PCSO Investigating Fatal One-Vehicle Crash in Northeast Polk County on Sunday
A 21-year-old man was killed Sunday morning, August 30, 2020, in a single-vehicle crash in the Loughman area of Davenport. The victim was identified as Jabulani Graham of Loughman.
The Emergency Communications Center was notified of the crash at about 6:52 a.m., after a nearby resident noticed the headlights of Graham’s gray 2005 Hyundai Elantra illuminating through a wooded area.
Graham was deceased when deputies arrived on scene.
According to the preliminary investigation, Graham had been travelling south on Old Kissimmee Road near Loughman Park when he lost control of his car.
Evidence showed that the passenger-side tires went off the road while Graham was negotiating a curve. The car began spinning then went off of the east side of the road and struck several trees in the wooded area.
Speed too fast for wet road conditions is a possible factor in the crash, but the crash remains under investigation. It was determined that Graham was not wearing a seat belt.
Old Kissimmee Road was closed for approximately four hours.
Some people may not realize this, but law enforcement officers respond to a fair amount of medical calls, especially here in Polk County where we answer 911 and dispatch not just for law enforcement but also for Polk County Fire Rescue.
There are times where deputies arrive to scenes before paramedics, and we are trained to provide aide to people in medical crises. We also investigate deaths to determine whether or not they are medical, natural, suspicious, or suicides. Unfortunately, we are seeing an uptick in overdose-related deaths.
August 31st is International Overdose Awareness Day, and we wanted to acknowledge this very real problem that we have encountered 46 times so far this year. As cops, one of the things we can do about this issue is arrest those responsible for selling the poisons that kill people – but as first responders, we try to educate families and caregivers about the signs and dangers of drug addiction before the drugs prove fatal.
We know one thing – drug dealers are only concerned about making money, they don’t care about how drugs ruin people’s lives. Thankfully, Florida legislators passed a law in October 2017 encompassing the sale of heroin laced with fentanyl into the first-degree murder statute. We have charged drug dealers with murder in every case where we’ve been able to do so.
Here’s what you can do to help if you suspect someone has ingested too much of a prescription drug, illegal drug, or alcohol:
• Don’t assume someone is asleep if you can’t get a response. Sometimes it can take hours for someone who has overdosed to die – don’t wait.
• Call an ambulance. People are often reluctant to call an ambulance for fear of police involvement or concern about the cost.
• Know the signs:
o Having a seizure
o Experiencing a severe headache, chest pain, or breathing difficulties
o Extreme paranoid, agitated, or confused behavior
• Another key sign is unusual snoring or gurgling that indicates someone is having problems breathing.
If you need us, PLEASE call us – dial 911. Our response can be the difference between life and death.
Disturbance Turns into a Dangerous Shooting In Lake Wales
On August 28,
2020 at approximately 9:48pm officers responded to the area of Dr JA Wiltshire
Ave W and Miami St in reference to a crowd of people in the middle of the road
engaged in a fight and creating a disturbance. It was reported that during the
disturbance 2 – 3 gunshots were heard. As the officers arrived on scene to
investigate another call came in saying there was an adult male subject on
Martin Luther King Jr Blvd near Mobley St who had been shot in the leg. The
victim of the shooting told officers he was walking on Dr JA Wiltshire Ave W
when he was shot in the leg by an unknown person. After being shot, he ran to
the area where officers located him. The victim was transported by ambulance to
a nearby hospital in stable condition.
As officers were
investigating the disturbance and shooting they spoke to numerous people who
were out in the area but they were not able to locate anyone who saw what
happened or who could identify who was involved. Detective Ben Metz was
assigned the investigation and he responded to the hospital to interview the
victim. The victim confirmed he did not know who shot him and he did not wish
to pursue charges if the shooter was identified. Anyone who has information
about this shooting is asked to contact Detective Metz at (863) 678-4223
extension 265 or Heartland Crime Stoppers at (800) 226-8477.
Platform Art, Inc. Sound Sculpture Installed In Harrell Family Sensory Garden At Bonnet Springs
by James Coulter
Near the scenic shores of Bonnet Spring, within the Harrell Family Sensory Garden, a very peculiar sculpture will emerge from the landscape when it is moved to its permanent location in 2021.
Reminiscent of a treble clef symbol, the stainless steel sculpture incorporates natural vines, features reflective decorative elements and delicate chimes referencing the sense of sound. When the chimes blow in the wind, or are activated by curious hands, they’ll emit subtle sounds like gentle rain. The site-specific art piece integrates vegetation into the design, almost as if the sculpture is emerging from the landscape.
The Platform Art Sound Wall is the first sculpture representing one of the five senses for the Harrell Family Sensory Garden at Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland. The public artwork is temporarily installed near the main entrance on George Jenkins Blvd. until construction is complete.
The sensory sculpture, a Platform Art, Inc. public art project, was gifted to Bonnet Springs Park as the first of a series of sculptures for the sensory garden. This important gift helps the park meets its mission statement of creating an environment that enhances the local community by enhancing its natural and cultural landscape.
“The mission of Bonnet Springs Park is to enrich our community through nature, culture, recreation, and education,” its website states. “Our Park serves to unify the city’s diverse population, offering public spaces that serve the needs of many by providing engaging and diverse opportunities in education and recreation to residents and visitors.”
Becky Ault, nationally renowned artist from Art Research Enterprises, Inc., was commissioned by Platform Art to manage the design process and fabricate the sculpture. Platform’s unique program includes a student design competition specific to Polk County high school art classes.
This year, Platform selected All Saints Academy’s NuVu Studios for the project. Ms. Ault conducted workshop critiques with teams of students to develop concept designs representing one of the five senses. The Platform Art Sound Wall, designed by Laura Prazdnicane and Jiayun “Lucy” Zhang, was selected by a panel of judges to be further developed and fabricated by Ms. Ault.
All Saint’s NuVu Innovation Studio, a revolutionary STEM program that originated from Boston, engages students to utilize their scientific and creative skills to help create innovative solutions to problems.
“NuVu is a full-time innovation school for middle and high school students,” their website states. “NuVu’s pedagogy is based on the architectural Studio model and geared around multi-disciplinary, collaborative projects. We teach students how to navigate the messiness of the creative process, from inception to completion by prototyping and testing.”
“Former principal, Carolyn Baldwin, and the NuVu faculty were uniquely positioned to partner with Platform Art for this project,” explained Cynthia Haffey, Executive Director of Platform Art, Inc. “Their existing relationships with Sasaki Landscape Architecture in Boston, and Bonnet Springs Park contributed to the collaboration, engagement and communications throughout the design process,”
“The Sound Wall is an elegantly designed sculpture,” she continued. “Its’ spiral, serpentine wall, integrated into the landscape, indirectly references a treble clef symbol. The polished stainless decorative attachments suspended above the wall are highly reflective, and provide negative space to see through the work. The visual effects are surprising, encouraging viewers to spend time with the art in their discovery process.”
Sheriff Grady Judd will brief the news media at 9:45 am this morning at the intersection of Old Polk City Road and Hunter’s Run Blvd. in the north Lakeland area about an incident that occurred this morning off of Old Polk City Road involving a homeowner shooting a person trying to force entry into a residence. Details will be released at 9:45 am.
PCSO is seeking qualified men and women in various locations in Polk County who desire to work as substitute crossing guards.
The locations are: Lakeland, Bartow, and Fort Meade. The substitute should be available to work for one hour in the morning and for 30 minutes in the afternoon when scheduled to work a crossing.
Anyone interested in applying for a substitute school crossing guard should contact Supervisor Heather Strafford at (863) 534-7300 ext. 108. School Crossing Guard services are provided by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office through funds provided by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners. This vital program provides adult crossing guards at selected hazardous school crossings to ensure the safety of our elementary school children walking to and from school.
Well, they’re at it again! Scammers are calling residents in our City pretending to be a grandchild who is in jail. Ran with the wrong friend, got pulled over, landed in jail, needs bail money… you know how it goes. The same person called one of our residents two times yesterday. Our citizen didn’t fall for it and alerted us. Remember, do not EVER give out personal information or get prepaid cards. Just hang up! If you have ANY doubt, ask a question that you know only a true family member would know (such as ‘what is your sister’s name?’) – even if there isn’t a sister. Get it?
HAINES CITY, FL – A Haines City man and woman were arrested on Tuesday for their roles in a fatal single-vehicle crash that occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 8. Wilmark Huerta Orozco, 43, is being charged with DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, reckless driving with serious injury and driving without a license. Maribel Orosco, 38, is charged with witness tampering and resisting arrest. Orozco was driving a 2020 Toyota Corolla that was headed north on U.S. 27 before 3 a.m. on Aug. 8. The investigation determined he was traveling at a high rate of speed. As he attempted to exit onto East U.S. 17/92, he drove off the right side of the exit ramp, causing the vehicle to slide through the grass for about 100 feet before hitting a pine tree.
The impact from the tree caused the vehicle to split down the middle. The front half of the car came to rest on the north side of the road while the back half came to rest on the south side. Two passengers were located in the backseat, including 30-year-old Blanca Albarran, who was pronounced dead on the scene.
When officers arrived, Orosco was walking around the scene. Orozco was found face down about 50 feet away, having apparently walked there before passing out. Orosco told police that they had been at Rosie’s Sports Bar & Grill. Injuries to Orozco’s left shoulder indicated they had come from the driver’s side seatbelt. After initially claiming that she was driving, Orosco told police that Orozco was the driver.
Both were transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and released. The other passenger was admitted to LRHMC with non-life threatening injuries.
Blood drawn from Orozco returned a blood-alcohol level of .187 – more than twice the legal limit. Through the investigation, it was learned the Orosco contacted a bar employee, made threatening remarks and insisted that the employee tell police that Orosco was driving the night of the crash. The two were arrested on Tuesday. While being handcuffed, Orosco refused commands and continually tried to pull away before being taken into custody. Orozco is in the United States illegally.
“This is a sad case of complete disregard for the law and the life of others. We grieve the needless loss of a young woman, who had her whole life in front of her,” Chief Jim Elensky said. “I commend our Traffic Homicide Unit for their outstanding work conducting this thorough investigation. We say it all the time: if you’re going to drink, please do not drive. There is more at risk than just a DUI charge. We unfortunately saw that firsthand in this case.”
Excited to announce that Frostproof WILL have it’s Christmas Parade this year AND… our Grand Marshal will be Sheriff Grady Judd, with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office!
We will once again have our Holly Jolly Christmas Party at Henderson Field immediately following the parade! Parade will be December 5th.
Lake Wales, Florida – The Lake Wales Kiwanis Club has decided to cancel the 2020 Christmas Parade. Multiple factors lead to the decision, but specific reasons were not released. We can only imagine that COVID-19 was a major factor.
Lake Wales City Commissioner Curtis Gibson made sure it was clearly not a decision made by the city. “Some people have reached out to me asking why did the city turn down the Christmas parade. I was told that Kiwanis club made an collective decision to cancel the Christmas parade. Just want to people to know the city had no play in that decision.” Said Gibson.
Kiwanis Club members on social media were very saddened to have come to this decision. “ I have personally helped in 28 parades; I am sad. Please try not to shoot the messenger.” Said Kiwanis Club Poster.
