Home Blog Page 486

41 Yr Old Man Struck & Killed Trying To Cross Hwy 27 In Davenport

Carl Fish
-
0
41 Yr Old Man Struck & Killed Trying To Cross Hwy 27 In Davenport

Traffic Homicide detectives from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a fatal crash that occurred at the interchange of US 27 and Interstate 4, near Davenport, on Saturday night, February 17, 2024.

The crash occurred at around 8:14pm near the westbound on-ramp to I4, and members from the PCSO and Polk County Fire Rescue responded.

41-year old William Sotomayor of Davenport was positively identified as the victim after the PCSO’s Identification Section examined copies of his fingerprints.

35-year old Jesus Cotorett Guzman of Davenportwas the driver of a silver 2012 Acura RDX that struck Mr. Sotomayor as he tried to cross US 27 on foot.

According to the Traffic Homicide detectives’ preliminary investigation, Mr. Cotorett Guzman was travelling north on US 27 and Mr. Sotomayor began crossing the road, near or in the crosswalk. 

Mr. Cotorett Guzman was unable to stop immediately after the crash because it was raining and there was another vehicle directly behind his. Mr. Cotorett Guzman parked at a nearby gas station to speak with deputies. 

Northbound lanes of US 27 were closed for about two hours.

There are no charges currently anticipated, but the investigation is ongoing.

 

Check Out Our Exclusive Interview with Sheriff Grady Judd

Staff Reporter
-
0

by James Coulter

Sheriff Grady Judd is a man who needs no introduction. Chances are, many Polk County Residents don’t know the name of their own city’s mayor or county commissioners, but they know and revere the name Sheriff Grady Judd very well.

For more than 50 years, Sheriff Judd has served in the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. He started humbly enough as a dispatcher in 1971 before working his way up the career ladder to his current position as sheriff, which he has faithfully served for 20 years.

Aside from serving as the sheriff, Grady Judd has also participated in various local causes and fundraisers, including the upcoming annual Jeepin with Judd event, to be hosted at Clear Springs Ranch in Bartow this weekend from Fi. Feb. 22 to Sun. Feb 24.

The Honorable Sheriff Grady Judd recently sat down with us for an exclusive interview where he discusses his career and legacy as one of Polk County’s most revered public officials. Here’s some of what he had to say:

Q: Sheriff Judd, you have served in the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for more than 50 years, and you have served as sheriff for nearly 20 years. How does it feel to have worked that long to protect and serve your community?

A: I always wanted to be a sheriff ever since I was a little bitty guy. I always believed that this was my mission field. I felt that this was God-inspired. Sheriff Brandon hired me when I was 18 as a dispatcher, and then I was a deputy, and then a corporeal and a sergeant and a lieutenant and a captain and a major and a colonel over operations and administrations. When Sheriff Crowe no longer wanted to be sheriff, then I ran. I am very grateful and humble that the people would let me serve them as sheriff. I love serving and helping people. That fulfills me. In fact, I filed my paper and raised a whole lot of campaign funds, which I am appreciative of, so I can be your sheriff for four more years.

Q: Through your half-century of duty, what has been the main driving force encouraging you to continue doing what you do? What would you say is your main motivation and inspiration driving your career?

A: My motivation is that I like people. In fact, I love the people of Polk County and I love to keep them safe. I love to motivate my deputies, and the support staff are the most wonderful people in the world. We come to work every day to do the hard job so you can live in a safe happy community, and we do. So we are more than just law enforcement. We are also leaders in the community. And we want to make sure that we create an environment where everyone thrives. That is what we do every day.

Q: Now, as we all know, thanks to you and your dedicated law enforcement staff, crime in Polk County has experienced an all-time 40-year-low. Even then, the county still has its challenges. What would you consider the biggest issues facing Polk County? And how have you and the sheriff’s office addressed these problems?

A: Actually, crime is at a 51-year low. That has been a challenge because in the last four years alone, over 100,000 people have moved into Polk County. Think about that. That is a lot of folks. I would tell you that the #1 issue that I am concerned about is the sale and use of fentanyl. It is killing people DRT: dead right there. It is not like you use cocaine or meth which is a very dangerous drug and you die after years of neglect or abuse. Fentanyl is causing people to die by the thousands across this nation every year immediately. So, we are working very hard with our narcotics teams to arrest those that traffic in fentanyl. In fact, in this last year alone, we seized enough kilos of fentanyl that could have overdosed well over seven million people. So, we have protected people from dying. We know statistically that some of those people who use that dangerous drug would have died had it not been for my detectives seized that violent drug and put some really bad people in jail. I am also concerned about safety and security in school. Children need to feel safe and be safe at school so they can thrive. That is why we worked with the school board to ensure that we keep children safe while they are at school.

You can hear the rest of our interview with Sheriff Grady Judd in our newest episode of Chattin on the Ridge. Listen to our podcast on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/chattin-on-the-ridge/ep-24-sheriff-grady-judd

In Loving Memory Of Sally Ann Boyer of Lake Wales

Carl Fish
-
0
In Loving Memory Of Sally Ann Boyer of Lake Wales

Sally Ann Boyer of Lake Wales passed away Thursday, February 15, 2024 at AdventHealth Lake Wales.

She was born March 27, 1942 in New Castle, Pennsylvania to the late Paul and Martha Shannon; she moved to Lake Wales from Pennsylvania in 1983. Sally was an administrative secretary for Lake Wales Hospital for 27 years. She was a member of High Point Church and loved to sew and cook. 

Sally was preceded in death by her brother, Robert Shannon. She is survived by her husband, Robert Boyer; daughter, Bonnie Daugherty and husband Mark; sons, Robert William Boyer and wife Lisa, Ronald Paul Boyer and wife Maria, Mark Alan Boyer and wife Angela, and Timothy James Boyer; sisters, Alice Kellogg and Barbara Shannon; brothers, James Shannon and wife Hazel, John Shannon and wife Rosemary, Walter Shannon, Dale Shannon and wife Patricia, Lesley Shannon, and Calvin Shannon; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at Marion Nelson Funeral Home in Lake Wales. 

J.C. Reviews: Go Watch The Beekeeper! It’s Awesome!

Staff Reporter
-
0
J.C. Reviews: Go Watch The Beekeeper! It’s Awesome!

by James Coulter

The Beekeeper is not a good movie.

The Beekeeper is an awesome movie.

And that’s all I can really say about it.

Seriously, the best thing I can do to endorse The Beekeeper is tell you to go watch it. So, go watch it. Yes. Really! Go watch the movie. It’s really that good.

Honestly, I fear that saying anything about the story or characters would risk spoiling or giving away the best parts. The Beekeeper is one of those movies that’s better when you know little to nothing going into it.

That’s how it was for me. I knew nothing about this film. I didn’t see the trailer or hear about it from anyone on social media or anything. I only know it from the poster and that’s it. I even assumed it movie was a horror film. It is not a horror film. It is something surprisingly better.

Again, the best thing I could possibly do to endorse this film is tell you to go watch it. Now! Because not only is this a great film, it is a surprisingly great film.

One of those movies that Hollywood desperately needs to give it a fresh boost. A film that isn’t an umpteenth installment to a franchise that’s overstayed its welcome or a mediocre remake of a better movie. This movie is fresh, original, and unique.

The Beekeeper is a movie whose main character is a man of little words and all action. Less an actual character and more an unstoppable force of nature. A stoic, no-nonsense tough guy in the spirit of Jean-Claude Van Damme or Sylvester Stallone. A man who overcomes the odds and fells any foe who crosses his path. Someone you want to see fight, not so you can see if he can win—because you know he will—but so you can see how everyone else loses.

The Beekeeper is a movie where the villains are comedically over-the-top evil. Unredeemable, sleazy cretins without an ounce of redeemable qualities in their bone. The type of people who revel in stealing candy from babies and purses from old ladies. (Is that maybe a spoiler?) The baddest of bad guys who cross the moral event horizon in the first ten minutes and have you jeering their every action and calling for their deaths at the hands of the hero.

The Beekeeper is a movie with action. But not just any action. Most other movies, especially superhero flicks, have plenty of that. Lots of fighting and chases and explosions. But with how many and how often these movies are released, the action in them feels trite and overly played out and leaves you feeling hollow.

The action in this movie, however, is well-warranted and cathartic. Action that makes you want to leap out of your seat and yell out in ecstasy when you see it play out on screen. Fight scenes where you’re cheering on the hero as he personally introduces the bad guys to the ground and makes their new relationship quite intimate.

The Beekeeper is a movie whose premise sounds ridiculous the more you think about it. (Think Pablo Francisco’s Little Tortilla Boy comedy routine but played straight and serious.) But you don’t care because the movie takes itself so seriously that it makes you care about it. A movie where people literally crap their pants when they learn the main character is a “Beekeeper” because apparently, that’s a totes serious thing in this film.

In a time where Hollywood is spinning its wheels trying to keep dying cinematic universes alive, releasing sequel after sequel, remake after remake, The Beekeeper is a movie we need now more than ever. A movie that proves that originality is dead and that a film doesn’t need to be part of a media-spanning franchise to draw in butts to theater seats.

Go watch The Beekeeper.

Now!

City of Frostproof Shows Its Love for Valentines Street Dance Party

Staff Reporter
-
0
City of Frostproof Shows Its Love for Valentines Street Dance Party

by James Coulter

Valentine’s Day is a time to show your love for the people and things that you love. And if there’s one thing Frostproof residents love, it’s their semi-annual street dance parties.

Nearly 1,000 residents and guests took to Downtown Frostproof for a night of singing, dancing, and overall cavorting during the city’s annual Valentine’s Day Street Dance Party last Saturday.

Vendors and food trucks lined East Wall Street in front of the Ramon Theater in Downtown Frostproof, while a stage set at the very end along Scenic Highway provided a venue for that evening’s live entertainment. Hundreds of attendees took to the street to dance the night away as music was performed by DJ Jeremy and Outta Hand Band.

Since 2017, the street dances have been a semiannual tradition for the City of Frostproof, being hosted every spring and fall. Each time, these dances draw in hundreds, nearly a thousand, guests to Downtown Frostpoof. These turnouts prove so phenomenal that other cities have inquired about how they can experience similar turnouts for their events, Vice Mayor Austin Gravely said.

“I had other cities call me and ask how we get people to Frostproof,” he said. “I say we keep it simple.”

Indeed, simplicity has proven to be the key to these semiannual community events. The street dances are free and open to the public, and people of all ages are welcome to attend. Aside from the vendors, food trucks, and live entertainment, the events remain simple and uncomplicated, allowing attendees to enjoy simple, uncomplicated fun.

“That is the number one rule: keep it simple,” Gravely said. “We tell people to come out and enjoy the music and food and that is it. We do not overcomplicate with too much going on. People just show up, eat food, and that is it. Good entertainment is also part of it. We always have a great DJ who pumps up the crowd in the beginning. But there is no other magic to it other than keep it simple.”

The events are based on the old-time street dances that were hosted in years gone by. Hosting these new street dances not only brings back good memories for older residents, but also helps create new memories for the younger ones. Overall, everyone loves them, which is why these events receive so much love.

“I love the fact the community gathers with a common goal to have a good time with all of the food and live entertainment,” Gravely said. “It is just good clean fun for everybody. We do not try to sell anything there. It is strictly a place where people can come and relax and enjoy themselves without spending a lot of money. It is very simple and fun.”

Polk County Sheriff’s Deputies Arrest & Charge Man With Attempted Murder In Rancho Bonito Park

Carl Fish
-
0
Polk County Sheriff’s Deputies Arrest & Charge Man With Attempted Murder In Rancho Bonito Park

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has served an arrest warrant for Gavin Chase Potwin and charged him with Attempted First Degree Murder . This all stemmed from an incident over a week ago near Rancho Bonito Park in Lakeland. According to reports Potwin shot into a vehicle occupied with multiple victims.

Here is a excerpt of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit:

“On 02/07/2024, I was requested to respond to REDACTED in Zephyrhills, FL in reference to a dangerous shooting complaint.  Upon my arrival, I made contact with (Victim 1), (Victim 2), and (Victim 3). I spoke with Victim 1.  He advised that during the late evening on 02/06/2024, he was at Rancho Bonito, which is located at 44300 Highway 54 in Lakeland, FL.  As he was leaving, he was seated in the rear driver side seat and Victim 2 was seated in the front passenger seat and Victim 3 was driving the vehicle.  He observed a subject who he recognized as the defendant approaching his vehicle while riding a four wheeler.  Victim 1 exited the vehicle to speak with him since they are friends.  As Victim 1 exited the vehicle, he walked to the back of the truck to speak with the defendant.  Once he got to the rear of the truck, he observed the defendant point a tan pistol at his face and state “You think I’m playing with you pussy” before pointing it towards Victim 1 feet and fired a round.  At that point, Victim 1 stated that he was in fear for his life and began to run back to the rear driver side door.  Before he was able to re-enter the truck, he heard approximately four more gunshots as he was running.  After fleeing the scene, Victim 1 messaged the defendant and advised him that he was going to jail.  After being told that, the defendant messaged Victim 1 back and asked him if he keyed his truck and kicked his valve stem, indicating that is what he was upset about and started the altercation.

 

I spoke with Victim 2.  She advised that as the Victims were leaving, she observed a subject who she identified as the defendant approaching on a four wheeler and that Victim 1 exited the vehicle to speak with him since they are friends.  Victim 2 was seated in the front passenger seat and heard a gunshot before immediately looking out of the window.  After looking out of the window, she observed the defendant holding a pistol and firing it towards Victim 1 before he was able to re-enter the vehicle so they could leave the area.  

 

I spoke with Victim 3, he advised that he was driving the vehicle towards the exit of Rancho Bonito while Victim 1 was seated in the rear driver seat and Victim 2 was seated in the front passenger seat.  As they were approaching the exit, he observed the defendant approach the vehicle on a four wheeler and begin to circle the truck, indicating that the defendant observed that there were multiple subjects inside of the vehicle.  Victim 3 stated that Victim 1 exited the vehicle to speak with the defendant.  After Victim 1 exited the vehicle, Victim 3 heard multiple gun shots before Victim 1 re-entered their vehicle and they fled the scene.

 

After I arrived on scene, I observed a 2003 green Chevrolet truck bearing FL tag #BZ22NM.  The rear passenger side tire was flat from where a bullet struck the tire.  I also observed a bullet hole in front of the rear wheel well on the driver side.  From where the bullets struck the vehicle, it seems as if the defendant was shooting towards Victim 1 as he was running along the opposite side of the vehicle.

 

The defendant acted with intention to kill and thought out the way to kill the victim.  The action by shooting at a vehicle that was occupied by the victim would have killed them, due to missing the victim, he failed to do so.  The defendant had the intent to commit the murder due to bringing the weapon with him to confront the victim.  The defendant also had the opportunity to reconsider his actions, but still proceeded to carry out the act.”

Potwin is currently being held without bail on the attempted murder charge.

LWPD Charge Woman With DUI After Friday Night Crash On Burns Avenue

Carl Fish
-
0
LWPD Charge Woman With DUI After Friday Night Crash On Burns Avenue

The Lake Wales Police Department has arrested Eloina Rodriguez for Driving Under The Influence after a crash on Burns Avenue Friday evening.

Photo courtesy of T. Brewer

According to reports the crash occurred just after 9pm. The call came in as a single vehicle crash. According to witnesses and the Lake Wales Police Department the vehicle in question (a white SUV) was headed East on Burns Avenue. For unknown reasons the SUV ran off the roadway into a concrete wall surrounding homes on that section of Burns Avenue. According to witnesses the vehicle hit the wall, flipped and ended up back onto Burns Avenue in the Westbound lanes where it came to rest. The SUV had damage on both the front and back of the vehicle. According to witnesses the woman miraculously did not appear injured.

According to Lake Wales Police Rodriquez’s BAC was .124 Well over the legal limit. Rodriguez was
checked at the hospital and medically cleared with no injuries. Transported to the PCSO Processing Center.

Photo Courtesy of Daily Ridge Reader T. Brewer

63 Yr Old Lake Wales Man Killed In CR 640 Crash

Carl Fish
-
0
63 Yr Old Lake Wales Man Killed In CR 640 Crash

Crash near Lake Wales results in one death and injuries to four others

A Friday morning crash near Lake Wales killed one person and injured four others.

Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office were dispatch at around 11:12 am on Friday, February 16, 2024, to the crash on County Road 640, about a ¼ mile east of US 27.

63-year old Gesner Souvernance of Lake Wales was found by first responders, deceased inside his vehicle.

Four others, three adult females and a female infant were taken to the hospital with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries.

Mr. Souvernance had been driving a silver 2004 Toyota Tacoma prior to the crash, while the other vehicle involved was a black 2003 Ford Explorer.

Based on evidence and witness statements, Traffic Homicide detectives determined that Mr. Souvernance’s Toyota was traveling west on CR 640 while the Ford was traveling east when it crossed over the center line and struck the Toyota head-on.

The crash investigation is ongoing and any charges are pending the outcome.

One Person Killed & 4 Others Injured In CR 640 Crash

Carl Fish
-
0
One Person Killed & 4 Others Injured In CR 640 Crash

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide unit is investigating a crash on County Road 640, east of US 27 (south of Lake Wales).

The crash occurred at about 11:12 am, and it was reported that two vehicles were involved.

One fatality has been confirmed. Four others received injuries were each airlifted by helicopter.

This is a developing story and we will update as more information is released.

Polk County Fire Rescue Respond to Hwy 60 Motor Vehicle Crash With Tanker Truck

Carl Fish
-
0
Polk County Fire Rescue Respond to Hwy 60 Motor Vehicle Crash With Tanker Truck

Mulberry, Fla. (February 14, 2024) — Polk County Fire Rescue crews responded to a motor vehicle crash involving a semi-truck and pickup truck on Hwy 60 in Mulberry on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

 

PCFR arrived on scene in approximately six minutes of being dispatched at 9:44 p.m. and found two occupants heavily entrapped. PCFR’s Engine 8 and Squad 15 started the extrication process on both the vehicles involved after evaluating the scene and were later aided by Heavy Rescue 9.

 

During the extrication process, a leak was noted from the semi-truck.  PCFR’s Special Operations (Heavy Rescue 9) team members quickly worked to control the molten sulfur that was leaking from the semi-truck.

 

Two patients were trauma alerted and transported to local trauma centers. One patient went by Aeromed.

 

Due to the crash and subsequent leak, both east- and west-bound lanes of Hwy 60 were closed during the containment process. The lanes re-opened at 3:54 a.m.once the leak was contained. Please avoid the area if possible. The State Warning Point has been notified.

 

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.

 

Responding units for the incident were Engine 8, Tender 15, Battalion Chief 6, Medical Rescue 15, Medical Rescue 2, Heavy Rescue 9, Safety Officer 501, Medical Rescue 28 and Battalion Lead 501.

1...485486487...1,176Page 486 of 1,176