Auburndale, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting on Ellie Road in the unincorporated area of Auburndale, related to an occupied residential burglary.
The homeowner shot the suspect who was breaking in, and the suspect is deceased.
Updated article here: Irate Drunk Man Is Shot & Killed By Female Home Owner In Aburndale
Polk County Emergency Management:
Polk County Roads and Drainage to provide sandbag fill sites
Bartow, Fla. (Aug. 21, 2020) – Sandbags will be provided to Polk County residents at all Roads and Drainage maintenance units and another site in Poinciana from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Aug. 22 and 23.
A maximum of 10 sandbags will be provided to each vehicle to help prevent water intrusion into the home. Beginning Aug. 22, the following locations will provide sand and sandbags, so bring your shovel and get prepared.
Sandbag fill site locations are:
• Mulberry – 900 NE 5th St., Mulberry (863) 519-4734
• Lakeland – 8970 N. Campbell Road, Lakeland (863) 815-6701
• Ft. Meade – 1061 NE 9th St., Fort Meade (863) 285-6588
• Frostproof – 350 County Road 630A, Frostproof (863) 635-7879
• Auburndale – 1701 Holt Road, Auburndale (863) 965-5524
• Dundee – 805 Dr. Martin Luther King St. SW, Dundee (863) 421-3367
• Poinciana – Association of Poinciana Villages (APV) Public Works facility, 2012 Hemlock Ave., Poinciana
Residents living in flood prone areas are encouraged to sandbag their homes. To protect against water damage, follow these simple sandbagging techniques.
At the area where water can enter a structure:
Release by Winter Haven Police Department
We know it will be hard to identify, but maybe somone has some information to help us ID these three. On 8-19-2020 at 16 minutes past midnight (yes, the video is one hour off), the three are walking down Central Ave in Winter Haven. As they walk across 5th St from Central Park, one of them gets a part of a brick from the bag being carried. The brick is thrown into the window of The Gun Room damaging the protective security glass. Although the window didn’t break, there is still an estimated $500 damage done that must be repaired. The trio then continue west on Central Avenue towards Hwy. 17. They all had their faces covered in medical-style masks and gloves.W
Anyone who knows anything about this incident or who might be able to recognize the group is asked to call Det. Cobb at 863-401-2256. Callers wishing to remain anonymous should call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477). Callers are guaranteed anonymity and could be eligible for a CASH reward.
Bartow, Fla. (August 17, 2020) — The Polk County Facilities Management Division has scheduled parking lot improvements (resurfacing/striping) at the County Administration Building Boulevard Parking (Red) Lot. The work is currently scheduled to occur in two phases as noted below and shown in the drawing provided.
Repairs will be in two phases for the parking lot north of West Boulevard Street. Phase 1 will be on the western half and Phase 2 will be on the eastern half.
Boulevard Parking (Red) Lot Closure – Phase One Schedule: This parking lot area will be blocked off on Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. The phase one parking lot work starts on Friday, August 21, 2020 and is scheduled to be completed on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 by 6:00 a.m.
Boulevard Parking (Red) Lot Closure – Phase Two Schedule: This parking lot area will be blocked off on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at 6:00 a.m. and is scheduled to be completed on Friday, August 28, 2020 at 6 p.m.
In order to accommodate milling/resurfacing equipment, the parking of personal and government vehicles in the work areas will be prohibited during the scheduled work periods.
All vehicles should be removed from each planned work area BEFORE 5:30 p.m. on dates noted for each phase of work. Any vehicles not removed will be towed to the adjacent Mill/Boulevard lots.
Inclement weather may create a change in the work schedule. Updates, if necessary, will be sent, should this occur.
For more information, call the Facilities Management Division at (863) 534-5511 or Rafael Samaniego at (863) 344-2303 or email [email protected].
Bartow Police Department Press Release
Bartow Police Department Detectives arrested 15-year-old Marques Baker of Bartow on charges that include Grand Theft of a Motor Vehicle (2 counts), Burglary (6 counts), Criminal Mischief (1 count), Grand Theft – Damage greater than $1000.00, and Misdemeanor Theft (5 counts).
On 8/14/2020 and 8/15/2020, Bartow Police Officers responded to several reports of car burglaries and vehicle thefts in the area of South Kissingen Avenue. Bartow Detectives began neighborhood canvasses in search of leads and any possible witnesses. During their investigation, several video surveillance recordings were obtained that showed one of the suspects wearing an ankle monitor. Further investigation identified that subject as Marques Baker. Baker is currently on juvenile probation with an ankle monitor. It was discovered that Baker and another unknown suspect committed several crimes on the south side of town including six (6) car burglaries and stealing two vehicles among others.
“Our Detectives worked around the clock on this case to identify suspects. These suspects crept through the night pulling door handles looking for opportunities to steal. Fortunately for the community, suspect Baker was properly wearing his court mandated ankle monitor for the previous crimes he committed, and he was caught on camera during several of the burglaries. Those discoveries led us right to him. Now we need the community’s help to identify the second suspect” said Interim Chief Bryan Dorman.
If anyone has any information concerning these crimes or the identity of the second suspect, please contact Detective Toni Strickland at 863-534-5034.
Release by Winter Haven Police Department
A former PTO President and volunteer at Elbert Elementary School facing grand theft charges after unauthorized purchases using a PTO credit card.
Thirty-nine year-old Aaron Pickle (Roberta Dr., Winter Haven) was acting as the President of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) for Elbert Elementary when unusual transactions were discovered on the bank account that started occurring in August 2019. The card used was issued to Pickle with clear indicators of it being a school card for the PTO. The transactions included ATM withdrawals, Walmart purchases, food and even utility account payments, to include the City of Winter Haven Utilities.
When questioned by school staff, Pickle initially indicated that his credit card had been stolen and attempted to file a fraudulent charge dispute at the bank. Pickle claimed that more than $3,100 was taken without his permission using his PTO credit card.
The school looked closer at all of the purchases and when seeing a City of Winter Haven Utilities charge, they contacted the Winter Haven Police Department to make a formal complaint. When the transaction of the utilities was investigated, it was determined the location for the utility service was the address for Pickle.
On 8-19-2020, detectives made contact with Pickle and took him into custody without incident regarding the fraudulent charges. He was booked into the Polk County Jail on two counts of Grand Theft (F.S.S. 812.014(2)(C) F-3; one count of Fraudulent Use of Credit Card >3 Times (F.S.S. 817.61) F-3; and seven counts of Petit Theft (F.S.S. 812.014(3)(A) M-2.
The fraudulent charges listed in the affidavit are as follows:
1.) ATM Withdrawal, CENTERSTATE B 1101 FIRST ST WINTER HAVEN, FL $400.00 ($200 was used for school items, remaining was for groceries and utilities).
2.) POS Purchase, WAL Wal-Mart Super 2408 WINTER HAVEN FL $1,702.10 (Aaron used for rent payment).
3.) POS Purchase, WM SUPERCENTER # WINTER HAVEN FL $1,400.00 (Aaron used for rent payment).
4.) ACH ATM, POSS PUR in the amount of $188.97 to the City of Winter Haven Utilities on (Used for water utilities).
5.) Giovanni’s Pizza, for $224.00, (Aaron gave the card to Jewett Academy staff for pizza purchase).
6.) Family Dollar, for $50.10, (Aaron purchased toiletries and household items).
7.) Plaza Mexico Wahneta, for $20.00, (Aaron made purchase for personal).
8.) Big Daddy’s, for $22.97, (Aaron made food purchase).
9.) FPUC Easy Pay, for $65.90, (Florida Power & Utilities, Aaron paid utility bill for gas services)
Polk County Parks & Recreation:
Happy National World Mosquito Day! Yes, you read that right… the little bugs that bite, buzz and annoy any barbecue have a holiday. Polk County’s Mosquito Control unit is constantly at work to combat the pesky insects and improve public health!
One of the main ways that you can help prevent mosquitoes from living around your home is to eliminate any standing water. Standing water is an ideal spot for mosquitoes to breed and lay eggs.
Here is a checklist that you can use to see if you have any potential areas that could be place that attracts mosquitoes. Put a check mark in the places that apply!
For more information about Polk County Mosquito control, please visit https://www.polk-county.net/natural-resources/mosquito-control
LAKE WALES – City commissioners approved a mandatory face coverings ordinance Tuesday night, but amended the local law to remove enforcement burdens placed on local businesses.
The commission vote was 3-2 with Mayor Eugene Fultz, Robin Gibson and Terrye Howell in favor of the measure.
Commissioners Curtis Gibson and Al Goldstein voted against it, indicating that a resolution encouraging face masks being used in the city – passed on July 7 – was working, and that the measure would hurt local businesses, even with the enforcement provisions taken out.
“I just hope I’m wrong, that we’re not going to lose some business here in the city,” Goldstein said. “We have great merchants, and I think we put a burden on them with this mandate. But I’m only one vote,” he said.
“I hear the cry of the people on both sides, but most importantly I hear the cry of Lake Wales business owners. They’re taking a big impact,” Curtis Gibson added.
Robin Gibson said he believes the measure isn’t as restrictive as many think.
“I think it’s important to realize that this doesn’t say that you have to have a mask,” he noted. “Number one, if you’re outside you don’t have to have a mask and even inside you don’t have to wear a mask. It’s just if you can’t maintain that six foot distance that transmits the virus”
Howell was appreciative of the ordinance being tweaked.
“I like the amendment. It’s something that I was hoping for earlier,” she said. “It’s giving our business people a chance to do the right thing for our citizens. If you don’t like what they’re doing, you don’t have to show up. (And) I like that we are still trying to protect our citizens, because this is one of the things we’re supposed to do.”
The ordinance can be repealed upon a first and second reading and majority vote of the commission at any time. An emergency ordinance, which needed just one public reading and four votes to pass, and would only have been in effect for a 30-day period, failed on a similar 3-2 vote at the commission’s meeting of August 4.
OT systems are a critical piece of the US economy, Electrical Power Grids, Manufacturing Facilities, Water Supply, Food Production, plus much more. Some of the latest advancements in OT technologies take advantage of converged infrastructures allowing businesses to take advantage of operational efficiencies thus improving profitability.
In today’s environment OT leaders are not just focused on ensuring operations are functional but now have the added task of managing OT Cyber Security threats. According to a report provided by Fortinet 4 out of 10 OT Leaders lack the tools necessary to properly manage OT Security.
OT environments that depend on a converged infrastructure introduce new Cyber Security challenges that must be taken into consideration by the business. Unfortunately, this is one of the most vital pieces of Cyber Security that many organizations overlook or simply do not budget.
Here are a few of the basic items needed to help OT Leaders protect their environments.
First, the environment must ship OT device logs to a Security Information and Event Management solution (SIEM). The SIEM will collect all the data received then utilize AI to look for security events that could affect the environment. Example: A device in the OT environment has the Vulnerability Blue Keep running on its system. When the SIEM detects activities or signatures related to Blue Keep an alert can be sent to a SOC, NOC, or an organizations Security Operations Team for remediation.
Second, 85% of unique threats detected targeted Industrial Controls running OPC Classic, BACnet, and Modbus. Almost half of the data breeches in 2019 were due to software vulnerabilities exposed from unpatched environments. To understand your Cyber Security risk it is important to have an accurate inventory of the hardware and software living in the environment.
Your inventory will help you identify potential risks and develop strategies to patch the environment. For devices that cannot be patched it is important to develop a strategy that will allow you to place these devices behind some type of firewall so they can be protected from exposing their known vulnerabilities to the world.
Most of all, you need to have some type of endpoint protection installed on industrial systems. Endpoint protection will ensure only authorized software is allowed to execute in the environment. Endpoint protection can also alert when unknown software attempts to execute or a software abnormality is detected.
At the end of the day OT Leaders are working hard to keep operations running while increasing efficiencies through more automation. Unfortunately for most OT Leaders OT security is an afterthought or simply not on the table as OT Leaders struggle to obtain the talent, systems, or budget to manage the Security of their OT environments.
In my opinion budgets seem to be the biggest obstacle for many OT leaders. They simply do not understand how to measure or secure the OT environments they manage. This is where having a 3rd Party Cyber Security Expert can help.
As a Cyber Security Professional I can help businesses develop a strategy to identify risks, plan next steps to enhance their Cyber Security Posture, and ultimately help them develop Process, Procedures, and Standards that will ensure the OT environment is consistent, predictable, and secure.
Kip Kirchberg is an International Cyber Security Expert who has experience building World Class Cyber Security Teams. His experience has been leveraged by Multiple Fortune 500 organizations to help build, tune, and enhance their Cyber Security Posture.
Experience includes but is not limited to Building SIEM platforms, Endpoint Security, 3rd Party Remote Access, Industrial Control System’s, NextGen Firewall’s, Threat Hunting to Identify Cyber Security Risks, Generating Executive Reports that lead to actionable data, Build and maintain Incident Response Team’s, Draft and Adopt Corporate Cyber Security Governance, Internal and External Pen Testing, Team Building, plus much more….
You can reach out at 863-734-8060 or [email protected]
36-year-old Bryan Waddell of Ft. Meade was arrested yesterday afternoon (Tuesday, August 18) and charged with DUI with property damage, DUI (3rd violation w/in 10 years), driving while license suspended or revoked (DWLSR), refusal to submit to a lawful breath test, battery on a law enforcement officer, and resisting officer with violence.
Waddell’s license was previously revoked on 06/14/2017 for DUI and the length of the suspension was for 10 years. Waddell had a prior refusal to submit to a lawful breath test on 04/28/2017.
Deputies came upon a single vehicle crash at approximately 4:43 pm on Tuesday, where Waddell had driven a Ford F-150 off the roadway into an orange tree at Lake Hendry Road and Garfield Road near Fort Meade. As they began to investigate, it became clear Waddell was impaired. Though he appeared to be uninjured from the crash, Waddell smelled of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot and watery, he was swaying in an orbital pattern, and his speech was slurred.
When the deputy informed Waddell he was being investigated for DUI, Waddell told the two deputies he was leaving and going home. As he began to walk away from the area, the deputies took him by the arm. Waddell immediately tensed up, began to pull away, broke free, and then intentionally struck Deputy Sheriff Albert Williams in the face causing a contusion to the right eye, redness, and swelling to the right side of the face.
Deputies were able to gain control of Waddell and arrested him. Waddell and D/S Williams were both treated and released from Bartow Regional Medical Center. Waddell later refused a breath test at the Polk County jail booking center.
Waddell has a criminal history that includes seven prior arrests in Polk County and consists of DUI, leaving the scene of a traffic crash, resisting an officer without violence, criminal mischief, tampering with evidence, improper exhibition of a firearm, battery, disturbing the peace, and open carry of a weapon.
“We are fortunate Mr. Waddell only damaged his truck and an orange tree because of his intoxication while driving. He continues to demonstrate a flagrant disregard for our laws and for the safety of others. We will work hard to make sure he is held accountable for his drunk driving, violence against a law enforcement officer, and repeated violation of the law.” –Grady Judd, Sheriff
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