathan Rivera and his girlfriend 28-year old N’zinger Williams at about 5:16 pm.
Both suspects were taken to the PCSO Sheriff’s Processing Center to be booked-in and will await extradition to the Virgin Islands.
“The suspects are wanted for the murder of a 28-year old St. Croix man in June of this year. They are both from the Virgin Islands and came here in late June apparently thinking Polk County would be a good place to flee to. They were obviously wrong.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
The Virgin Islands Police Department St. Croix District is charging Jonathan Rivera with 1st Degree Murder, 1st Degree Assault, 3rd Degree Assault, Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Crime of Violence, 1stReckless Endangerment, and Unauthorized Possession of Ammunition.
N’zinger Williams is facing charges of 1stDegree Murder, and Accessory After-the-Fact.
Welcome, World Travelers! Do Annual Passholders Have a Right to Sue Disney World?
by James Coulter
Do people have a “right” to a Walt Disney World vacation? And should be able to sue if they feel their “right” has been violated? Two annual passholders seem to think so, as they are both taking the House of Mouse to court.
In October, two Disney annual passholders filed a lawsuit against Walt Disney World, claiming the park’s reservation system and park hopper guidelines were restricting their access to the parks.
In 2020, Walt Disney World shut down between March and July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the resort re-opened later that year, a reservation system was implemented to control crowd size as to allow the parks to maintain proper social distancing and other health and safety guidelines.
Through the system, passholders and other guests with a valid admission ticket are required to make reservations ahead of their visit in order to gain entry to a Disney World park. Previously, the system only permitted guests to visit one park per day; however, a park hopper option was provided to allow them to visit another park after 2 p.m.
According to the lawsuit, these restrictions were supposed to be temporary, only being implemented during the duration of the pandemic. However, despite COVID-19 restrictions being lifted from other businesses and venues throughout the state, Disney has continued to maintain its reservation system. As the lawsuit states, this system allegedly disenfranchises passholders over guests who purchase single-day admission.
As the lawsuit reads: “It was believed by the Plaintiffs and other members of the class that this reservation system would only be temporary and would end once the threat of the pandemic lessened because they had not been subjected to this system pre-pandemic. By restricting access to the park, Disney effectively unilaterally modified all Platinum Pass holders’ and Platinum Plus pass holders’ contracts.”
Disney had since released a statement in response to the lawsuit, claiming the resort was dedicated to providing quality experiences to all of its guests, both passholders and regular guests alike. As the statement, which was released to Fox WKMG-TV, states:
“Annual Passholders continue to be some of our biggest fans and most loyal guests. We’ve been upfront with Passholders about the updates we’ve made, and we offered them the flexibility to opt-in or opt-out of the program early in the pandemic, including refunds if they desired. This lawsuit mischaracterizes the program and its history, and we will respond further in court.”
Earlier this year, during an interview with Hollywood Insider, Disney CEO Bob Chapek claimed that, while he loved the company’s “super fans” who purchased annual passes, he felt they were taking advantage of the parks as their “personal playgrounds” and thus disadvantaging other guests who only visit the parks occasionally.
As he stated in the Hollywood Insider interview: “The annual pass as a value was so great that people were literally coming all the time and the accessibility of the park was unlimited to them, and that family from Denver would get to the park and not be let in. That doesn’t seem like a real balanced proposition.”
With the park maintaining its COVID-19 era restrictions, raising prices through inflation, and implementing pricey services such as Genie Plus, many Disney fans feel the parks are becoming too expensive, making them feel less than happy at the Happiest Place on Earth.
One family, which had been visiting the parks for 11 years, went viral after claiming they were no longer renewing their annual passes or coming back to the parks due to the many changes that have been implemented over the years.
In their post on Insider, aptly titled “Here’s why my family is finally done with the parks”, Carrie McLaren wrote: “I’m incredibly thankful we were able to make that dream a reality for my girls for a while, but after 11 years I’ve reached my limit. I am heartbroken to say goodbye to Disney World, my happy place, and I cried over the decision not to renew our annual passes. But it’s time for my family to move on. I’m sure we’ll be back one day, but now it’s time for us to find a new place to make memories.”
What do you think? Do Disney World annual passholders have a right to sue the parks? Do you think their grievances about increased prices and cumbersome restrictions are valid? Leave your comments on Facebook.
When is the best time to schedule a dental appointment? At tooth-hurty! In all seriousness, if you are looking for a new dentist to meet your dental needs, regardless of your age, then make an appointment for Lakeland Oak Dental.
Whether you are visiting for a routine checkup, require new dental implants, or you need cosmetic dentistry or orthodontic treatment, Lakeland Oak Dental offers affordable, comfortable, and reliable dental care for all ages and with a commitment to high standards.
“We welcome familiar and new faces to Lakeland Oaks Dental,” their website declares. “We are pleased to offer our patients trustworthy cosmetic, restorative, implant, and family dentistry services in Lakeland Florida. From hygiene cleanings to orthodontics and laser gum therapy, our specialists are here to help you look, feel and smile your best in a comfortable, friendly atmosphere. We welcome you to experience our safe, modern, and comprehensive dental health services in a single, convenient location.”
Lakeland Oak Dental is a full family dental service, one of several offices in a network of offices part of a bigger chain. Not only do they focus on providing quality care for patients of all ages, but they want to focus primarily on providing personable service to their customers and their dental needs.
Their people-centric business outlook brought them to Lakeland, explained Marvin Terrell, CEO. He saw that Lakeland was a community dedicated to people, which perfectly matched their own outlook as a dental practice. So, their move to Lakeland was a perfect fit for them, he explained.
“We do believe this community embodies everything that we do. It is all about people, we are a very people centric organization. So, we are so happy to be here,” he said. “[Our] expectations isto provide for the people and the community, give them what they are looking for, give them an experience that they really enjoy and like. Help them create a very healthy dental experience, to serve their friends and family and children to come, so it is all about the services we can provide to the other patients.”
Lakeland Oak Dental celebrated its grand opening on Monday. The ceremony was hosted by the Greater Lakeland Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon cutting. The office had been opened since June; however, the ribbon cutting had been postponed several times due to various circumstances including Hurricane Irma in September.
“I know you opened in June, I know you wanted to do the ribbon cutting, but Florida had a different plan,” explained Grace Troise, chamber board member.
Mayor Bill Mutz welcomed the new dental practice and commended them for living up to the standards that their community shares: “We are appreciative of our chain expansion, including Lakeland, and we hope to be a market that is very lucrative for you…And we look forward to be an important link to that as you move forward.”
Lakeland Oak Dental is located at 3615 S. Florida Ave. Suite 850, Lakeland, FL 33803. For more information, call 863-732-9496, or visit their website at: https://lakelandoaksdental.com.
Lakeland Village: Mark your calendars & set those alarms! Santa Claus is coming … to Lakeside Village! Appointments for FREE Photos with Santa open at 10 am on November 14, 2022. An appointment is REQUIRED to help us limit the number of people in line and shorten your wait time. Please visit the ticketing link on the event page to secure your spot—one spot per family or group: https://bit.ly/3zzfbYE This is a FREE event. Anyone trying to sell tickets or reservations to this event or any FREE event we proudly offer is a scammer, will be reported to Facebook for scamming, permanently banned from Lakeside Village’s social media accounts, any contests or giveaways, and any ticketed events here, and added to Santa’s Naughty List. Santa will be located – at 1473 Town Center Dr., Lakeland, FL 33803. We will have a charming Christmas set for families to take photos with Santa safely. To allow as many people to see Santa as possible, each appointment is limited to around 3 minutes. We ask that one appointment be made per family. For everyone’s safety, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and any other event staff are prohibited from touching guests’ phones for photos. Please choose a ONE-time slot for your entire group. We ask that you please be considerate of Santa and their team, and please do not attend your appointment if anyone at your party is not feeling well. Reservations links will be posted on the Facebook event page on Monday, November 14, 2022, at 10 am. #LakesideVillage
Haines City, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Richard Vitiritti (DOB 10/20/1947) and charged him with Attempted First Degree Murder.
Here is an excerpt from Vitiritti’s arrest affidavit (It should be noted that this is an unedited report of facts by the law enforcement. 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 10/22/22, at approximately 2015 hours, the victims, REDACTED, were traveling westbound on Hatchineha Rd, Haines City when they drove passed the suspect, Richard Vitiritti’s residence located at 14030 Hatchinaha Rd. As they passed the residence they heard a gunshot and realized the projectile had struck their vehicle. The projectile struck the lower right passenger door and exited out the right front wheel well.
Throughout the day the victims, REDACTED were at REDACTED’s, residence located at REDACTED Hatchineha Rd helping with the construction of his home. This residence is, REDACTED, down from Richard’s residence. At approximately 1900 hours, Richard crossed the road to confront everyone at the residence due to the noise of the construction equipment. Richard began to yell at the victim, REDACTED, and others helping with the construction.
Richard returned to his residence while the victim, REDACTED, went down the road to a local restaurant for dinner with their family. During that time, Richard entered his residence and retrieved a firearm from a dresser in his bedroom. Richard instructed his wife to turn off all the lights as he went to his carport and sat in the dark.
After dinner at approximately 2015 hours, the victim, REDACTED,was driving and REDACTED was in the passenger seat, as they traveled down Hatchineha Rd while the rest of their family walked back to REDACTED residence. As the victim, REDACTED, passed his family walking, he honked his horn. When the victim, REDACTED, drove passed Richards residence, Richard shot one time from his firearm. The witness, REDACTED ran towards the victims, REDACTED, vehicle when he heard the gun shot and saw the vehicle pull to the side of the road. As he was running past Richards’s residence he observed him run to his back yard where a canal is located. Richards’s wife, Cynthia Vitiritti also heard the gun shot and saw Richard run towards the canal at the back of their residence. When Richard came back into the residence she asked if he shot the gun, Richard told her that he threw the gun in the canal.
I read Richard his Miranda Rights at 0015 hours from my agency issued Miranda Card. Richard stated he was upset because they were still making noise at 1900 hours. He got into an argument with them about the construction. Richard stated after arguing with them he came into his house and got his father’s firearm from the dresser. He had his wife turn off all the lights and he sat under his carport to wait for them to come back. When he heard a vehicle honk, he shot once towards the vehicle. Richard stated he meant to shoot above the vehicle. Richard stated he ran back to his dock and threw the firearm in the canal.
A spent 40 caliber casing was located under Richards’s carport, and the projectile was located in the roadway in front of his residence.
Based upon the inv estigation, interviews with the victims, witnesses and suspect, I have probable to believe that Richard committed the act of Attempted 1st degree Murder and Criminal Mischief when he sat and waited for the victims for almost an hour to return and shot directly at their vehicle causing damage. He is also charged with Discharging a Firearm in a Residential Area, and Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle. The shooting at the vehicle was imminently dangerous and demonstrated a depraved mind without regard for human life. A person of ordinary judgment would know the act of shooting towards a vehicle is certain to kill or do serious bodily injury to the occupants or others around them. The incident occurred in a residential area with occupied homes. Richard also committed the act of Tampering with Physical Evidence when he threw the firearm in the canal.
Due to the suspect, Richard Vitiritti retrieving the firearm and waiting for almost an hour for the victim’s to drive by the residence this shows the act was premeditated. The charge of Attempted First Degree Murder with a weapon is being charged.”
Senior Purchasing Manager of Southern Homes Wins Mr. Central Florida
by James Coulter
Brant Masters, Senior Purchasing Manager of Southern Homes, has many friends who went through the program at the Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center. He decided to give back to the organization by participating in its annual fundraiser, Mr. Central Florida.
Having raised more than $90,000 throughout the year, Brant Masters won the honor of being named this year’s Mr. Central Florida at the official ceremony on Saturday in the Bonnet Springs Park Event Center on Saturday evening.
Masters was one of several dozen participants who helped raise money for the Speech & Hearing Center through a yearlong fundraising campaign. As he helped raise the most money, he was honored with being conferred the honorary title that evening at the ceremony.
“It is a pretty special occasion to be here with all my friends and family here and to raise money for a very special cause,” Masters said. “I had a lot of friends go through the program, and to be able to help with that is pretty special.”
Masters owes his success to everyone who participated in his campaign, especially his family and friends, and especially to his campaign manager. He was especially grateful to his employer, Southern Homes, for letting him represent them this year and evening.
“A lot of the youth, [especially] special needs, they have gone through the hearing program to [learn to] communicate, and everyone wants to know they are loved and heard, and to give everyone the power to be heard is a special gift,” he explained. “We just appreciate everybody supporting such a great cause. It blew away the goal.”
The 10th Annual Mr. Central Florida was hosted this year by Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center, a local non-profit treatment facility dedicated to assisting patients with their speech, language and hearing disorders.
The fundraising event involves several volunteers raising money on their behalf throughout the year. The participant who raises the most money is named Mr. Central Florida.
This year’s fundraiser raised enough proceeds for them to construct a new Audiology Soundproof Testing Room, which will allow them “to help even more people”, according to a post on their Facebook page.
Roxann K Bonta, President/CEO of the Hearing Center, commended everyone for supporting her organization throughout the year. Through their efforts, they can help others improve their communication skills, and thus help them improve their relationships and self-actualization.
“With your help, we remove communication roadblocks or build ramps over them for people of all ages,” she wrote in the program. “Some are newborns who failed their neonatal hearing screening, some are preschoolers who need language to be successful in school. Some are teenagers who need to learn the subtleties of nonverbals to fit in socially. Some are adults who have Parkinson’s and need to learn new ways to make their needs known, or have had a stroke and need to learn to speak again. Some, as we all do, have lost some hearing and need to be fit with hearing aids to reconnect with work associates and loved ones.”
The Hearing Center highlights a patient and their story. This year, they showcased the story of Ayden, a young local boy who was unable to form words properly as a toddler. Through his sessions at the center, he learned to communicate through sign language. Eventually, he learned how to verbally communicate through form simple words through play learning.
“Today, Ayden presents with receptive language skills within normal limits,” the program stated. “He can use all speech sounds correctly in conversations…Ayden comes to therapy excited to learn and eager to try his best. His progress and success are what every speech/language pathologist dreams of seeing for their patients.”
In-Gauge of Polk County, an NRA affiliated, non-profit organization, gave away, free of charge, 150 child gun safety locks at the 46th Annual Pioneer Days Heritage Festival, conduct the weekend of October 29th and 30th, in Lake Wales, Florida.
In-Gauge of Polk County, located in Winter Haven, Florida participated in the Lake Wales 46th Annual Pioneer Days Heritage Festival providing a booth that promoted firearm safety, emphasizing child gun safety, October 29th and 30, 2022.
See a gun: Stop! Don’t touch. Run away. Tell a grown-up. Through a grant from the NRA, In-Gauge distributed free Eddie Eagle printed materials that included the Parent’s Guide to Gun Safety and kid activity books to adults and children who visited their booth.
In addition, In-Gauge provided free gun safety locks to all adults who wanted one. In the two-day period, 150 gun safety locks, donated by Wild Wild West Arms of Lake Hamilton, Florida, were given away.
Poinciana, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two men and charged them with attempted murder. Another unidentified suspect is also being sought and was involved in an incident that occurred on October 15, 2022 at a 7 Eleven on Marigold Avenue.
The following is an excerpt from the arrest affidavits of Renel Joseph Jr and Racious Thomas. (It should be noted that this is an unedited report of facts by the law enforcement. 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 October 15, 2022 at approximately 2200 hours, the suspect, Renel Joseph Jr, traveled to the 7-Eleven gas station located at 6519 Marigold Ave, Poinciana in his 2006 blue Honda SUV bearing FL tag DHQV25 with Racious Thomas (passenger) with the intention of selling a half ounce of cannabis (approximately 14 grams). The victim, REDACTED, traveled to the 7-Eleven in a white 4 door vehicle with the intention of purchasing cannabis. According to both Racious Thomas and REDACTED victim was not content with the cost or amount of cannabis to purchase. During the course of the narcotics sale, REDACTED walked to the white 4 door and minutes later the white 4 door pulled behind the blue SUV. REDACTED exited the vehicle and approached the blue SUV again on the driver’s side. An unidentified suspect also approached with REDACTED on the passenger side of the vehicle.After a few seconds, both REDACTED and the unidentified male suspect ran from the blue SUV. According to REDACTED the subjects in the blue SUV pulled out a handgun and began shooting at him. The unidentified subject then began shooting back at the occupants of the vehicle.
REDACTED suffered a gunshot wound to his right hand. Racious Thomas suffered a gunshot wound to his right hand, and a grazing gunshot wound to his right cheek. Both were admitted into Osceola Regional Medical Center for care and possible surgery.
Renel Joseph Ir was located sitting in the driver seat of his vehicle, blue 2006 Honda Pilot bearing FL tag DHQV25, in the parking lot of the Poinciana Medical Center, after dropping off Racious Thomas. The vehicle had bullet holes in the doors on the right side, the right side windows and rear window were shattered, which is consistent with the glass found at the scene. In plain view, a red duffel bag was visible on the passenger seat. The zipper was partially opened and a handgun magazine was observed inside the bag. Burns and stippling were observed around a bullet hole on the right side pillar directly behind the front passenger seat where the passenger clearly discharged a firearm towards the direction of the subjects from the white 4 door. Spent shell casings were visible inside the vehicle as well.
Multiple 9mm shell casings of different brands were located in the area behind the blue SUV. Multiple 40 caliber shell casings were located along the pathway the blue SUV took fleeing the gunshots. Renel Joseph Jr knowingly drove to the 7-Eleven for the purpose of selling cannabis, which is a felony. During the act of the felony, a shootout erupted between the two parties which injured two subjects. Rounds struck a support pole for the gas station, a gas pump, and the overhang of the station. The shootout had the possibility of causing death or great bodily harm to both subjects involved in the cannabis deal or the general public. Multiple customers at the 7-Eleven were observed running from the scene as gunfire erupted at the pumps. After the shooting, Joseph made no attempt to alert law enforcement and attempted to conceal the incident. As deputies located Joseph in his vehicle, he attempted to leave the parking lot before contact was made. Upon making contact with deputies, Joseph confirmed firearms were present in a red duffel bag on the passenger seat.
Probable cause exists to charge the suspect, Renel Joseph Jr, with attempted felony murder in vielation of F.S.S. 782.051(2). Joseph was arrested and transported to Polk County Jail without incident.
Probable cause exists to charge the suspect, Racious Thomas, with attempted felony murder in violation of F.S.S. 782.051(2), possession of cannabis over 20g, possession of cannabis with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia, obliterating a firearm serial number, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and culpable negligence. Thomas was arrested and transported to Polk County Jail without incident.”
