PCSO Investigating a Fatal Crash Which Killed a Pedestrian on Saddle Creek Road
On Wednesday, July 29, 2020, at about 4:52 pm, PCSO Traffic Homicide Unit responded to a vehicle crash on Saddle Creek Road near Tenoroc High School in Lakeland. The crash killed 50 year-old pedestrian Pierre Rogles Louis of Winter Haven.
The vehicle involved was a 2005, green Chevrolet Malibu driven by 62 year-old Emile Jean Baptiste of Winter Haven.
Evidence and witness statements indicate that Louis was driving eastbound on Saddle Creek Road when he stopped to assist a disabled vehicle on the north shoulder of the road, parking his vehicle approximately 100 feet east of it. Louis then exited his vehicle and walked west to check on the other driver.
At the same time, Baptiste was traveling eastbound and it appeared that he failed to see the slowing traffic. Baptiste emergency braked and swerved off the road to avoid a crash, but instead, struck Louis. The Malibu stopped in a water-filled ditch.
Louis was pinned beneath the Malibu, submerged in water and tangled in a barbed wire fence.
Baptiste and passers-by, searched for Louis but were unable to locate him beneath the Malibu. PCSO along with Polk County Fire Rescue pulled the Malibu out of the ditch and located Louis, deceased.
Baptiste was evaluated by a several DUI trained deputies and displayed no signs of impairment.
Saddle Creek Road was closed for about two and a half hours, during the investigation, which remains on-going.
Local
Author Ponders “What Is A Dream” In New Children’s Book
by
James Coulter
I wonder what I’ll dream tonight?
What places will I go?
I guess until I close my eyes
I’ll never really know.
Little
Ari ponders this very query while preparing for bed. She soon hears a voice ask
her, “What is a dream?”
She
looks to see that it’s none other than her dog, Pepper, talking to her. At
first, she’s surprised to hear her pet talking to her; but upon realizing that
Pepper is her friend, she quickly calms down and accepts her dream-like
reality.
Together
they go on an epic journey to find the answer to their question. Through the
five senses, they learn how a dream looks, sounds, feels, and also what a dream
smells and tastes like. Little Ari even reveals a magic formula to create your
own dream.
“What
is a Dream?” is the second book in the children’s book series, “Let’s
Go Dreaming”, written by Lakeland author Shanita Allen. Last year, she
published her first book in the series, “Sleep, Tiny Dreamer”, a
lullaby-ish book that encourages children to think about the things they will
see and do in their dreams as they go to bed.
Allen
works as a Behavior Analyst. She has more than 17 years of experience serving
individuals with developmental disabilities in the Hillsborough County area. As
someone who loves to read and write, she wanted to create her own children’s
book series to put the skills she learned as a Behavioral Analyst into
practice.
“My
driving inspiration behind all of my books is to encourage young minds to
believe in themselves, to know that they can have anything they set their minds
to as long as they have the confidence and courage,” Allen said.
Her
journey towards becoming a children’s book author started nearly two years ago.
She wrote the initial rough drafts of the first nine books in her series in
August 2018. She even shared her preliminary work with fellow writers at a
local writer’s group, Writer’s For All Seasons, led by local author and agent
Evelyn Rainey.
Since
her first book, “Sleep Tiny Dreamer”, was published in September 2019,
Allen has experienced tremendous success as an up-and-coming author. Her
Facebook page has received more than one thousand likes, and the Amazon reviews
for her first book have consistently received five-star ratings.
One
of the reviewers even visited the skit that she performed for several children at
the New River Library in Pasco County last year to promote her book. The reviewer
mentioned how much his eleven grandchildren loved hearing the story read to
them by him.
“This
young Author should be very proud,” he wrote. “She’s touching so many
lives of all ages, reminding some of us, To Dream again!”
Allen
also had the honor of being featured in a cover article in The Ledger,
receiving a thank you letter from the British royal family, and even receiving
a personalized letter from the Honorable Sheriff Grady Judd.
She
was scheduled to have her first book signing at Barnes & Noble earlier this
year in April, but that event, like many other events, were postponed due to
the current COVID-19 crisis. Allen had the opportunity to visit countless
schools and classrooms to speak to children about her book, yet recent events
have forced her to do most of her promotional work virtually.
“My
expectations are eventually to get back to somewhat of a normalcy, so that I
can physically connect with my audience,” she said. “I love being
able to go into a classroom, and read to the children and have that
individualized attention I was giving each and every one of them when I read
them my story and ask about their thoughts and input and what their dreams
were.”
Allen
not only hopes to eventually return to visiting schools, libraries, and book stores
for books readings and other events, but she also hopes that children will be
able to safely leave home to attend these events.
“I
want to give them hope that everything is going to be okay, things will return
to normal at some point, they just have to be patient and keep thinking
positive,” she said.
Moreover,
she hopes that children will be just as inspired reading her books as she was
writing them. She wanted to share an inspiring message for young readers to
dream big.
“Nothing
is beyond your reach,” she said. “Doesn’t matter where you came from,
doesn’t matter how much money you have, doesn’t matter your race or religion,
all that matters is that you believe in yourself and you keep striving, you
don’t take no for an answer.”
To
learn more about “Let’s Go Dreaming”, visit her website at:
https://www.letsgodreaming.com
Her two books are available for purchase on Amazon: amazon.com/author/shanitaallen
On July 29, 2020, PCSO detectives arrested 56 year-old Martin William Grenfell, candidate for the office of Polk County Commissioner, District 1. On February 22, 2013, Grenfell was convicted in federal court of felony Trafficking in Counterfeit Labels and received three years’ probation. On November, 18, 2012, Grenfell entered into a plea agreement for the above charge. According to the affidavit, “On page 14 of [Grenfell’s signed] plea agreement, the following is written, ‘The defendant also understands that defendant will be adjudicated guilty of the offenses to which defendant has pleaded and, if any of such offenses are felonies, may thereby be deprived of certain rights, such as the right to vote, to hold public office, to serve on a jury, or to have possession of firearms.’”
According to the affidavit, “Grenfell received a Sentencing Memorandum in Support of a Reasonable Probationary Sentence. On page four (4) the following is written, ‘Mr. Grenfell pled guilty to a non-violent felony. As a result, he will lose his right to vote, run for office, possess a firearm, and probably most importantly to him, the opportunity to volunteer in his children’s school and after school activities.’”
The affidavit continues, “Under Article 6, Section 4, of the Florida Constitution, it is written, ‘No person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in this or any other state to be mentally incompetent, shall be qualified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil rights or removal of disability. Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, any disqualification from voting arising from a felony conviction shall terminate and voting rights shall be restored upon completion of all terms of sentence including parole or probation.’ The Florida Constitution does not include restoring the ability to run for office upon the completion of all terms of a sentence, only voting rights.”
According to the affidavit, Grenfell “completed the Candidate Oath form in its entirety on 6/12/2020. On the Candidate Oath form, it states, ‘I, (Name) am a candidate for the office of (Office) (District #), (Circuit #), (Group or Seat #); I am a qualified elector of ____ County, Florida; I am a qualified under the Constitution and the Laws of Florida to hold the office to which I desire to be nominated or elected.’ To which Martin printed his name “Martin Grenfell”, the office “Polk County Commission”, the district “1”, and the County “Polk”, and signed the bottom of the form in the “Signature of Candidate” portion.”
The Candidate Oath form was then notarized. By signing the Oath, Grenfell attested that he is qualified to hold office under the Constitution and the Laws of Florida which includes the prohibition against holding an elected office by a convicted felon. “During the election process it is fundamental that individuals comply with the rules and laws that are in place to ensure a fair and honest election.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Grenfell was arrested and charged with FSS 104.011, False Swearing with Regard to Voting (F-3).
In 2019 it has been estimated that Cyber related crimes costs businesses over $2 Trillion dollars globally. It is really hard to pinpoint an exact cost on Cyber Crimes committed annually because only 10-12% of Cyber Crimes are reported to authorities. Since Cyber Crimes are so profitable it is understandable why a new attack is launched about every 39 seconds.
In fact, approximately 85 percent of small business owners believe their company is safe from hackers, viruses, malware or a data breach. This disconnect is largely due to the widespread belief that small businesses are unlikely targets for Cyber-Attacks. In reality, Cyber Criminals are simply looking for an easy target with the path of least resistance. Symantec’s study found that 40 percent of attacks are against organizations with fewer than 500 employees.
The first step to securing your environment is to have a clear understanding of where you stand from a Cyber Security prospective.
Risk Assessment
Business Leaders should have a risk assessment of their environment
conducted to help them determine what the current Cyber Security posture of
their organization is. Having a Cyber Security Assessment completed will provide
action driven data to the business that will allow them to develop a strategy
to address high value assets that are at risks in order to take the appropriate
steps to mitigate or reduce exposure.
In fact with a Cyber Security Assessment you will learn there are simple things you can do to reduce Cyber Security risks. For example, Ensuring Firewall’s, Operating System Software, and Endpoint Protection is installed and up to date on all systems. By simply ensuring all the doors are locked or at least secure your organization can deter most lower level Cyber Attacks.
Second, stay Intune with current Cyber Threats. Cyber Criminal are always looking for new exploits. Cyber Criminals often use Darknet Forums to share new attack vectors with each other. Cyber Attackers use peers to help perfect their craft before exposing their new method of attack to the real world. Once a new exploit is successfully launched in the real world other Cyber Criminal act quickly take advantage of the new exploit before it is discovered and blocked. Once the trend becomes common knowledge, organizations learn how it works and take the appropriate mitigation steps to address the exploit or vulnerability.
Most of all implementing some type of SIEM in your environment will help your organization be proactive at detecting potential Cyber Security threats. When a SIEM detects a potential area of compromise the AI built into the SIEM can send an alert to your IT staff or Outsourced Security Operations Center for further review. By proactively investigating a potential Cyber Security event you can reduce the overall impact and loss should the event turn into a Cyber Security Incident.
At the end of the day many Organization’s typically don’t have the in house resources or budget to employ a Cyber Security Team to protect their business. Many IT staff are simply trying to keep up and put out day to day operational fires. Local IT staff simply do not have enough time in the day to investigate potential Cyber Security Threats.
Whether you’re looking to secure Cyber Security Insurance or simply looking to ensure your environment is secure from Cyber Criminals I can help you custom tailor a solution to accomplish your business goals.
For a free consultation to discuss your organizations needs please feel free to reach out at 863-734-8060 or email [email protected]
Kip Kirchberg is an International Cyber Security Expert who
has experience building Cyber Security Teams and working with Multiple Fortune
500 organizations. Experience includes but is not limited to Building SIEM
platforms, Endpoint Security, 3rd Party Remote Access, Industrial Control
System’s NextGen Firewall’s, Helping Organizations Identify Cyber Security
Risks, Generating 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, plus much more….
Tire
Recycling Collection Event Set for Saturday, August 8, 2020 in Wahneta
Keep Polk
County Beautiful, Inc. in partnership with the support of Polk County Board of
County Commissioners and Advanced Disposal Services is hosting a special Summer
Tire Recycling Collection Event at Lake Gwyn Park- 423 4th Street
East, Wahneta on Saturday, August 8th from 8am- noon.
Polk County residents and
agricultural land owners may dispose of up to 24 tires per vehicle. No Tractor or Off-Road Tires will be
accepted. Legal hauling limits will be
strictly enforced. Absolutely NO Commercial or Automotive Businesses will be
allowed. This will be strictly enforced.
Social Distancing requirements
will be in effect, please plan to unload your tires in the designated areas at
this event. For questions, call Keep
Polk County Beautiful, (863) 875-8911.
It is a violation of Florida Administrative Code Rules to transport more than 24 Waste Tires over public highways without a permit. Violation of this rule would constitute a 1st degree criminal misdemeanor and be punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 and/or by 6 months in jail for further information please regarding the handling of waste tires please visit the DEP website http://www.dep.state.fl.us/ .
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit responded to a two-vehicle crash the evening of Tuesday, July 28, 2020 in Winter Haven. The crash killed 35 year-old Michael Sweet of Winter Haven who was driving a 1999, blue Chevrolet Ventura Van, Sweet’s van was struck head-on in his lane by a truck driven by a drug dealer on federal probation.
The at-fault vehicle was a 2019, black Chevrolet Silverado Pick-up truck driven by 36 year-old George Pizano, Jr. of Bartow. A 10 year-old child was a passenger in the vehicle. Neither Pizano nor the child were wearing seatbelts. Neither suffered serious injuries.
According to the preliminary investigation, at approximately 7:28 pm, Sweet was traveling northbound on 42nd Street Northwest when Pizano’s Chevrolet Silverado, traveling southbound, crossed the double center line hitting the Chevrolet Ventura head on. Sweet’s van spun and overturned causing the roof to collapse. He was declared deceased on-scene.
Video of the crash was obtained which supports the detectives’ initial findings.
During the investigation, detectives spoke with Pizano, who smelled of marijuana, and observed Pizano demonstrating actions indicating impairment as a factor in the crash. According to the affidavit, those indications “include the clear and obvious odor of cannabis coming from his person and breath, [Pizano] having issues with balance as he was walking, swaying while he was standing, bloodshot and watery eyes, attempting to cover his mouth with his hand in what appeared to be an attempt to hide his mouth or redirect his breath, to show signs of confusion when recalling the events of the crash and drowsiness. This confusion included recalling what direction he was coming from, where he was going, and what happened during the crash. These are all indications of possible impairment.” A blood sample was obtained to confirm Pizano’s impairment. “Some people just don’t learn, and George Pizano is one such person. He has been on federal probation less than a year and is right back to his old tricks. This is one more example of a so-called “low-level, non-violent” drug related to a fatal and heartbreaking conclusion. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of Michael Sweet.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Pizano was arrested and charged with DUI Manslaughter (F-2), DUI with Property Damage (M-1), and Child Neglect (F-3). Pizano’s criminal history includes 19 felonies and 17 misdemeanors. Pizano is also on Federal Probation for drug trafficking. Pizano, the ringleader of a large-scale drug trafficking organization, was federally charged and sentenced on March 30, 2011, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of probation. Pizano did not serve his full 20 years, instead he was early released to probation on August 16, 2019.
LAKELAND, FL (July 29, 2020) – Detectives with the Lakeland Police Department are currently on scene of a death investigation near the area of Fairbanks Street and Bella Vista Street. This morning human remains were found in the area. At this time, detectives are unable to confirm the identity or cause of death of the victim. The remains will be transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office for examination.
No additional details are available at this time, as this is extremely early in the investigation. An update will be provided as soon as possible.
Lakeland Homemade Cookbook Offers 350 Recipes From Residents
And Businesses
by James Coulter
Are you looking for a new recipe to prepare for your
next meal? Have you considered making a buffalo chicken queso dip? Or broccoli
salad? Or how about marinated cheese? All of these recipes and more can be found
in a cookbook provided by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce.
“Lakeland Homemade” offers more than 350
recipes, all provided by Lakeland residents, business owners, and other
community members. The cookbook features recipes for main dishes, appetizers,
desserts, and more.
The cookbook was released last November by the
Lakeland Chamber of Commerce and compiled from submissions provided by city
residents and business owners. The book was created not only to help support
local businesses and organizations, but to also foster a sense of community by
collecting favorite recipes from members of the community.
“It is a way to get the citizens of the community
in the home in a different way as well as to create a community feel,”
explained Darla Sechrest Pettaway, Chief Development Officer for the Lakeland Chamber
Foundation. “It incentivizes businesses and individuals within the
community.”
While Darla hasn’t tried every single recipe, she has
tried many of them. Some sound weird at first such as the marinated cheese, but
once you try them, you discover that they’re surprisingly better than expected,
she said.
“I have tried so many of them myself and they are
delicious!” she said. “One of my favorites is Mara’s Marinated
Cheese. When I first heard it, I didn’t even want to look at it, but after I
tried it, it was really good.”
She also tried many of the crockpot recipes. They
allowed her to use her crockpot more often, as well as to prepare meals easily
without having to wait over a hot stove. All she needs to do is turn the
crockpot on and have it cook.
By far, her favorite recipes were the desserts. As
someone with a real sweet tooth, she especially loved the Chocolate Chip
Blondies.
Being able to try out so many different and new
recipes from throughout the local community was one of the reasons why the
Chamber decided to create the cookbook in the first place. They wanted to
create something that brought the community closer together, and nothing
accomplishes that goal better than food.
“One of the functions of the Chamber is to create
a sense of community,” she said. “[The book] was an interesting way
for our Chamber to help businesses their names in the homes of the Lakeland
community.”
Kathy Guin, Volunteer Coordinator for Lakeland
Volunteers in Medicine, has many recipes she collected over the years. She
received many of them when she and her husband first married and she wanted to
learn to cook for themselves.
One of the recipes she submitted was for Broccoli Salad.
Many times, she would visit someplace, and people would ask her to bring the
same food every time. Those recipes proved to be her most popular, she said.
“A lot of people are so busy they do not have
time to sit in the kitchen all day,” she said. “So I wanted to make
it easy for them yet [also] delicious and tasted like it took hours to
make.”
As her organization works closely with the Chamber,
she and her staff were approached to submit recipes. She sent an e-mail
requesting recipes from her fellow staff members and volunteers, and they, in
turn, submitted many recipes that were added to the cookbook.
“You can go anywhere to buy a cookbook, but when
you find a cookbook in your community with recipes from people who live in
their community, it is special to make it and bring home the home,” she
said. “I love those cookbooks because you get it from hand it down recipes
rather than those you find in magazines or on the internet.”
Julie Roggeman, Special Projects Associate for the
PACE Center, submitted a recipe for buffalo chicken queso dip. When she was
approached to submit recipes, she asked her staff of over 20 members to submit
their own.
“We love the chamber,” she said. “They
have been so wonderful for our organization. They saw they needed some recipes,
and we wanted to give back to them. So we provided them recipes so they can fill
up their cookbook.”
Roggeman felt that the cookbook was an opportunity to
help promote a sense of community, not only by allowing people within the
community to share their favorite recipes but specifically to share recipes
created especially for the community.
“I know for all of us, the recipes that we
submitted, it is about the families and clients [like] a meal for your
family,” she said. “Whether you are having dinner or friends over,
all the recipes that we submitted were about the quality time we are spending
with family and friends.”
If you’re looking for something new to make for
dinner, then consider purchasing this book. Not only will you find something
new you’ve probably never tried before, but it will come from someone you
probably know.
“I would suggest that everyone either purchase
the book,” Roggeman said. “Some of our colleagues, when they
submitted them, they were for recipes I haven’t even heard of, so if you are
going for it, if you are tired of making the same dish, then this is a great
opportunity.”
“Lakeland Homemade” is available through the
Lakeland Chamber website. Each book costs $15 while supplies last. For more
information, visit their website at:
https://business.lakelandchamber.com/store/lakeland-homemade-cookbook
Need a face mask? Visit one of the following City of Winter Haven locations to receive up to three disposable face masks.
City Hall (Reception Desk) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Winter Haven Recreational and Cultural Center (inside main lobby) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
AdventHealth Fieldhouse (Reception Desk) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Winter Haven Public Library Walk-Up Window (North side of building off the parking lot) Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Friday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
City Hall Annex, Account Services (Payment window) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Police Department (Main Lobby) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Florida Citrus Building (Main Lobby) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
On July 24, 2020, the PCSO Organized Retail Crime Unit arrested two suspects who stole merchandise from a Home Depot and a Lowe’s located in Lakeland. The investigation began when loss prevention personnel from the stores contacted detectives about a series of organized retail thefts that occurred on three different occasions.
On April 22, 2020, security video footage from Lowe’s in Lakeland shows 44 year-old Shenicka Whittington leaving the store with Yeti brand coolers and laundry detergent totaling $552.89. Whittington did not pay for the merchandise.
On May 21, 2020, Whittington was seen removing several Yeti brand items from the same Lowe’s store without paying for the merchandise. The stolen merchandise totaled $209.97.
On July 24, 2020, detectives responded to Home Depot where they observed Whittington exit the store with a shopping cart full of merchandise. Her boyfriend, 55 year-old Joseph Lamar was standing next to a vehicle waiting for Whittington. Through witness statements and video surveillance, detectives learned Whittington and Lamar had entered the Home Depot store a total of three times on this day. They removed fuel boxes, a gas pressure washer, chainsaws, a reciprocating saw, Bluetooth headphones, and other items totaling $3,028.83. These items were found in Whittington’s shopping cart and the couple’s vehicle.
“Retail theft is not a victimless crime. It hurts businesses and consumers in the wallet. We are holding these thieves accountable – they are both career criminals. Just one look at the long list of charges, and the fact that Whittington is already on probation for the same thing, and you know they have no respect for the judicial system. These are serious crimes and there will be serious consequences.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Lamar was charged with Coordinated Retail Theft (F-3). Lamar’s criminal history includes 17 felonies and 18 misdemeanors, which includes 4 prior theft convictions.
Whittington was charged with Coordinated Retail Theft (F-3), False Name to Law Enforcement (M-1), and Violation of Probation Felony Petit Theft/3rd Conviction (M-2). Whittington’s criminal history includes 41 felonies and 34 misdemeanors, which includes 23 prior theft convictions. Whittington is also being detained on warrants for theft out of Orange and Hillsborough Counties.
