A 6th-grade student at Frostproof Middle-Senior High School in Frostproof has been criminally charged after falsely reporting that he saw another student with a gun, which caused the school to go into heightened-security status and prompted a thorough search of the grounds by numerous deputies. On Tuesday, September 7, 2021, the student reported to a teacher that while he was in the boy’s bathroom during 2nd-period, another student showed him a black handgun tucked under the waistband of his pants. The student provided a description of the boy who was said to have the gun.Deputies located a student in the school who matched the description He was searched and questioned, but was not in possession of a weapon. Numerous deputies responded to the school to conduct a complete search of the school property in an attempt to locate the gun. While the search was taking place, school security video was reviewed and it was determined that the video did not corroborate the student’s story. Nobody matching the description given by the 6th-grader was viewed going into the restroom. No firearm was located from the search. The 6th-grade boy was transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center in Bartow and charged with Giving a False Report to Law Enforcement (M1) and Disruptive a School Function (M2). “If someone reports a weapon at a school, we are going to give due diligence to secure that weapon to make sure students and faculty remain safe, and that’s exactly what happened. We don’t know why he chose to make up the story, but we do know that it used up valuable resources; deputies were tied-up and unable to respond to other calls, parents and children got concerned, and the school day was totally disrupted.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
On Thursday, September 9, 2021, PCSO detectives arrested 31-year-old Frankie Alvarado of Kissimmee for Second Degree Murder (F1) and other charges resulting from a stabbing that occurred at a residence in Poinciana Wednesday evening, September 8th. Based on evidence and witness statements, the preliminary information is as follows: Alvarado told detectives that he had been using a combination of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin late Wednesday afternoon and that drug use has made him violent in the past. Shortly before 7:00 p.m. Wednesday evening, Alvarado and a witness began arguing, and the witness told Alvarado to leave the residence.
The witness asked the victim, who was also in the home, to help make sure Alvarado left. Alvarado continued to argue with the witness and victim while he was packing his belongings. The victim picked up a baseball bat for protection.
Alvarado walked outside the home, and the exterior door to the home was closed. Alvarado decided afterward that he wanted back inside the residence and began banging on the door while asking the witness to come out and talk with him. Instead, the victim opened the door, stepped outside, and the two began to argue. Alvarado told the victim he wanted to fight him.
Alvarado told detectives the victim hit him with the baseball bat, and then Alvarado stabbed the victim several times with a switchblade knife.The victim fell back inside the home where he died.
Alvarado ran from the home and told detectives he took the baseball bat and threw it away and also dropped the knife somewhere. He said he went home and changed his clothes. When deputies located him, Alvarado ran away on foot, but he was quickly taken into custody.
“This was a tragic and senseless murder. Alvarado admitted to taking drugs prior to murdering the victim and telling the victim he wanted to fight him, when all he had to do was leave the home. I’m proud of my deputies for quickly apprehending this felon and getting this dangerous criminal off the street.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Alvarado was charged with Second Degree Murder (F1), Tampering with Evidence (F3), and Resisting an Officer without Violence (M1). His prior criminal history includes 11 felonies and 2 misdemeanors for Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Synthetic Marijuana, Violation of Probation, Failure to Appear, Aggravated Battery (Domestic Violence), Giving a False Name to Law Enforcement, Tampering with Evidence, Petit Theft, and Criminal Mischief. Alvarado was transported to the Polk County Jail and currently has no bond.
Auburndale Fire Fighters Served Lunch by Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation
by James Coulter
Robert Barrington serves as a lieutenant for the A-shift at Auburndale Fire Department. He and his crew members serve 24-hour shifts in 48-hour intervals. They prepare their meals in their kitchen at the station, but often they do not have the time for a properly cooked meal. Barington mentioned how one of his crew answered 24 calls within one week, leaving little time to cook anything.
“So you end up eating ramen noodles, so a home-cooked meal is appreciated,” he said. “Sometime, people…are super nice and come by to give us food and show their appreciation, and there is no real way that we can tell you thank you. We do appreciateit. We really do from the bottom of our hearts. We spend a lot of time away from our family, and it is super nice when someone reaches out for us.”
Recently, Barrington and his crew were served meals prepared and delivered by Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation. This local non-profit organization assists first responders and raises funds for the installation of defibrillators throughout the county. The meals included drinks, meatloaf, and chocolate cake as prepared by Freedom Tour Church in Lake Wales, and delivered by Melanie Brown Culpepper.
Melanie started her organization last year following the untimely death of her late fiancée, Michael Brown Culpepper, who suffered from cardiac arrest. First responders had arrived to assist him and resuscitate him, but could not do so, despite their best efforts. Since then, Melanie has been raising awareness and funds for heart health and local first responders.
“Sounds like it is a great program,” Barrington said. “We applaud anyone who really takes the initiative on their own to help others. We, as firefighters, obviously we got into this career to help people, and that is something close to our hearts that we hold dearly, but it means a lot when there is someone not getting paid who takes it upon themselves. Of course, all of us, asfirefighters, we do the right thing, and we help people. But to see someone take their time out of their day to donate their time and money and raise money to help others is so awesome.”
Over the past year, Melanie has hosted various fundraisers, from bass tournaments to 5K foot races, to raise money for defibrillators in the county. She recently used her funds to install two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in two local businesses: her own salon, Melanie’s Cutting Edge, and another at Old Man Franks, where her late fiancée served as a security officer.
The Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation will be hosting their next fundraiser, a pool tournament, at Slate 8 in Winter Haven in Sep. 18. They also plan on hosting a large barbecue dinner for law enforcement in January. Currently, they are also developing an app that will allow people to locate nearby defibrillators in case of an emergency.
For the past several months, Melanie has been tirelessly delivering homecooked meals to first responders and firefighters at departments throughout the county. She previously delivered to the fire departments in Haines City, Bartow, and Lake Wales, and she will be making deliveries to Winter Haven and Lakeland. She plans on continuing these deliveries for as long as she can to keep her late fiancée’s memory alive.
“What I saw the first responders do when they came and how much they touched me, not just to save him, but the love that they will show me and my grandbabies that were with me,” she said. “And it is the love of my fiancée to keep his memory alive. If I can save one person with a defibrillator, his life did not go down in vain and I did this all for him to keep his memory alive with me.”
Terica Moore was one of the EMTs who initially treated Michael Culpepper with a life vest during a cardiac arrest several months before his death. Since then, she has been working alongside Melanie with her fundraisers and her monthly food deliveries, especially since Melanie assisted her with a fundraiser for her late son. She appreciates being able to help others who dedicate their lives to helping others.
“I am so glad to be a part of this and to show appreciation for the firefighters and EMT for everything they do,” Terica said. “I put defibrillators on people every day to save people from cardiac arrest, and then seeing everything that Melanie has gone through and losing my son, knowing that I was there to save him, that is what motivates me to keep going. If we can save one life, that makes a big difference.”
To learn more about the Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation, visit their website at: https://honoringculpepper.com/
Lake Wales Steelers Celebrate First Home Game of the Season
by James Coulter
After nearly a year of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the Lake Wales Youth Football League made their epic comeback last Saturday during their first home game of the season.
The Lake Wales Steelers competed against the Frostproof Bulldogs last Saturday at Legion Field at Lake Wailes Park. While they lost the game 33 to 34, they still had the opportunity to celebrate their first home game after a yearlong hiatus.
Richard DeLoach, District 6 Vice President, was pleased to see so many children and their parents turn out for the game. Despite these uncertain times, more than 150 to 160 players between the ages of 4 to 15 (with mascots at the age of 3) were enrolled this season completely free of cost. The youth football league is still accepting football enrollment from players ages 7 to 15 at no charge. (Flag division ages 4 to 6 is full.)
“When you take a year off like that, with the epidemic, parents are leery of kids participating, so we are trying to get re-established and going again,” DeLoach said. “We have plenty of pep. We just want to grow stronger, get a little bit bigger, and participate….We are having a good time. We are not as strong as part of our competitiveness. We are not trying to compete to win. We need to win in other areas like getting them re-involved and getting the kids going, and if we can see it, we can be more competitive than where we are.”
For the past four weeks, the Lake Wales Steelers have been on the road playing visitor games in other towns. Last Saturday saw them return to Lake Wales for their first home game of the season. Several principals from local schools and even Mayor Eugene Fultz himself attended to show their support.
Anna Barcenas, Principal of Polk Avenue Elementary, has been serving her position for the past year. Her school has proven exceptional, as enrollment has gone up, and they welcomed back a full campus, she said. She is equally excited for many of her students to participate in youth football.
“They were looking forward to the Saturday game,” she said. “There are many young girls in kindergarten who do cheers in the hallways at the end of the school day. Some of the boys talk about how they are the running back or different positions that they are playing, so we know they are building great sportsmanship for them, teamwork, and they are working with some great mentors as their great coaches.”
Barcenas appreciates both the parents and coaches for giving their time to ensure that this season will be successful, and she hopes that the young players will perform well at their game, win or lose, she said.
“My expectation for them is that they want to have a successful season, and there are many life lessons that come from sports too,” she said. “You may not win every game, but we want to make sure you are having a great time, one game at a time.”
Barbara Thomas, Principal at Hillcrest Elementary, also has many students who are participating this season. Her school has more than 700 students enrolled this year, and most of them are as excited as she is for this year’s football season.
“We love to get them involved in the community and support the community however we can,” Thomas said. “I think it is great for the kids to be able to learn the game and love the sport. And being outdoors is the best thing they can possibly do. I love that this is a place where they can come and have safe interaction and play. It is teaching them a lot of team-building skills and how to get along with a lot of people. I think it is wonderful that they are involved.”
Last Saturday marked the first home game within the past year and a half since the pandemic forced them to postpone their last season. They have since regained steam playing visitor games.
Shack Patrick is serving his first year as director. He worked his way up from defensive coach to head coach to his current position. He has high hopes for the upcoming season, and he hopes next year will more than exceed this year’s expectations.
“Our is to go to 250 next year,” he said. “We have a good team. We have a good following. We trying to bring the organization up this year with the family. We are trying to be more family-oriented. So we set out to be able to bring in a good atmosphere with the family and the kids. That is why we scheduled it the way that it is. For the families to be able to participate at our games.”
The Lake Wales Youth Football League is currently seeking donations. Donations can be made to: 319 S. Scenic Highway Suite 104B, Lake Wales, Florida 33853. Their Tax ID is: 59-3587696. For more information, call 863-332-2500.
So this happened! Officer Calero responded to a call regarding a civil dispute. After all was said and done, a tenant at the dispute location was told they couldn’t have a dog or they faced eviction. The tenant had no way of affording to move and was going to surrender the dog. Officer Calero fell in love with Melo immediately and now Melo has a true furever home! ❤️🐾🥰
Forget the skip scanning. Let’s just open packages and get digital codes from DVD packages. This guy did just that. Walmart associates (7450 Cypress Gardens Blvd) located multiple DVD packages in the toy section with the digital codes missing from the opened packages. After reviewing video, the male in these photos is seen going back and forth from the DVD section to the toy area where he ripped opened the packages taking the codes to the tune of $687. He entered and exited through the Tire Center never approaching a register. He is believed to have left in the dark gray Nissan (possibly newer model Sentra) pictured below. Anyone with information on his identity is asked to call Detective Al-Shaair at 863-292-7921.
Slap U Later BBQ Walks Away as Backyard Grand Champ andOther Awards at Big Belly BBQ Battle
by James Coulter
Brent Broaddus felt lost during the pandemic last year. He wanted to find something to do to pass his time. So he decided to pick up on backyard barbecue smoking.
His pandemic hobby quickly kicked off into a competitive one. He and his team, Slap U Later BBQ, started competing in the Florida Barbecue Association circuit this May. He attended his second competition at the Big Belly BBQ Battle in Davenport on Saturday.
Not only did he walk away as the overall grand champion in the backyard division, but his barbecue also won several other awards, including fifth place in ribs, first place in chicken, second place in pork, and first place in brisket.
“I owe my success to a meticulous timeline,” Broaddus said. “I cook on a Rec Tec 340 Grill. So it is like the smallest grill in the world. And so everything is [cooked] in five-minute windows to get things done.”
Overall, Broaddus loves the camaraderie among his fellow barbecue grill masters. He and his team have been like a real family, and being among people who love barbecue as much as him has been like being among an extended family, he said.
“In quarantine, I felt a little lost, got into barbecue smoking, and found a new family where it is amazing,” he said. “I just [love] the community involvement of doing what we love to do. And welcoming us, and getting to see the local flare of all of the different cities in Florida.”
Winning overall grand champion in the professional division was Allen Pomerleau of GitChewSum. This was his fourth or fifth time competing in the Big Belly BBQ Battle, with him and his team traveling the Florida Barbecue Association Circuit.
“It has been awesome as always,” Pomerleau said. “It is always a stacked field, and to be crowned number one, I am at a loss for words.”
Brisket and ribs are his favorite food to barbecue. Being able to smoke his meat to perfection takes patience, and winning first place more than paid off this year, he said. Most importantly, he was able to be among good people, both with his teammates and his competitors.
“We cook with each other, win or lose, we have a good time,” he said. “The secret to our success has been perseverance. You have to be focused and committed. We remain competitive.”
The Big Belly BBQ Battle is Davenport’s annual barbecue competition, hosted by the Davenport Merchants. While the turnout this year did not exactly meet expectations, the overall experience proved well, even despite these challenging, uncertain times, explained president Bonnie JoSanger.
“The turnout has not been as good as we had hoped,” she said. “The COVID had a little bit of something to do with it. But it has been good. A lot of folks [came] for the raffle, they have been decent.”
As an annual city event, residents love the barbecue contest, and they come out to attend and participate regardless of the circumstances, she said.
“The local people know it happens every year, so they expect it, and they look forward to it,” she said. “I enjoy just seeing the people are happy and the food is good, and everybody is happy. We expect things to be bigger and better.”
Frostproof, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has taken an over 18 Yr Old Frostproof Middle Senior High School student into custody. The student Christian Ryan Tyler, DOB: 04/07/2003, was found to have a knife with over a four inch blade in his vehicle. Here is a long excerpt of the arrest affidavit:
“On September 7, 2021 while at Frostproof Middle-High School, the Principal of the school, Kyle Windham received information that a student identified as Christian Ryan Tyler (defendant) was in possession of a large knife. Kyle Windham conducted a search to Christian Tyler’s backpack and vehicle which was in compliance with Polk School Board’s policy’s and located an orange knife with an blade over four inch long.
Christian Tyler claimed he put the knife into his vehicle last night for his protection but forgot to remove it morning before coming to school.
A person shall not possess any weapon or device including a razor blade or knife at a school sponsored event or property of a school.
It was determined that Christian Tyler was knowingly in possession of a weapon while on school grounds in violation FSS790.115 (2)(B).
Interview Christian Tyler stated post Mirada that he only had the knife in his car for his protection with everything that was going on. Tyler advised “I was never going to use it on anyone”. “I put it in my vehicle last night.“
The was placed on lockdown for several hours as law enforcement and school officials took all appropriate action to assure the safety of students.
Frostproof, Florida – According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office complaint Affidavits have been filed against 5 students at Frostproof Middle Senior High School after an alleged bullying event took place. The date of the complaint was on August 31, 2021, but the event took place prior to then. A video of the event was posted on several social media sites.
In the video it appears that while football players were in the locker room they took a trash can and put it over a student’s head and repeatedly punched and kicked him. According to the PCSO the student did not suffer serious injuries and was not filing charges. However, apparent harassing phone calls were also made to the student and this is when law enforcement got involved.
The Polk County School Board was also made aware of the situation and here is their statement:
“Polk County Public Schools is aware of a reported hazing and bullying incident that recently took place at Frostproof Middle-Senior High School. School staff cooperated fully with law enforcement and charges have been filed. In addition, the students involved have been disciplined in accordance with our district’s Code of Conduct. Polk County Public Schools will not tolerate this kind of behavior in our schools.”
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office it is now in the State Attorney’s Office hands to determine if charges will be filed.
