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Orlando Man Captured By PCSO K9 After Originally Fleeing Traffic Stop & Eventually Ditching Vehicle

Carl Fish
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Orlando Man Captured By PCSO K9 After Originally Fleeing Traffic Stop & Eventually Ditching Vehicle

On Saturday, February 12, 2022, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested 29-year-old Jason Starkweather of Orlando on multiple charges stemming from a traffic stop on Interstate 4. 

The incident began around 8:30 a.m., on Interstate 4 in Lakeland, when a deputy working a traffic safety initiative recorded a black Ford Mustang traveling at 94 miles per hour in a 70 mile per hour zone. The Mustang was also swerving within three lanes of traffic, cutting off other motorists, and almost caused a traffic crash. 

When the deputy conducted a traffic stop, he made contact with the driver, and noted there were two passengers inside the vehicle. Starkweather provided the deputy with a Florida State Identification Card.

The deputy smelled the odor of alcohol and observed numerous open containers inside the vehicle. Starkweather’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his speech was slurred. He refused to follow the deputy’s commands and put the car in drive to attempt to flee. 

The front seat passenger yelled at Starkweather not to run, grabbed the gear shift, and put the car in neutral. Starkweather again put the Mustang in drive and fled the scene, almost striking the deputy who was standing next to the driver’s side of the car. 

The deputy returned to his patrol car, activated his emergency lights, and followed the Mustang. Starkweather stopped at the end of the S.R. 33 exit and fled from the vehicle. As Starkweather exited the Mustang, he dropped a clear plastic bag containing a white powder, which later tested positive as cocaine. 

PCSO K-9 Units, the Aviation Unit, and deputies responded to establish a perimeter. K-9 Units tracked Starkweather to the Manheim Auto Auction on S.R. 33, where he was found hiding under a van in the business parking lot. 

Starkweather refused to come out and was apprehended by a PCSO K-9. Deputies spoke with both passengers, and learned that one them, 32-year-old Alex Murray of Orlando, had an active warrant for felony battery from Orange County. He was also taken into custody. 

“This man has a blatant disregard for the public’s safety. He put the lives of his passengers, my deputy, and the other drivers on the road in jeopardy. We will do everything we can to hold him accountable for his actions.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

Starkweather was arrested for:

  • False Imprisonment (F3)
  • Possession of Cocaine (F3)
  • Fleeing to Elude (F3)
  • Burglary (F3)
  • Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer (F2)Resisting a Law Enforcement Officer without Violence (2 counts) (M1)
  • Reckless Driving (M2)
  • DUI (M2)
  • Knowingly Driving with a Suspended Driver’s License (M2)
  • Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1)
  • Violation of Probation
  • Orange County Warrant

Starkweather’s previous criminal history includes 12 felonies and 7 misdemeanors, for charges of Domestic Violence Battery, DUI, Hit and Run, Grand Theft, Dealing in Stolen Property, False Verification to a Pawn Broker, Failure to Appear, multiple Driving with a Suspended Driver’s License, and Violation of Probation.

Kiwanis Celebrates Flipping For Charities For 63 Years

Allison
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Kiwanis Celebrates Flipping For Charities For 63 Years

Kiwanis Celebrates Flipping For Charities For 63 Years

by James Coulter

Catherine Cook has been a member of the Citrus Center Kiwanis Club for 26 years. She has served as president four times and lieutenant governor twice. Yet her most favorite role is being able to dress up as a pancake during her club’s annual Flipping For Charities.

After a two-year long hiatus, Cook and her club members were able to host their annual Lakeland tradition once again with their Flipping For Charities pancake event on Saturday morning. Once more, Cook donned her pancake costume and mingled with the many attendees who arrived for breakfast.

“This has been a Lakeland tradition…and we have not had it in the last two years,” she said. “I think the turnout has been very steady. We had a lot of advance ticket sales. Of course, we can always improve on this. I think it has been a great success.”

Sponsored by Citrus Center Kiwanis, Flipping For Charities was hosted at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Attendees could purchase tickets and enjoy an all-you-can-eat breakfast with pancakes, sausage links, and orange juice.

Proceeds went towards nine local charities, many of whom were showcased at the event, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Camp Fire Sunshine Council, Early Learning Coalition, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Girls Inc., Idols Aside, kidsPACK, Lobo Ranch, and Parker Street Ministries.

“Every dime you raise for profit goes toward those charities,” said Alan Higgin, President of Citrus Center Kiwanis. “We do not keep a dime for it. We hand out that money to those charities toward helping the community and those children.”

This is the first year Higgins has served as president. He is honored to take up the mantle. He was also proud to take up an apron and serve pancakes during this beloved local fundraiser. He especially appreciates representing a 100-year-old worldwide organization that has helped out their local community and the world at large.

As this was the first event to be hosted since the start of the pandemic, the turnout proved to be exceptional. Higgins saw huge lines stretch outside the stadium from the start of the event around 7:30 a.m. near the end around 11 a.m.

“I think the great thing about Kiwanis and this event is that it is a truly the first event, one of the few in our community where people of all kinds, [from across the] political spectrum, come together,” he said. “And what makes us success is people think of it as a tradition. People have been coming for 63 years, and they think of it as a tradition where they get a good breakfast and help a good cause, and it is the place to be.”

The Citrus Center Kiwanis took over the event five years ago. Initally, a local pub wanted to replace it with a rum festival, but Kiwanis preserved the event as it was to keep it family-friendly, Cook said.

Rebecca Knowles currently serves as President Elect. She anticipated being able to continue the good work of the organization, including the annual pancake fundraiser. She appreciates how the event allows so many locals to come together and enjoy each other’s company for a good cause.

“I think this event has a long history of helping the children in our community,” she said. “So people know to expect a fun event with a good turnout and we have so many good community partners, all of the charities that our event is supporting is here and everyone is coming together and working together for a great event.”

Lakeland Scholarship Competition Contestant Crowned Miss Polk County 2022 

Allison
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Lakeland Scholarship Competition Contestant Crowned Miss Polk County 2022 

Lakeland Scholarship Competition Contestant Crowned Miss Polk County 2022

by James Coulter

Eryn Grace LaLonde started competing in the Miss America organization her freshmen year of high school. She and her mother were looking for scholarship opportunities when they discovered a county fair pageant with a $500 scholarship. She did not win her first year competing or even her second year. But her third year competing in 2015, she finally won Miss Manatee County’s Outstanding Teen.

Since then, her career as a pageant contestant skyrocketed. She has been awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships. These scholarships have allowed her to obtain her master’s degree in healthcare administration and pursue her PHD.

“That spiraled into everything happening today from the connections that I made, and [I have been] really falling in love with an organization that does more than promote beauty,” LaLonde said. “The organization is so giving, and you get to meet so many individuals along the journey that it is setting you up for the future.”

LaLonde was crowned Miss Polk County during its competition at the Polk Theater in Downtown Lakeland two weeks ago. She is now eligible to compete at Miss Florida 2022 this June at the RP Funding Center. If she were to win that competition, she will be able to compete in the Miss America competition in December.

Nearly two weeks after being crowned, LaLonde has already set up meetings with the Lakeland mayor, several city commissioners, and even the Honorable Sheriff Grady Judd. She has gained many sponsors to help her on her journey, from providing her facials to giving her radio show appearances, and she has high expectations moving forward.

“Marketing myself has always come easy,” she said. “I have always been out there with marketing and public relations, so I am good with marketing myself.”

As someone who has been competing in pageants since she was in high school, she has learned that the secret to success is not trying to meet the expectations of other people, but rather, to be herself and not let the opinions of others bother her.

“[At the pageant], it is only the opinion of five judges on that specific day,” she said. “I had to [determine] how can I be the best version of myself and present it to the individuals who are electing me for that title…That is what I did for Polk County. I went in as Eryn. I did not go in as [a] Miss Florida who looks like her or tried to impersonate someone that I think the organization wants. I went in as myself and own all of my accomplishments.”

Having won more than $200,000 in scholarships during her career has allowed her to attend college debt-free. She wants other girls to be awarded the same opportunity, which is why her social impact initiative is, “Operation Success, Planning and Paying for Higher Education.” Her initiative helps students apply for scholarships that are readily available and teaches them how they can better obtain them.

“So many of them are not taught how to write a resume or apply for scholarships so they don’t,” she said. “Last year, $4.1 million in scholarship funds in Southwest Florida went unawarded in scholarships, but students in Florida took out $98.3 billion in student loan debt. So, trying to make an impact on high schoolers or even college students in their 50s and 60s, and they will help you apply for scholarships and alleviate student loan debt.”

So far, she has helped students apply for more than $37,000 in scholarships. This year alone, she helped four students in sixdifferent states apply for over $200,000 in scholarships. She hopes to continue inspiring more young girls, both on and off the stage, in the near future.

“That is why I compete, it helps me to get an education debt free without taking out of my scholarship savings, and that ties into my personal platform,” she said. “[It’s] just going into schools and educating students that you don’t have to take out loans to go to college. It does not need to be expensive.”

Learn more about LaLonde on her Instagram (Eryn.LaLonde) and Facebook (Eryn LaLonde Miss Polk County 2022), and her website at: ErynLalonde.com

15 Yr Old Boy Killed In Lake Wales Crash Sunday Night

Carl Fish
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15 Yr Old Boy Killed In Lake Wales Crash Sunday Night

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Press Release

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated a traffic fatality in Lake Wales last evening, involving a teenager on a dirt bike and an adult on a motorized bicycle. Preliminary details are as follows:

 

Around 7:35 p.m. on Sunday, February 13, 2022, 15-year-old Landen Cole Jackson of Babson Park was operating a green and black Kawasaki dirt bike northbound on Lewis Griffin Road near Grove Road 3 when he was struck head-on by 53-year-old Marrell Faison, Jr., of Lake Wales, who was going southbound on Lewis Griffin in the northbound lane on a black motorized bicycle. Jackson was critically injured and flown to a hospital as a trauma alert – he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital.

 

Faison was also critically injured and flown to a local hospital as a trauma alert. He is in critical condition.


Neither of the two involved in the crash were wearing helmets or protective gear, and neither of the bikes had lights (it was dark at the time of the crash). The roadway was closed for approximately three hours during the investigation, which is ongoing.

Charges Pending After Pickup Truck Allegedly Blows Through Stop Sign Killing 70 Yr Old Lakeland Woman

Carl Fish
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Charges Pending After Pickup Truck Allegedly Blows Through Stop Sign Killing 70 Yr Old Lakeland Woman

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated a two-vehicle crash in north Lakeland on Saturday, February 12, 2022, that resulted in the death of a passenger. Preliminary information is as follows:

 

Around 7:20 p.m. that evening, the PCSO ECC received 911 calls from the area of Sleepy Hill Road at the intersection with Galloway Road. According to the evidence and witnesses, a 2014 gold GMC Sierra pick-up truck was heading westbound on Sleepy Hill Road at the same time as a 2020 black Cadillac Escalade that was heading southbound on Galloway Road. The driver of the truck, 29-year-old Sondra Franceschi of Lakeland, admitted to deputies that she failed to stop at her stop sign and entered into the path of the Escalade, being driven by 39-year-old Kenia Ramirez of Lakeland. Her truck struck the Escalade on the driver’s door, and both vehicles spun. The Escalade also rolled over and came to a rest in a residential backyard.

 

One of the passengers in the Escalade, 70-year-old Isabel Morales of Lakeland, was critically injured and transported to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.

 

Neither of the drivers nor any of the other passengers were injured. The roadways in the area were closed for approximately four hours during the investigation, which is ongoing. Charges are pending the final outcome of the investigation.

UPDATE: Bartow Police Investigate Summerlin Street Crash Involving 6-Year-Old Child

Staff Reporter
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UPDATE: Bartow Police Investigate Summerlin Street Crash Involving 6-Year-Old Child

*UPDATE*

On Friday, February 4, 2022 at approximately 4:00 PM, the Bartow Police Department responded to a crash in the 1000 block of Summerlin Street involving 18-year-old Nicholas Davis. Davis, who was riding an off-road dirt bike, was traveling west bound when he crashed into a child, 6-year-old Michael Harmon.

Harmon died from injuries sustained in the crash on February 10, 2022 at approximately 1:09 PM.  Davis’ remains in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

This is an ongoing investigation.

Original Release:

Bartow Police Department investigators are currently investigating a traffic crash on Summerlin Street involving a 6 year old child.  Preliminary investigation revealed that an adult driver of a dirt bike was traveling west on Summerlin Street when a child crossed in front of the dirt bike.  As a result, the dirt bike struck the child causing multiple injuries.

The child and the adult are in serious condition and both were transported to the hospital for treatment.

This investigation is ongoing.  Neither party will be identified until all next of kin are notified.

Another CSX Crossing Closure Scheduled for Fort Meade

Staff Reporter
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Another CSX Crossing Closure Scheduled for Fort Meade

Bartow, Fla. (February 10, 2022) —CSX Transportation is adding another rail repair project to its ongoing upgrades in the Fort Meade area. The West Broadway Street crossing just east of N. Brown Avenue in downtown Fort Meade will be closed Saturday, February 12 through Tuesday, February 15 to install a new track panel. Short detours will redirect traffic to bypass crossing. Commuters are advised to drive carefully, follow detour signs, and add extra time to trips through Fort Meade.

The Polk County Board of County Commissioners and County Manager’s Office regret any disruptions caused by CSX closures. However, longstanding statutory entitlements give CSX considerable authority to close public roads crossing their railway lines. Polk County recognizes these repairs are necessary and will make for better and safer driving conditions when completed.

Anyone wanting to report a public road rail crossing issue or complaint should call CSX at 1-800-232-0144 or email them at [email protected].

Florida Midland Railroad Closing Hunt Brothers Road In Lake Wales For Two Days

Staff Reporter
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Florida Midland Railroad Closing Hunt Brothers Road In Lake Wales For Two Days

Bartow, Fla. (February 10, 2022) — On Monday, February 14, Florida Midland Railroad Company, Inc. will close Hunt Brothers Road at their rail crossing west of Lilly Street near the Hunt Brothers Citrus Growers Cooperative in Lake Wales. The two-day long repair project will be the first of six scheduled along nearly nine miles of Florida Midland tracks from Lake Wales to Frostproof. Traffic will be detoured to bypass closed crossing. Motorists can use County Road 17-B and Lewis Griffin Road as alternate routes to Hunt Brothers Road. Commuters are advised to drive carefully, follow detour signs, and add extra time to trips through this are

Contact Bill Skelton with the Polk County Roads & Drainage Division at 863-535-2200 for further details.

PCSO Continues Traffic Safety Initiative Along I-4 in January; Deputies Conduct 425 Traffic Stops and Write 312 citations

Staff Reporter
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PCSO Continues Traffic Safety Initiative Along I-4 in January; Deputies Conduct 425 Traffic Stops and Write 312 citations

Throughout 2022, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit is conducting a year-long traffic safety initiative on Interstate 4 in response to aggressive driving and excessive speeding within Polk County.

During January, 2022, deputies:

  • Stopped 425 vehicles for various violations
  • Issued 312 citations
  • Arrested 9 people

Of the citations issued:

  • 102 drivers were traveling between 90-99 miles per hour
  • 18 drivers were traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour, with the highest speed recorded being 109 miles per hour

The speed limit on I-4 where it runs through Polk County fluctuates between 65 MPH or 70 MPH. Per Florida Statute 318.18(3)(b), the cost of a traffic citation for speeding in excess of 50 MPH on an Interstate is $1,104 and a required court appearance.

The average speed for citations written was 90 mph in the 70 mph zone and 86 in the 65 mph zone. The traffic safety initiative is on-going.

“According to the Teletrac Navman study, Interstate 4 is the most dangerous highway in the United States. It is our mission to keep you safe while in Polk County along this stretch of roadway by enforcing the speed limit and arresting those who drive recklessly. Please, slow down and pay attention. Your life and safety are important to us.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

PCSO Jail Inmate Work Program Saved Taxpayers Over a Million Dollars in 2021

Staff Reporter
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PCSO Jail Inmate Work Program Saved Taxpayers Over a Million Dollars in 2021

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Inmate Work Program accomplished 281 projects in 2021, and saved the county over a million dollars in the process.

The Inmate Work Program provides convicted criminals –those who commit crimes such as traffic violations and drug crimes – to pay their debt to society through work instead of being sentenced to jail. This is an alternative sentencing option judges can choose to administer.

Picking up trash is one of the primary duties assigned to those in the program, but they also help keep parks, schools, public facilities, and cemeteries clean. Throughout the year, they painted government buildings; completed landscaping projects for county, state, and city properties; cleaned up the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Villa; filled sandbags; and participated in five Keep America Beautiful events.

Inmates worked more than 111,656 hours and ultimately saved taxpayers $1,135,541.52 (calculated at $10.17 per hour). In addition, the inmates themselves pay to participate in the program, funding the cost of the program.

They collected 35,843 bags of trash and 3,458 discarded tires, and cleaned almost 1,000 miles of roads in 2021.“This program is a win-win. It not only saves taxpayers millions of dollars, it also allows those who have violated the law and who have jobs to keep them. Additionally, they can continue to support their families and feel proud that their hard work has made Polk County an even better place to live, work, and visit.”– Grady Judd, Sheriff

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