This Procedure Is Effective In Putting Diabetes Into Remission And Promoting Weight Loss

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April 2, 2019

This Procedure Is Effective In Putting Diabetes Into Remission And Promoting Weight Loss

by James Coulter

Eight years ago, Maria Rivera, a respiratory therapist at Poinciana Medical Center, weighed more than 200 pounds. She was also borderline diabetic and developing several co-morbid conditions such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Facing an urgent need to improve her health, she opted to undergo surgery for a mini-gastric bypass, which would better enable her to eat less food, especially unhealthy food.

Eight years later, she lost 80 pounds (about 70 percent of her excess weight) and has since been taken off all of her medication. She continues to maintain a healthy weight with a healthy lifestyle with normal blood pressure and cholesterol.

“I have kept off the weight and I no longer take any medication, I take only vitamins,” she said.

Rivera is one of many patients who improved her health by receiving a mini-gastric bypass, a medical procedure provided by Poinciana Medical Center in Kissimmee by Dr. Cesare Peraglie.

Dr. Peraglie discussed the procedure, answered questions and concerns about it, and briefly offered advice on weight loss and healthy eating during a weight loss seminar hosted at the hospital on Wednesday.

Dr. Peraglie is a double board-certified surgeon who, since 2003, has performed over 3,000 laparoscopic procedures including revision surgeries for prior failed lap bands and sleeve gastrectomies.

During his hour-long seminar, he entertained a small room of nearly 50 people, informing them about the procedures he offers and answering any of their questions and concerns through lively discussion.

Bariatric surgical procedures are divided into two categories: restrictive, which limits the amount of food the stomach can intake, mostly by reducing the stomach’s size, and malabsorption, which limits the food that the intestines can absorb by “bypassing” a portion of them.

Min-gastric bypass is a combination of the two types, as it creates a long narrow “sleeve-like” pouch and bypasses a portion of the small intestine. This allows patients to eat less food and have less of their intake absorbed into the body, thus promoting weight loss.

Aside from restricting food absorption and intake, the procedure also creates hormonal changes, which in turn changes how the body reacts to certain foods, especially “unhealthy” foods that are high in sugar and fat.

As such, if a patient who received the procedure decides to engage in bad eating habits, they will experience “dumping syndrome” and may experience several negative side effects such as cramps, loud stomach gurgles, bloating, sweats, and bathroom emergencies.

So if a patient eats unhealthy, greasy food, they may experience several negative side effects such as cramps, loud stomach gurgles, bloating, full sweats, and bathroom emergencies.

Another notable hormonal change is the increased production of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), a hormone that acts like insulin, makes the cells within the pancreas bigger, stronger, and more productive, and changes the lining within the bowels to better absorb sugar within the blood stream, Dr. Peraglie explained.

“What do you do to fix it?” Dr. Peraglie said. “Don’t eat sugar. This will keep you in check. You will change your diet.”

By changing how their bodies react and absorb foods, especially sugar, this procedure prompts patients to change their eating habits, which in turn allows them to not only lose weight, but in many cases control their diabetes, to the point where the condition nearly reverses itself.

“It is the most effective treatment for diabetes,” Dr. Peraglie said. “Because of the hormonal effects that are triggered by the surgery, I am able to get people off their insulin sometimes within days and have occassionally had people off their insulin pumps in a week or two.”

Many of his patients who received this procedure experienced “powerful” results. The procedure is statistically effective towards promoting 75 percent excess weight loss, 90 percent effective in remission of diabetes, and almost 90 percent effective in the reduction of high blood pressure, he said. However, as with any medical procedure, results vary from patient to patient.

Best of all, unlike many other bariatric procedures, which are often permanent, mini-gastric bypasses are reversible and revisable, which provides an exit strategy if too much or too little weight is lost, or if patients experience weight regain.

While most of his patients focus on weight loss, Dr. Peraglie tends to focus on overall better health as the measure of success. His patients may enjoy losing weight, but to him, better health is more than a number on the scale, he said.

“There are many things you have to look at when you want to consider success,” he said. “It’s not just about losing weight – it’s about being healthy, feeling good, and having an improved quality of life.”

Poinciana Medical Center is located at 325 Cypress Pkwy, Kissimmee, FL 34759. For more information about upcoming medical lectures and events, visit their website at: https://poincianamedicalcenter.com/

You’ll Never Guess How Many Wings This Man Ate To Win Duke Brewhouse’s Wing Eating Contest

Staff Reporter

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April 2, 2019

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You’ll Never Guess How Many Wings This Man Ate To Win Duke Brewhouse’s Wing Eating Contest

by James Coulter

Blake McKinney, a Winter Haven local, has been frequenting Duke’s Brewhouse ever since it opened nearly five months ago.

McKinney loves the chicken wings, especially the hots wings. So when he learned that the eatery was hosting a wing eating contest, he was all over it like hot sauce on a wing.

He was one of six other contestants who arrived on Sunday afternoon to sink their teeth into as many wings as they could stomach.

Within half an hour, they were each served baskets of ten wings at time, with the overall goal being to eat as many baskets of wings as they could within that time.

Further raising the stakes of this challenge were that these wings were doused in nuclear hot sauce, one of the hottest sauces served there. So if their full stomachs didn’t stop them, their burning mouths most likely would.

Nevertheless, McKinney pushed forward, and managed to eat four and a half baskets of wings, or 45 wings in total, more than any of the other contestants there.

For his proud accomplishment, he won a gift basket which included a $100 gift card, t-shirt, and a certificate declaring him the “King of Wings.”

McKinney owes his success to eating nothing that morning, though he had a decent dinner the previous evening.

Overall, even if he didn’t win, he most certainly would have loved the experience either way, especially because he loves the food and atmosphere of Duke’s Brewhouse.

“The wings are great,” he said. “I’m sold.”

Duke’s Brewhouse opened its Winter Haven location nearly five months ago, with two other locations having been in operation in Lakeland and Plant City.

Their most popular items are their chicken wings, served either traditional or boneless, blackened, fried, or grilled, and prepared in a unique spinning technique with a diverse selection of wing sauces ranging from mild to nuclear, and including unique flavors such as Garlic Buffalo, Carolina Gold BBQ, or Boom Boom Sauce.

Also popular are their other menu items, including their locally-brewed craft beer, soups, salads, sandwiches, and appetizers.

“I say we have the biggest and best [wings],” said Chris Stovall, General Manager. “They taste the best.”

Stovall often hosts events such as this as a way to spur community involvement. He was especially pleased by the turnout, as well as the overall excitement and enjoyment of everyone involved.

“We wanted to see a little bit of the community come out and try some things,” he said. “That is why we threw the event, to get love and support from the community and to show people here what we have got. I believe we have the best wings around.”

Every Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., their Winter Haven and Lakeland locations offer live music. And if you feel like eating as many wings as you can, visit them every Wednesday for All You-Can-Eat Boneless Wings for only $11.95!

Duke’s Brewhouse is located at 1708 6th St SE, Winter Haven, FL 33880. For more information, visit their website at: https://dukesbrewhouse.com/

Miss Jean’s Playland Child Care Center Closing Down

Staff Reporter

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April 1, 2019

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Miss Jean’s Playland Child Care Center Closing Down

by James Coulter

Heather Flowers works as a store manager. Her husband also works as a manager. They both have seven children, and little to no time to look after them while at work.

As such, both of them have relied upon the child care services at Miss Jean’s Playland in Lake Wales to supervise their children after school for the past three years.

Currently, three of their children attend the child care center. Each of them are picked up immediately after school and transported to the center through its ride service.

With their strict, busy schedules, Flowers and her husband, like many other parents, greatly appreciate the services provided by Miss Jean’s Playland, without which neither of them would be able to maintain their careers.

“I depends 100 percent on my child care, because if I didn’t have my child care, I wouldn’t be able to work there [at my job],” Flowers said. “I would not be able to provide for my children or pay my bills. I would lose my house and everything else.”

So like many of the other parents who depend upon the child care services provided at the center, she and her husband were caught unaware when they were informed that Miss Jean’s Playland would be closing.

Making matters worse, she did not initially receive the news from anyone at the center itself, but rather through a phone call from the Early Learning Coalition, which helps pay the fees for her child care services at the center.

When she called Miss Jean’s Playland for more information about its closure, even the workers there did not know about the news. Even her 16-year-old daughter, who works at the center herself, did not know, Flowers said.

With Miss Jean’s Playland set to close early next month, both Flowers and her husband, like many of the other parents who depend upon the center for child services, have felt themselves between a rock and a hard place. Both of them have been forced to consider one of them potentially quitting their jobs, she said.

“It has put us in a real difficult situation,” she said. “If I don’t find childcare for my children, then I won’t be able to work anymore, so it will either be my husband or my job.”

Their three children are a few of the nearly one hundred children who will need to find a new child care center now that Miss Jean’s Playland is set to close on April 10, with the very last day of operation being April 12.

The news of the center’s closure came as quite a surprise to the parents who depend upon its child care services. Even its own employees were caught unaware of the news, explained Demetria Nail, one of the managers at the facility.

Nail herself learned about the closure when Flowers contacted her several days ago inquiring about it. She in turn contacted the Early Learning Coalition, who confirmed that the center would be closing on April 12. Her co-workers later spoke with the owner, Debbie MAST, who likewise confirmed the center’s closure.

As for what will become of the facility following its closure, Nail initially assumed that the owner would return ownership to the bank, but she later learned that the owner would be selling the building instead of returning it to the bank.

“Basically, she is over it, she doesn’t care,” Nail said. “If that parent hadn’t called, if ELC hadn’t called and told those parents, then we would know nothing at all.”

Nail and her co-manager both started working at Miss Jean’s Playland earlier this January. The center itself had been in business for many year. Prior to their employment there, both of them had worked at the Department of Children and Families before being invited by Debbie to come work at the center.

“We left our careers to come and do this for her because she begged,” she said. “We always wanted to run a daycare, so we thought this was a great opportunity.”

When they arrived at the facility, they discovered it in a state of disrepair with numerous maintenance problems. Both of them had to pay out of pocket to help fund repairs for the building, Nail said.

“It wasn’t being taken care of,” she said. “So if there were underlying problems, we would not have known about it.”

During their brief time at the center, both of them had developed close relationships with the children and their parents. So seeing these parents and children struggle to find new places for child care, especially with very little option within the local community, feels nothing short of heartbreaking to them, she said.

Both Nail and her co-manager have been working hard to save their own money and find a new building that they could potentially use to start a new business and continue providing the services to these parents, she said.

Until then, many parents like Flowers have been placed in a difficult situation, deciding whether to find child care services elsewhere or to potentially give up their own jobs to look after their own children. To them, they do not feel this is a very fair decision.

“I just don’t understand,” Flowers said. “These ladies are trying to buy the building from her to save the parents and jobs and everything else…Hopefully there will be a way for them to do that.”

Homicide Detectives Arrest Lakeland Woman For First Degree Murder of Joseph Witherington

Staff Reporter

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April 1, 2019

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Homicide Detectives Arrest Lakeland Woman For First Degree Murder of Joseph Witherington

PCSO Press Release:

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Homicide detectives have arrested 28-year-old Heather Tyler of Pirates Way in Lakeland and charged her with first degree murder (Capital felony) in the murder of 21-year-old Joseph Witherington. She’s also been charged with tampering with evidence (F-3), and grand theft of a firearm (F-3). She was booked into the Polk County Jail late Friday, March 29, 2019, and is being held on no bond.

“Regardless of Heather’s many reasons and excuses, we know that she executed Joseph Witherington by shooting him in the back of the head while he was driving down a dirt road between orange groves – and that is first degree murder and we have charged her accordingly. Clearly the evidence, witnesses, and her admissions confirm that she committed cold blooded first degree murder. Joseph’s family and friends are in our prayers. If not for the vicious act by Heather Tyler, he would be alive and well today.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

According to the affidavit, Joseph Witherington’s body was found in the driver’s seat of a blue Kia, by orange grove caretakers in a grove on Mud Lake Road the morning of March 28, 2019. The Kia belonged to a friend of Witherington’s who let Witherington drive it often. A pair of women’s flip-flops was found nearby. An autopsy revealed Witherington had been shot twice in the head, and the manner of death was homicide.

Detectives processed the scene, and received tips and leads, which led them to Heather Tyler, who admitted to detectives that the flip flops were hers and that she was with Witherington during that time frame. She told detectives that Witherington came to her house on March 27, 2019, driving a friend’s blue Kia. After hanging out for a few hours, they drove to a local convenience store, and eventually out to 80 Foot Road in Alturas.

Tyler gave detectives several versions of events from inside the Kia that evening, but the evidence and witness statements confirm that she shot him in the head while he was driving. She shot him again after the vehicle came to a stop. She then took his wallet and fled the scene, leaving her shoes behind, and burned her clothes that had his blood on them. She did not give detectives a clear motive for the killing.

The following is an excerpt from the affidavit, and is self-explanatory:

During the investigation, your Affiant has established probable cause that Heather Tyler willfully and intentionally shot the decedent in the back area of his head while he was driving a vehicle. Once the vehicle came to a stop, the decedent was incapacitated. Heather Tyler exited the vehicle, opened the front passenger’s side door, pointed a handgun at the decedent’s head, and shot him a second time. Heather Tyler made a conscious decision to shoot the decedent a second time, although he was incapacitated from the first gunshot wound to the head.

During the incident Heather Tyler committed the offense of 1st Degree Murder in violation of F.S.S. 782.04.

During the investigation, your Affiant learned Heather Tyler tampered with evidence by burning her clothing that she was wearing at the time of the shooting. Heather Tyler said the clothing had blood on them and possible evidence of a homicide was destroyed when she intentionally burnt them. Heather Tyler also removed other evidentiary items from the scene with the intent to destroy them.

Your Affiant has established probable cause that Heather Tyler committed the offense of Tampering with Physical Evidence in violation of F.S.S. 918.13(1) (A).

Per Florida State Statute 119, we are not releasing information about witnesses.

Four Teens Apprehended With Assistance of K-9 Shortly After Breaking Into Cars in Lakeland

Staff Reporter

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April 1, 2019

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Four Teens Apprehended With Assistance of K-9 Shortly After Breaking Into Cars in Lakeland

PCSO Press Release:

During the early morning hours of Sunday, March 31, 2019, PCSO deputies, with the assistance of a K-9 team, tracked and apprehended a group of four teenagers shortly after they were seeing checking car door handles and breaking into at least one car in the north Lakeland area. According to one of the suspects, a firearm that was recovered had been stolen during the burglary spree.

“This is a perfect example of see something, say something, combined with excellent teamwork by patrol and K-9. Two different homeowners in Lakeland saw these teens lurking and breaking into cars, and they called us – we quickly responded and tracked the burglars hiding under an abandoned car.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

According to the affidavits, around 1:33 a.m. on March 31st, PCSO received a call from a homeowner on Hunters Crossing Blvd in Lakeland who said he saw some unknown teenagers checking to see if cars in his neighborhood were locked. When deputies arrived, the homeowner showed them video from his home security system, which showed the four teens. A PCSO K-9 team responded, and while searching, PCSO received another call from a homeowner on Ridgegreen Loop North, who said he confronted a teenager who was inside his (the victim’s) car. The teen fled on foot towards Winifred Way.

Deputies quickly set up a perimeter and the K-9 team began a new track. The K-9 alerted on a black Honda parked in the area, and then tracked to Burrisridge Drive, north to Winifred Way, and through a grass alley where a disabled vehicle was parked. The four suspects, ages 14-18 years old, were hiding under that vehicle. They were taken into custody without incident.

The 18-year-old suspect told deputies that he drove the black Honda to the area, and that there was a loaded gun inside of it. Deputies learned that the gun was stolen from a vehicle during the series of burglaries. The deputies recovered the firearm and are working to determine its rightful owner.

The 14-year-old, 15-year-old, and 17-year-old were all taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center, and the 18-year-old was taken to the Polk County Jail. They’ve all been charged with several felonies. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges may be filed.

Those arrested are:

18-year-old Jacob Ashley of Lakeland; charged with 2 counts armed burglary of conveyance (F-1), possession of burglary tools (F-3), contributing to the delinquency of a minor (M-1); and loitering and prowling (M-2).

14-year-old Thomas Avery of Lakeland; charged with 2 counts armed burglary of conveyance (F-1), possession of burglary tools (F-3), possession of a firearm by a minor (M-1), and loitering or prowling (M-2).

15-year-old Kyle Vitito of Lakeland; charged with 2 counts armed burglary of conveyance (F-1), possession of burglary tools (F-3), possession of a firearm by a minor (M-1), and loitering or prowling (M-2).

17-year-old Hunter Stacey of Lakeland; charged with 2 counts armed burglary of conveyance (F-1), possession of burglary tools (F-3), possession of a firearm by a minor (M-1), and loitering or prowling (M-2).

Elements Rejuvenating Med Spa Celebrates Grand Opening

Davenport

Staff Reporter

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April 1, 2019

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Elements Rejuvenating Med Spa Celebrates Grand Opening

by James Coulter

Summer is right around the corner. The Florida Sun will be out in full force. That’s great news for the kids, but not so great news for your skin.

If you’re looking for ways to undo the damage to your skin done by the sun, then consider one of the many skin care services offered at the new Elements Rejuvenating Med Spa in Davenport.

Whether you want to unwrinkle your wrinkles, remove the dark circles from around your eyes, or simply make your skin softer and smoother, look no further than this new medical spa, where, as its website states, “the beauty of nature meets the power of science to create gorgeous, youthful looking skin.”

Elements is a place where science and nature come together in harmony, combining cutting-edge technology with natural, organic aesthetics, to provide smooth, soft skin as nature intended and modern medicine perfected.

Whether you want to come in for a simple wax, facial, or chemical peel, or whether you want to go the extra distance with BOTOX® treatment, SculpSure® body contouring, or Venus Versa™ TriBella IPL, Elements provides “holistic, science-backed aesthetic services” that bring together the best of nature and medicine as to offer you the best looking, feeling skin.

“We want to take care of people, we want to blend medicine with holistic health and organic properties with scientific offerings,” said Trista Pavelski, owner of Elements. “My expectations are to serve the community, just help people feel grounded, relaxed, and help them leave feeling beautiful as they were created.”

Pavelski gained much of her medical experience serving as a flight medic back in 2002. Her job required her to rapidly stabilize patients and fly them back to the States. During that time, she completed two tours downrange and became recognized as a combat veteran.

She later went on to work through medical practice infrastructure and billing practices, many of which were onboard with stem cells protocols, procedures, and processing systems. Through her experience, she saw firsthand the power that science had to enhance what nature created. She wanted to find a way to combine the beauty of both science and nature as to provide holistic skin care.

“I have seen the miracles of that side of medicine,” she said. “Through all of that, I was realizing [that] what was missing from standardized medicine was care, that extra care that people are feeling. So I started exploring aesthetics and the arts and the beauty within that side of it. A medical spa isn’t novel by any means, but it is beautiful, and it is what I wanted to pursue.”

Elements Rejuvenating Med Spa celebrated its grand opening on Thursday evening with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Northeast Polk Chamber of Commerce (formerly the Haines City Chamber of Commerce).

Aside from showcasing the new business and its services to potential customers and fellow neighboring business owners, the grand opening also offered many giveaways, with many prizes being offered every hour during the event.

One such promotion was the “Red Carpet Giveaway”, where guests could post selfies of themselves at the event to Facebook and Instagram, with the best pictures being rewarded with a free “red carpet peel.”

Other special giveaways that evening included the chance to win a free year of Botox treatments with every $100 purchase, and gift baskets containing many of the natural, organic skin care products sold at the spa.

Pavelski was most impressed by the turnout that evening. It helped give her the confidence moving forward with her newly-opened business, for which she only has the upmost expectations.

“[Customers] can expect results,” she said. “They can expect to come in here and feel as though they have left an old friend. That is what they can expect….It is the feeling that you get when you are here that is not just wrapped in words, it is the offering, the general care for our clients.”

Lana Stripling, Executive Director of the Northeast Polk Chamber, appreciated such a spa setting up shop within the local community. She especially expressed her intrigue in considering a facial care treatment, especially with the services that treat dark circles under the eyes.

“It is a great opportunity,” she said. “They have a beautiful spa here that you can come in [and visit]. It is very reasonable, and they want to take care of you medically, scientifically, but also holistically as far as your skin care and wellness.”

Recently, her organization, formerly the Haines City Chamber, renamed itself as the Northeast Polk Chamber as to encompass their outreach to the cities and communities surrounding Haines City, especially Davenport which does not have a Chamber of Commerce.

“We want to help businesses that are coming in to thrive and we want to bring more businesses into the area and show them the value of moving into this area,” she said. “We are just growing, so it is time for us to grow into a different name.”

Elements Rejuvenating Med Spa is located at 141 Webb Drive Suite 100, Davenport, FL 33837. For more information, call 407-326-8558, or visit their website at https://www.skinandstem.com/

Franks For Funds Lunch Raises Money For Dundee Public Library

Dundee

Staff Reporter

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April 1, 2019

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Franks For Funds Lunch Raises Money For Dundee Public Library

by James Coulter

Mary Ann Podbielski has been working at the Dundee Public Library as a storyteller and volunteer for the past 11 years, and she has been volunteering with the Friends of The Library Dundee Florida Incorporated for the past eight years.

Podbielski loves the library, and she loves the children there, which is why she works alongside three other volunteers at Friends of the Library to raise funds as to help keep the library going.

“I love working with the little kids,” she said. “Our big feature is raising funds for the reading program. We try to help the library also by raising funds for books and furniture. But we are mostly involved with the children within the community.”

Recently, Podbielski and her fellow volunteers at Friends of The Library helped raise money for the library by selling hot dog meals during their inagural Franks For Funds Lunch at the Dundee Community Center on Thursday.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the prepared luncheon meals with hot dogs, chips, soft drinks, and homemade chili and cookies and sold them to potential customers who entered the community center, all for the price of $8 each.

Throughout the day during the lunch, they even offered deliveries to different people and businesses who ordered them within the local community. The delivered to various city workers from the town and library, and even delivered more than 30 lunches to employees at Mr. Landscape and Maxi Jet.

Helping with the turnout that day were several local seniors and volunteers from the Catholic Charities, many of whom regularly help with the Friends of The Library and their events.

“We did not do as much as we wanted to do, we always want to do more, but this is our first year for this event,” Podbielski said. “We have done pretty well.”

Friends of The Library Dundee Florida Incorporated helps to facilitate the local library, especially with its Summer Reading Program, with various fundraisers through the year, including their annual spaghetti dinner.

“We are hoping to have several events through the year,” she said. “We started out with one spaghetti dinner fundraiser, now we expand to two, and hopefully next year there will be more. We only have four members, so we have a lot on our plates.”

Friends of The Library Dundee Incorporated is a registered 501C-3 charity within the state of Florida. For more information, visit their website at: https://friendsofthelibrarydundee.wordpress.com/about

Man Killed With His Own Weapon After Assaulting & Threatening To Kill Another Man

Haines City

Staff Reporter

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April 1, 2019

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Man Killed With His Own Weapon After Assaulting & Threatening To Kill Another Man

Haines City Police Department Press Release

HAINES CITY, FL – Based on current preliminary evidence, Devonte Duga, 25, is not facing any
charges from the Haines City Police Department for a shooting that took place Sunday afternoon.
Duga fatally shot Furious Shell, 26, outside Family Discount Supermarket, known locally as the ‘Cuban
Store’, 1604 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way, about 3:15 p.m. The shooting stemmed from an incident
in which Shell allegedly stole another man’s wallet inside the store. Shell was confronted by both the
man and a store employee and began making threats.
Duga was present in the store at the time and began a verbal argument with Shell in defense of the
employee. The argument escalated outside the store, in which Shell threatened to kill Duga while
showing a handgun. Duga attempted to go back inside the business, but Shell blocked the door and
pushed Duga.

Shell struck Duga twice in the head with the gun and a struggle for the weapon followed. Duga was able
to take the weapon from Shell and fired four times, striking Shell with each of the four shots.
Both men were taken to Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center. Shell was pronounced dead at 4:13
p.m. Sunday. Duga was treated for injuries and released.

“This is a truly unfortunate event,” Chief Jim Elensky said. “Our thoughts are with all of those involved
and their families.”

Duga cooperated throughout the investigation and gave statements, including that he was in fear for his
life, consistent with witness accounts and limited surveillance footage. The investigation is ongoing.
“Our relationship with this community is something that is very important to us,” Elensky said. “We
implore anyone that may have any additional information about this case to please come forward.”

Kitten Saved From Inside Home’s Walls

Staff Reporter

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April 1, 2019

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Release by Winter Haven Police Department:

UPDATE:

A HAPPY UPDATE!
Meet Bartholomew (Mew!!! Isn’t that great!) This happy baby now has his (yes it’s a boy) furever home with a City of Winter Haven Public Works employees. He is enjoying his bottles and lots of snuggles. Ah… happy endings are great!

No April Fool’s Joke Here.
This adorable kitten was rescued from inside of a wall at a home in Winter Haven. Winter Haven Firefighters responded to the home on Ware Ave. around midnight after the homeowner heard the faint little feline’s cries. Using a Thermal Imaging Camera, the cutie was located and cut out of the wall. Firefighter Cody Nowling is shown with the precious little prize.

Heart Of Florida Hospital Temporarily Locked Down After Shooting Incident In Haines City

Haines City

Staff Reporter

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March 31, 2019

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Heart Of Florida Hospital Temporarily Locked Down After Shooting Incident In Haines City

Haines City Press Release

The Haines City Police Department is investigating a shooting death that took place before 3:45 p.m. Sunday.

Furious Bernard Shell, 26, was fatally shot following an altercation that took place outside a business at 1604 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Shell was taken to Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center where he died from his injuries about 4:13 p.m.

The shooter claims self-defense and is cooperating with the investigation, which is ongoing. There is no danger to the public.

——- Previous Article ——–

Haines City, Florida – The Heart of Florida Hospital in Haines City was temporarily shut down this afternoon after a shooting victim was transported to the hospital. The shooting took place around 3:45pm, away from the hospital, and it is believed at that time police did not have the shooter in custody. The hospital was locked down as a precaution.

According to Mike Ferguson, Public Information Officer Haines City Police Department, the person doing the shooting advised it was in self defense and is cooperating with police. The shooting is currently under investigation.

The Haines City Police Department will be updating us as more information is available. No threat to the public currently and the hospital is no longer on lockdown.

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