Lakeland, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation of a deceased woman. The situation occurred at a home near the intersection of Skyview Dr. & 6 Iron Dr. in Lakeland.
According to Carrie Horstman, Polk County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, it is a death investigation involving a woman. The medical examiner is conducting an autopsy Monday. No additional information is being released by the sheriff’s office at this time.
People started noticing multiple deputy vehicles along with multiple forensic crime scene units prior to noon Saturday morning. The PCSO mobile command center and forensic lab were on scene Saturday also.
We will update this article as more information is released.
300 Free Backpacks Given Away At Back To School Kick-Off
by James Coulter
School is right around the corner, and children now more than ever need to prepare themselves for what comes next, whether it’s a big test or COVID-19.
Fortunately, nearly 300 local students will be able to go to school with a new backpack after receiving one at the Back To School Kick-Off at Visit Central Florida on Saturday.
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Children and their families were able to receive backpacks and other school supplies during the annual back to school event last weekend at the Visit Central Florida Visitor Center in Davenport.
Nearly 300 free backpacks were distributed to the first 300 children who arrived with their guardians at the center that morning. Other school supplies and free goodies were also provided by vendors from local businesses and organizations.
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American Care attended to offer children free notebooks while informing senior citizens, especially Medicare recipients, about their healthcare services. Their organization has been attending several events at the visitor center. They care about the community, and they want to help give back however they can, explained volunteer Ken Vill.
As for this weekend’s event, it provided “great weather, great people, [and] great turnaround,” Vill said. “It feels good to give back to the community.”
i9 Sports, a local recreational center, knows from first-hand experience the importance of providing children with a fun and educational experience. Their organization hosts events every weekend to teach children about sports like basketball, soccer, and flag football.
i9 Sports has attended events at the visitor center such as this. They appreciate being able to help local children, especially during unprecedented times like these, said volunteer Lourdy Kelsey.
“We think this is great,” she said. “It [allows parents] to do something with their kids to see what is out there…We hope that kids and their families remain safe while also being able to enjoy the school year.”
Chris Budde, an associate of Cypress Gardens Water Ski Team, attended to provide index cards from Webb’s Candy and colored pencils from her team. One of the staff members at the visitor center also helps with marketing with the ski team, so partnering with them for this event was a no-brainer for them.
“I think it is wonderful,” she said. “People have not been able to do enough in the last five months, and they had a great turnout today.”
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal shooting that occurred in the unincorporated area of Auburndale.
During the late evening hours of Friday, August 21, 2020, four friends (two men and two women) went to a pool hall in Lakeland to hang out. They left the pool hall and went to a liquor store where they purchased a bottle of whiskey, then drove to a house on Ellie Road in Auburndale. The house belonged to one of the two women. They arrived around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 22, 2020.
Around 6:00 a.m., the other woman (not the homeowner) and her live-in boyfriend got into a heated argument. The boyfriend’s friend (witness) told the boyfriend they needed to leave, in an attempt to de-escalate the argument. The two men left, but the boyfriend, who was still angry, decided he was going back to the house because he wanted his girlfriend to come home with him.
The boyfriend immediately began banging and kicking the front door, demanding that his girlfriend come out. He then went to the car, where the witness was still sitting and observing everything, and got a tire iron. He used the tire iron to break out a front window on the house, screaming and irate, and threatening to kill the two women inside.
The homeowner retrieved her handgun, and fired towards the suspect, who was forcibly breaking into the house. She then called 911. When first responders arrived, he was deceased.
The decedent/armed burglary suspect has been positively identified as Joshua Mathieu, DOB 1/31/86, of Lakeland. He had a criminal history dating back to 2010, including several battery arrests (in 2013, 2015, and 2019), two burglaries, and several disorderly conduct arrests
Lakeland, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation at a home near the intersection of Skyview Dr. & 6 Iron Dr. in Lakeland.
According to Carrie Horstman, Polk County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, it is a death investigation. No additional information is being released by the sheriff’s office at this time.
People started noticing multiple deputy vehicles along with multiple forensic crime scene units prior to noon Saturday morning. Currently the PCSO mobile command center and forensic lab are on scene.
We will update this article as more information is released.
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 attempted home invasion.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd the shooting occurred around 6:30am Saturday morning. Allegedly a drunk and irate man tried to break into a home to get to his girlfriend. According to Judd the girlfriend was inside the home of a friend. The homeowner, female, shot the suspect who was breaking in, and the suspect is deceased.
According to Judd the suspect, girlfriend, home owner & another man had been out drinking earlier together. An argument ensued between the boyfriend & girlfriend. The girlfriend & homeowner went into the home. The boyfriend and other man left and came back. The boyfriend eventually got a tire iron and threatened to break in if the two women didn’t let him into the home. He took the tire iron and smashed a window and was shot.
We will update as more information is released. No names or ages have been released.
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.
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:
If not working on concrete, a small ditch should be dug just deep enough to go below ground level. The ditch should be back far enough from the entrance to allow room to place optional submersible (sump) pumps into the protected area. The edge of the visqueen should be placed in the ditch as a bottom layer.
Place the first row of sandbags in ditch, fold visqueen over the top of first row, place a second row of bags on top, fold visqueen back over, place a third row of bags on top, and so on. This creates an “S” pattern with the visqueen.
Depending on the size of the barrier, one or more submersible (sump) pumps should be utilized. The barrier will not completely stop water from entering the protected area. However, with the proper placement of bags, visqueen and sump pumps, water, in most cases, can be removed quickly.
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 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.
