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CenterState Bank Wins People’s Choice For Chili On The Ridge

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CenterState Bank Wins People’s Choice For Chili On The Ridge

CenterState Bank Wins People’s Choice For Chili On The Ridge

by James Coulter

As someone of Hispanic heritage, Carmen Rodriguez knows that a little bit of spice goes a long way. So it was only natural that the chili that she and her teammates from CenterState Bank won people’s choice at the annual Chili on the Ridge.

Stacy Stokes, the team leader, undoubtedly credited their success to Carmen’s cooking. They had been participating in the annual chili cookoff in Haines City for three years, and this was the first time Carmen took charge of the cooking.

“Carmen put her special twist on it this year and gave us People’s Choice,” Stacy said. “Everybody liked it…She cooked like she was cooking for her family.”

As to her success, Carmen credits her rich Hispanic heritage. As her upbringing taught her, anything and everything tastes better when you add just the right amount of spice to it.

“I am Hispanic, so we use a lot of spices,” she said. “Anything I found in the pantry, I put it in there.”

Stacy and her team from CenterState have been attending Chili on the Ridge for three years. Despite the current COVID-19 crisis and the rainy weather earlier that day, they enjoyed attending the event and considered the turnout significant.

“I think we have done well,” she said. “We had larger turnouts, the weather was not on our side, and people may have been afraid to come out. I think what we were given, everyone did well.”

CenterState Bank was one of more than a dozen teams that participated in this year’s Chili on the Ridge competition at Lake Eva Park in Haines City on Saturday. Their team won the people’s choice.

Winning first place overall was Amped Up Chili. Steven Tiner, the team leader, credited his success purely to luck, as his chili was created through trial and error.

“I owe my success to lucky recipes,” he said. “Keep throwing stuff in a pot and see if it works.”

For his recipe, his chili was prepared with three different types of meat: brisket, chuck roast, and bottom round roasts. Through various chili powder and seasoning, he was able to cook all three portions of meat together in a savory blend.

He was a Rotary Club member of Haines City for the past five years, and he has participated in their annual chili cookoff for the past four years. He enjoyed being able to compete this year, even despite these uncertain times and even more uncertain weather that morning.

“It is awesome,” he said. “It is all about people coming out to a community event. Everybody is coming out and enjoying themselves and trying to raise money for local scholarships.”

Chili on the Ridge is one of the two signature events hosted by the Rotary Club of Haines City. Both are hosted as fundraisers to raise proceeds for scholarships to local high school students.

Because of the current COVID-19 crisis, their chili competition last year could not be hosted as scheduled. This year, special precautions were taken to ensure public health and safety, with vendors spaced apart and hand sanitizer stations set up throughout the perimeter.

Though there was rain earlier that morning, the clouds in the sky managed to part and let the sun shine through in time for the award ceremony later that afternoon. Overall, the turnout proved decent, and attendees enjoyed the excellent food, music, and company, explained Travis Keyes, Rotary President.

“We had a good number of people come through, [and] everybody has enjoyed themselves,” he said. “We have a lot of community participation, [with] even some people from out of the area from Kissimmee and Winter Haven.”

Circle Of Friends Celebrates 14th Annual Chili Cook-Off

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Circle Of Friends Celebrates 14th Annual Chili Cook-Off

Circle Of Friends Celebrates 14th Annual Chili Cook-Off

By James Coulter

Most great chili is made from beef. Marty Elrod’s award-winning dish is made from chicken instead. Such an original take on chili allowed him to win the prize for most original chili during the 14th Annual Chili Cook-Off hosted at Circle of Friends Ministry in Lake Wales on Saturday.

While he jokingly quipped that the secret behind his chili was too tight-lipped to share safely, he owes his success to his dish using chicken rather than beef, all prepared with the perfect blend of spices and seasoning, he explained.

“People are more apt to try something that is different than having the same old bland thing every time,” he said.

Elrod has been attending the annual chili contest for many years. He appreciates how the event helps raise proceeds for the Circle of Friends Ministry and its special needs students.

“I like helping,” he said. “I feel like I am doing something. “I wanted to help with the community. And this was a really good organization that helps out children.”

For the 14th consecutive year, Circle of Friends Ministry hosted their annual Chili-Cook Off on Saturday. More than a dozen chili recipes were entered and sampled for a chance to win three divisions: Most Original, Spiciest, and Overall.

Winning the Spiciest category were Lake Wales locals Skylar Smith and Rebecca Wood, and winning the Overall category was Melissa Walsh of the Cabinet Country.

Walsh owns Cabinet Country, with her business right down the road from Circle of Friends. As a close friend of the director, Crystal Higbee, Walsh was more than willing to participate for the sake of helping its special needs students.

“When she reached out about it, I was all too happy to enter,” she said. “I think it was really good, very well organized, and with the number of people that they entered, I think it was great.”

The award for Best Overall chili was $200 in cash, Most Original was $100 Visa gift card, and Spiciest was also a$100.00 Visa gift card.

Aside from the prizes for the chili competition, attendees and contest participants alike could enter a silent auction with baskets jam-packed with high-end products, tickets, and gift certificates donated by local businesses, as well as door prizes conferred every 30 minutes.

“Our special needs students will be performing for the first time to their newly-recorded theme song and introducing our new logo by wearing their new shirts for the performance,” wrote Crystal Higbee via Facebook.

Circle of Friends is a non-profit organization in Lake Wales that provides vocational training to special-needs students, providing them with valuable life and job skills to lead an independent life.

“The turnout is good for the way everyone has been doing with the pandemic,” Crystal said. “For the cause, that is the success for how we serve our special needs students and the community. It exceeded expectations.”

Spring Obsession To Spring Up At Lake Crago Park This Saturday

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Spring Obsession To Spring Up At Lake Crago Park This Saturday

Spring Obsession To Spring Up At Lake Crago Park This Saturday

by James Coulter

Spring is in the air, the time of year to get started planting a garden. While some amateur gardeners are content with run-of-the-mill flowers and vegetables, other people yearn for more “exotic” foliage, plants that you usually can’t find locally.

If you’re looking for a unique spruce to spruce up your home landscape, or a peculiar petunia to plant, or a veritable vegetable to harvest, you can find what you are looking for, or what you may not have known you were looking for, at the upcoming Spring Obsession this Sat., Mar. 13 at Lake Crago Park in Lakeland.

“We have a lot of vendors with a lot of plants and trees you cannot find anywhere else,” explained Kathy McGee. “For me, I enjoy seeing all the unusual plants that you don’t generally see with Home Depot and Lowes or the different nurseries.”

Hosted by the Rotary Club of Lakeland, the annual outdoor garden show showcases a diverse selection of plants and trees, along with birdhouses, jewelry, home decor, and other ornamental items for your outdoor area. Many of these vendors are outside the local area from Orlando and Tampa, so you’ll be sure to find something you otherwise couldn’t obtain locally.

The local children’s museum will also erect a children’s tent to provide fun activities such as arts and crafts to the youngest attendees. Two seminars will also be hosted on agriculture and landscaping topics.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, and other barbecue items will be served by Rotarians, while various door prizes from local businesses will be announced throughout the day to random guests. All proceeds from the event will be used to purchase defibrillators for the local police department to place within their squad cars for emergencies.

Spring Obsession was initially hosted in Munn Park by various Downtown Lakeland vendors. The Rotary Club had since taken the reigns of its operations five years ago, around the same time that McGee came on board.

The outdoor event would be hosted last year as initially scheduled, but it was canceled only a few days prior due to the current COVID-19 crisis. Spring Obsession will be hosted this year at a new venue at Lake Crago Park.

“This year, we decided it was a good year to move it from Munn Park where there is limited parking, and everything is crowded together, to go to the new Lake Crago Park,” McGee explained. “There we can space out more; we have more spacing between all the vendors. We have the same amount of vendors that we had last year.”

The new venue will provide not only more space, but also a lovely landscape to host an event. As the park is brand new, having opened last year, the event will also help promote the area and encourage people to visit it and perhaps even frequent it soon.

Due to the current pandemic, special precautions are being taken to ensure public health and safety. Masks will be required, hand sanitizer will be provided at vendors, and temperature checks will be required for entry to the two seminars.

Furthermore, as the event was canceled last year, additional advertising was implemented this year, with radio ads, print ads in local publications such as The Ledger, and on their own Facebook page.

“It is a beautiful park,” McGee said. “We are trying to make it a really good event so people keep coming back and people can keep coming back each and every year.”

Spring Obsession will be hosted Sat., Mar. 13 8 AM – 3 PM. The event will be hosted at Lake Cargo Park, 525 Lake CragoDr. Lakeland, FL 33805. For more information, visit their website at: https://springobsession.org/

Bloomin Art Festival Comes into Bloom in Downtown Bartow for 50th Year

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Bloomin Art Festival Comes into Bloom in Downtown Bartow for 50th Year

Bloomin Art Festival Comes into Bloom in Downtown Bartow for 50th Year

by James Coulter

As an artist, Stephen Koury ventures out into nature in search of subjects for his paintings. From tall majestic herons to sweeping cypresses, he goes to where the wild things are, studies them, photographs them, sketches them, then returns to his studio to paint their stories on his canvas.

“When I am in the wild, I am looking for stories,” Koury said. “The stories are what unfold in the paintings. What these things are thinking about, what they are doing at the time, and that is what you are seeing here, stories going on in nature.”

Koury has been showcasing his painted landscapes and portraits at the annual Bartow Bloomin Art Fest. He admits he doesn’t “want to know” how long he has been coming there, but he has been attending for at least 20 years.

While he has won many awards at the annual art festival, this year marks the first he won Overall Best of Show. Having attended for as long as he has, receiving the highest honor was truly honorable for him.

“There aren’t any words about how I feel. Words can’t describe it,” he said. “I have been to Bloomin Arts for so long. It is one of my favorite shows in the world. I won awards here, but I have never won Best of Show. So, to win Best of Show…it meant a lot.”

While he was pleased to win such a prestigious award, winning awards is not what inspires him to attend the event year after year. Inevitably, it is the camaraderie among fellow artists and attendees that he appreciates most.

“I love people in the show,” he said. “It is so nice to talk to people, and that is the best part, getting to meet people and talk with them. It is the people who keep me coming back here.”

John Cheer traveled from Allentown, PA, to attend the annual art event. He showcased his unique artwork that elegantly combines ceramic and porcelain with a glass glaze. The process fuses glass and plate to create a sheen unlike any other.

“It takes years and years of practice and modifying to sharpen and get to a level you can get something remotely like this,” he said. “Not a single artist can come close to copying what I do.”

His unique approach to pottery and ceramics earned him an Award of Achievement. He spent the past 25 years working on perfecting his art style. Being able to have his hard work and practice recognized was indeed an honor that weekend.

This was the very first year he attended Bloomin Art Festival. He heard good things from a close artist friend, and he decided to check it out for himself. What he discovered more than met his expectations.

“It is a beautiful place, a beautiful town, and I decided to come and show the Bartow citizen all that is possible,” he said.

Kelly Rysavy is an artist with friends and family who live in the local area. They inspired her to come to Bartow and showcase her oil and acrylic painting of wildlife and landscapes, which inevitably won her Third Place.

This was her first year participating in the event. She loved being able to show her art, and she especially loved receiving an award for her work. Overall, her initial experience was a good one, especially during these uncertain times.

“The fact that I was chosen to be in the art festival was exciting because they are starting to open them out, and it is exciting to be in the area, to be outside in the fresh air, even the rain wasn’t bad,” she said. “Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, and people are happy here. They are getting out of their caves.”

The Bartow Bloomin Art Festival celebrated its 50th year. This year’s event proved to be incredibly influential after the annual art festival was canceled last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

More than 84 artists from across the country congregated downtown to showcase their art. Special precautions were taken to ensure public health and safety. Vendors were doubly spaced out with masks and hand sanitizer stations provided.

Overall, even despite these uncertain times, the Bloomin Art Festival came into full bloom with a good turnout and with high expectations for next year, explained Michelle Griffins, Event Co-Chair.

“We were happy to do it still and allow an opportunity for Bartow to shine and experience all the art,” she said. “That is our prayer, for COVID to be a distant memory at that point and being able to go back to the size we have been historically with more than 120 artists and a lot of additional activities.”

Male Suspect Shot & Killed After Shooting Female Victim In Front Of Lakeland Police

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Male Suspect Shot & Killed After Shooting Female Victim In Front Of Lakeland Police
LAKELAND, FL (March 7, 2021) – On Sunday, March 7, 2021, at 6:25 a.m., the Lakeland Police Department (LPD) received a call requesting officers to respond to the 5400 block of Quarry Rock Road, related to a disturbance involving a man with a gun. Three uniform patrol officers responded to the location, inside the Cobblestone Landing Townhomes property. 
As officers arrived on the scene, they observed a man with a handgun and a woman standing outside the residence in the parking area. As the female turned toward the direction of one of the officers, the suspect pointed his gun and shot the female victim. Officer Brent Behrens immediately returned fire, shooting the suspect. Officers began rendering aid to both the suspect and victim while awaiting emergency medical professionals to arrive. Polk County Fire Rescue and the Lakeland Fire Department all arrived on the scene to also provide life-saving measures. The shooting suspect, 35-year-old Howayne T. Gayle, was pronounced deceased at the scene and the gun he possessed was recovered. The 37-year-old female shooting victim was transported to Lakeland Regional Health. Sadly, despite the best efforts of medical professionals, she succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.  
Detectives have since learned that the victim and Gayle had been in a romantic relationship prior to a recent break-up. Gayle came to the townhome this morning and broke into the residence after he was not allowed entry into the home. Inside the home were the victim and her 19-year-old daughter. The victim went outside the residence with Gayle, where officers found them upon arriving at the scene. 
Anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to contact Detective Laura Dunn at 863.834.6974 or [email protected]. To remain anonymous, contact Heartland Crime Stoppers Florida – call 1-800-226 TIPS (8477), dial **TIPS from your cell phone, visit the website www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com and click on “Submit A Tip,” or download the free “P3tips” app on your smartphone or tablet.
The name of the victim is being withheld in accordance with Marsy’s Law. 
Standard protocol for all officer-involved shootings will include two independent investigations. The LPD Violent Crimes unit will conduct an investigation of the shooting. LPD’s Office of Professional Standards will also conduct an administrative review. The results of these investigations will be forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office for review. Per agency protocol, Ofc. Behrens will be on administrative leave with pay during the initial phase of the investigation.
 
The officers who responded to the scene are: Brent Behrens, a 3-year veteran of LPD; Officer Kenneth Jones, a 5.5-year veteran of LPD, and Officer Doris Diaz, a 19-year veteran of LPD.

Happening Now: Lakeland Police Officer Involved In Shooting

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Happening Now: Lakeland Police Officer Involved In Shooting

Lakeland Police Department is working an officer-involved shooting at Quarry Rock Road/Cobblestone Landing Townhomes. Media staging is just inside the entrance, to the left. Media brief will take place at 10AM.

**** Updated Details Here: Male Suspect Shot & Killed After Shooting Female Victim In Front Lakeland Police

25 Yr Old Polk Woman Killed In Fiery Crash

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25 Yr Old Polk Woman Killed In Fiery Crash

At 1:27 p.m. on Friday, March 5, 2021, the PCSO ECC received a 911 call about a single-vehicle crash involving an ejection and fire on Imperial Lakes Blvd in south Lakeland (Mulberry). The driver, 25-year-old Baylee Simpson of Mulberry, was deceased upon arrival of first responders. No other vehicles were involved, and she was the sole occupant of the 2016 silver Toyota Yaris.

Preliminarily, it appears that Simpson was driving south on Imperial Lakes near Opal Drive when she struck the rear of a red Cadillac SUV. After hitting the SUV, she fled the scene northbound on Imperial Lakes. While operating her car at a high rate of speed, she failed to negotiate a left to right curve near the 4900 block, drifting into the center turn lane and then onto the grass median. The car went another 100 yards north in the median before striking an oak tree, ejecting Simpson. The engine was also propelled out of the car and into the southbound lanes. After impact, the car caught on fire and became engulfed in flames, which also burned Simpson.

The southbound lanes of Imperial Lakes were closed for approximately three hours; the northbound lanes were closed for six hours

Ax Caliber Celebrates Grand Opening With Ribbon Cutting

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Ax Caliber Celebrates Grand Opening With Ribbon Cutting

Ax Caliber Celebrates Grand Opening With Ribbon Cutting

by James Coulter

Is the daily grind wearing you down? Does working 9-to-5 pent you up with so much frustration that you feel like taking a sharp object and chucking it across the room?

If you want to unleash some stress from your workday, or you want to sharpen your motor skills, then come on down to Ax Caliber in Downtown Lakeland, where having a good time is as easy as picking up an ax and tossing it.

Ax-Caliber Axe Venue and Coffee House lives up to its name by serving premium house-brewed-and-roasted coffee and offering people a unique time with ax-throwing.

Whether you want to start your day with a cup of coffee and a breakfast item, enjoy your lunch break with a soup and sandwich while you and your co-workers shoot some pool, or you want to spend the evening yeeting sharp objects into plywood like darts, Lakeland’s newest venue has something for everybody.

“Ax-Caliber is fun for everyone,” their website states. “Join us any time for family fun, crafted coffee, and the thrill of ax throwing! Take an ax-ful lunch break with friends, or come in for drinks after work!”

Sate your appetite with a diverse menu from chicken and waffles to avocado toast for breakfast, grilled cheese and paninis for lunch, or various appetizers, wings, soups and salad for lunch. And be sure to wash it all down with either draft beer or locally-roasted coffee crafted from “the highest caliber.”

Then enjoy some hardy activities, whether you want to play some pool, shoot some darts, or toss an ax. Don’t worry if you’ve never tried the latter before. You’ll be sure to get a “handle” on it for your first time.

“You don’t need to be a pro to throw an ax, we will have AX-PERTS to help you and teach you for a safe enjoyable time,” their website states.

Joyce Woodrow, one of the owners, wanted to bring something truly unique to her hometown. Not only are their food and services provided by their “family” of staff members, but their location is prime for any local or guest to enjoy a fun time downtown.

“We wanted to bring something to the community,” she said. “We wanted to bring the fun here to Lakeland because we love our community. We love Polk County, and we want everyone to come here.”

Joyce expects her venue to draw everyone and anyone downtown. She hopes for local families to enjoy a great time at their new business and attract more people to Downtown Lakeland. As such, she implores others to help support her new venue and give it a try, especially if they’ve never thrown an ax before.

“So my challenge to all of you is to be able to come in here, taste our food, drink our drink, and I expect our chamber to come here, have lunch, and throw some axes,” she said. “It is such an honor and privilege, and we love our community. We really do. So we thank you all for helping us.”

Ax Caliber celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. Matt Clark, a chamber board member, lauded the new venue for offering something truly unique to the downtown area.

“Hopefully, it will be an amazing spot for family and friends to come and have a good time and bond and appreciate all the fine things we have in Lakeland,” Clark said. “We wish you nothing but great success.”

Mayor Bill Mutz mentioned how he saw something similar during a trip to Greenville, SC. He thought such an establishment would make a great addition to Lakeland, and thus he was excited to see something similar open to the public. He even had the honor of tossing an ax during the ceremony.

“We are very grateful to have this downtown,” he said. “So we are thrilled to have this addition downtown. Thank you very, very much for your investment. It is wise for you to join the chamber in the process because they help to bring all the things that matter.”

Ax-Caliber Axe Venue and Coffee House is located at 204 E Orange St #102, Lakeland, FL 33801. For more information, visit their website at: https://axcaliber.com/

Molly McHugh’s Celebrating 25th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Party

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Molly McHugh’s Celebrating 25th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Party

Molly McHugh’s Celebrating 25th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Party

by James Coulter

What makes for a more authentic St. Patrick’s Day celebration than consuming authentic Irish food and spirits while listening to authentic Irish music performed at an authentic Irish pub?

Enjoy a truly authentic St. Patrick’s Day experience at Molly McHugh’s 25th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Party, to be hosted this holiday weekend on Sat., Mar. 13.

Starting at 2 p.m., Downtown Lakeland’s own Irish pub will be offering traditional Irish tunes as performed by the all-Irish Black Velvet Band. Drop on by during the day to listen to classic songs and sample a full menu of all of the Irish favorites.

Then, long after sundown, starting at 9 p.m., the street outside the pub will be closed down for a live party. Come on out to listen to live music, taste some spirits served from liquor and beer vendors, and participate in free merchandise and swag giveaways.

“It should be a great time,” explained owner Jack Hugh. “It’s the most fun any party has around. It is a celebration of Irish culture and what people love about being Irish.”

Molly McHugh’s Irish Pub opened 25 years ago. Having been around for a quarter-century, the downtown pub has been drawing people in, especially around St. Patrick’s Day.

Hugh remembers when his father first opened the bar in 1996. Since then, he has maintained his family’s tradition of treating customers well, which in turn has allowed their most loyal patrons to treat them well in return, he said.

“We always had a vision of being your friendly neighborhood pub that people of all ages from 21 to 100 can come and enjoy themselves and meet and talk,” Hugh said. “That is something every community needs. We are lucky to get into Lakeland and fill a niche. It has been great to provide them for Lakeland and know all of the customers over the years, and it gives great relationships for them.”

Over the past few years, Molly McHugh’s has kept the Spirit of the Irish through their annual St. Patrick’s Day Party. The event proves to be their most popular, and they hope to draw in a sizeable crowd for this year, especially for their anniversary.

“It is a great time each year. Each year it gets better and better,” Hugh said. “It is something we look forward to each year. It is something our staff looks forward to each year. This is a celebration of everything that we do.”

Molly McHugh’s 25th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Party will be hosted on Sat., Mar. 13, starting at 10 a.m. and running until 2 p.m. Molly McHugh’s is located at 111 S. Kentucky Ave., Lakeland, FL 33801-5001. For more information, visit their website at: http://mollymchughs.com/

Substitute Teacher Arrested for Striking Two Students

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Substitute Teacher Arrested for Striking Two Students

Substitute Teacher Arrested for Striking Two Students


HAINES CITY, FL – A long-term substitute teacher was arrested on Wednesday after physical confrontations with two students.

David Sierra, 52, was charged with two counts of battery and one count of disrupting a school function for incidents that took place inside the classroom after 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

Sierra was working alongside a full-time teacher at Boone Middle School when she stepped away from her desk to make copies. While away from her desk, a verbal argument ensued between Sierra and a student.

Sierra, who stands about 5-foot-11 and weighs 260 pounds, stood over the student, “one inch” from his face, as described by the teacher who witnessed the initial stages from the other room. Sierra yelled obscenities at him, while belittling him in front of the class using language intended to demean the student.

The teacher heard and saw the onset of the incident from the other room and ran in to protect her student. She immediately attempted to deescalate the situation, repeatedly telling the substitute to stop and come with her away from the target of his anger. The substitute continued to direct his verbal attack on the student. As a reactionary defense mechanism, the student got out of his seat to try and put a little distance between himself and the substitute because he was literally feeling and smelling the substitute’s breath as the substitute continued to berate him.

As the student attempted to back away from the substitute, Sierra moved with the student, forcing him against the wall. With nowhere else to go, the student yelled at the suspect to get away from him. Sierra then grabbed the student in the neck and shoulder area and kneed him multiple times in the face and chest area by pulling the student’s upper body into his rising knee, known in martial arts as a knee strike capable of resulting in serious injury.
In fear for her student, the teacher, who weighs about 100 pounds, tried to pull the student away from Sierra but was unsuccessful. The student and teacher both fell to the ground as she attempted to rescue him and the suspect continued his attack on the student even as the student lay on the floor. Seeing his teacher and the other student in need of help, another student ran over to try and pull the suspect off of the first victim. Sierra grabbed the second student and the second student, fearing he was going to be the focus of the suspect’s fury, punched the suspect. The suspect did let go of the first student at that point to redirect his attack on the second student.

Fearing for his safety, the second student ran out of the classroom. Sierra chased the second student outside, where surveillance video was able to capture the suspect’s attempt to catch the second student. The student was able to elude the suspect and ran back to the classroom where his teacher opened the door and quickly locked it after him. The substitute, still in pursuit, attempted to open the door but was unable thanks to the teacher’s decisive actions.

“Educators are expected to be deescalating, stabilizing forces in our schools,” Chief Jim Elensky said. “In this case, we had one who lived up to those standards and one who was instead, the antagonist. I commend the teacher for having the courage to step in to protect a student from someone nearly three times her size. I am once again appreciative of Polk County Schools for their cooperation and commitment to promote a safe and positive learning environment.”

Sierra was immediately terminated by Polk County Schools following Wednesday’s incident after working as a long-term sub at Boone Middle School since Jan. 16. He had no prior disciplinary action and was paid an annual salary of $22,785.

“We are shocked and appalled by the incident that has occurred at Boone Middle School,” said Jacqueline Byrd, superin tendent for Polk County Schools.

“As educators, we are held to a higher standard. We must treat every child entrusted to our care with the utmost compassion and respect. We must represent our profession with dignity and pride. We must set an example for our students, our colleagues and our community at all times. Any failure to do so simply will not be tolerated. Period. My staff will move forward with immediately terminating this employee, and we will report the incident that occurred at Boone to the Office of Professional Practices. To my employees and to my community, be assured that Polk County Public Schools has zero tolerance for this kind of behavior. Employees who engage in anything less than professional behavior will face serious consequences. We thank the Haines City Police Department for their assistance in addressing this situation.”

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