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Four Charged After Child Suffers Gunshot Wound to Hand

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Four Charged After Child Suffers Gunshot Wound to Hand

Four Charged After Child Suffers Gunshot Wound to Hand

HAINES CITY, FL – A 38-year-old Haines City woman, a 20-year-old Orlando man and two juveniles were criminally charged after a 3-year-old child suffered a gunshot wound. There were also nine dogs at the location that were not being properly cared for.

Olivia Sweeney, 38, is charged with child neglect with great bodily harm and nine counts of improper confinement of an animal. Donald Walker, 20, and the two juveniles are charged with tampering with evidence and violation of probation.

Officers responded to AdventHealth Heart of Florida before 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday to find the child hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the hand. During the ensuing investigation, those present at the home, where the shooting occurred, told detectives that the shot was self-inflicted and had come from a BB gun.

From the evidence however, it was clear that the wound came from an actual firearm. Suspects told detectives that the gun had been destroyed and thrown away. A thorough search of the incident location failed to reveal the location of the firearm, but detectives did collect other evidence.

Sweeney, who has custody of the child, told detectives that she had left for work that morning and made no arrangements for supervision for the child. She also acknowledged that the two juveniles stayed at her home — a violation of their probation.

Once aware that police were involved, Walker and the juveniles made efforts to clean the blood from the gunshot and conceal the severity of the injury. They also cleaned the area where the shooting occurred and disposed of the firearm.

The child was driven to the hospital by an older brother of one of the juveniles, who was also present at the time of the shooting. The child suffered a broken finger and was transported from AdventHealth Heart of Florida to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital due to the complications of surgery that would be required.

During the investigation, detectives found that the child had no proper bedding and there was almost no food in the home suitable for a child to eat.

Nine dogs were also crammed into three kennels indoors. There was no dog food anywhere in the home and the dogs were confined in such a way that it was difficult for them all to sit or lay down. Urine and feces were present in the kennels and all throughout the house. Polk County Animal Control took possession of the dogs.

The Florida Department of Children and Families is also investigating. Further charges are possible as the investigation continues.

“If you have firearms in your home, it is your legal and moral obligation to secure them, so children do not have access to them,” Interim Police Chief Loyd Stewart said. “We are thankful that this child was not hurt more seriously or killed.”

Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District Seeking a Multi- County Conservation Technician

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Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District Seeking a Multi- County Conservation Technician

The Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District is seeking a Multi- County Conservation Technician to assist with the implementation of The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) adopted Agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) program. This will include working with the FDACS cost share program, Implementation Verification (IVs). The position will be based in Polk County, but will also require travel to surrounding counties. The applicant should be team oriented, independent and have an agricultural and/or natural resources background, with computer and office management skills. Employment is a grant funded position and ends June,2023. With renewal.

Applicant will be required to perform clerical and field work.

A pre-employment federal background check will be performed.

Although resumes are accepted an application form must be completed and sent to:

Polk Soil and Water Conservation District

1700 US HWY 17 South

Suite #2

Bartow, FL 33830

[email protected]

August 2021

Conservation Technician

Position Description

Summary

This is a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) technical and professional team-oriented position under direction of the supervisor in the Office of Agricultural Water Policy’s (OAWP) in partnership with the Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District (PSWCD).  The position will be assisting with the coordination and implementation of FDACS-adopted best management practices (BMPs) and assisting with agricultural related projects with the PSWCD.  The primary office of the technician will be in Polk County.  The primary area of the technician will be Polk County, but will travel to neighboring counties such as Hardee, Hillsborough, and Highlands County.  This position will involve travel to agricultural operations, meetings, and will include a vehicle. These are the primary responsibilities of the technician position:• Conducting evaluations for the OAWP’sImplementation Verification to assure implementation of FDACS-adopted BMPs • Coordinating with partner agencies, follow-up visits with agricultural operations, generating maps, data collection and analysis, and cross-checking parcel identification information.  • Assisting the OAWP team with implementation of BMPs and enrollment into the FDACS-adopted BMP Program by conducting on-site field evaluations of agricultural operations using BMP manuals, checklists and other tools to assist producers in enrolling by filing with the FDACS a Notice of Intent (NOI) to Implement BMPs.  .  • Assisting PSWCD and OAWP with administration, implementation and verification of the BMP cost-share program, such as the review of cost-share projects, invoices and deliverables documentation.  • Assisting in education, outreach, and implementation of the FDACS’ responsibilities under the Florida Watershed Restoration Act/Total Maximum Daily Loads Program through producer enrollment in the FDACS-adopted BMP Programs.• Assists in delivery of information to and input from the PSWCD, Extension Service, and the local agricultural community on non-regulatory strategies, cost-share and other incentives, technical assistance needs, and research and demonstration needs.  These include assisting the FDACS and the PSWCD by helping plan, and participate in meetings, workshops, field days, and distribution of printed and electronic materials.  

Citizens Drop Off Goodie Bags At Winter Haven Police Department

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Citizens Drop Off Goodie Bags At Winter Haven Police Department

Winter Haven Police Department:

We love our community and earlier this week Sgt. Kondor met two great citizens. These wonderful women dropped by with goodie bags for members to enjoy. Yummy treats, practical things like hand sanitizer, wipes and Chapstick and yes, even some great granola bars and bags of nuts and dried fruit. We are so blessed to serve our wonderful community.

Man Steals Laundry Items and Pushes Past Publix Employee To Get Away

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Man Steals Laundry Items and Pushes Past Publix Employee To Get Away

Winter Haven Police Department

Check this guy out. On August 28 around 2:15 p.m., he went to Publix at Northgate (1395 6th St NW) and had a large bag with him. He proceeded to the laundry aisle and selected 3 large containers of Tide Pods (Clean Breeze for those interested in the scent) and one large container of Downy Unstopables (Fresh scent) and stuffed them inside the bag. He goes through the registers without attempting to pay. The associate attempted to stop him, but he just pushed past her.
Management saw him walk across Hwy 17 and down Unity Way towards Ave. O NW.
If anyone knows his identity, please contact Lt. Phillips at 863-291-5750.

https://fb.watch/7LGhcO0GPf/

Polk County Artist Paints Beautiful Mural In Downtown Winter Haven

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Polk County Artist Paints Beautiful Mural In Downtown Winter Haven

City of Winter Haven

Have you seen it? Take a drive through downtown Winter Haven and search for this beautiful mural being painted by a Polk County artist. This artwork is tucked down Avenue C SW just west of Third Street SW. A special thank you is extended to the property owner and investor whose generosity makes a positive impact on our beautiful community. #WinterHaven #ExceptionallyLocal #WinterHavenLove #OdeToTheLakes #BeautifulWinterHaven #WinterHavenLilyPads

Catapult Lakeland Catapults Local Entrepreneurs and Businesses into Community

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Catapult Lakeland Catapults Local Entrepreneurs and Businesses into Community

Catapult Lakeland Catapults Local Entrepreneurs and Businesses into Community

by James Coulter

Baxter decided on her current side career path after taking a class at Catapult Lakeland, a non-profit cooperative that assists local entrepreneurs. She had since become a member and started renting kitchen space to help her endeavor.

When not working full-time as a teacher, Teresa Baxter sells her specialty jams and candied jalapenos. She has been teaching for the past 14 years and recently started her side gig with We Jammin.

“I took a class at Catapult, and it changed my life,” she said. “It changed the course of my side business where this could become a bigger thing.”

Thanks to the skills and information she received from her class and membership, she expanded her business by selling her merchandise at local stores and boutiques. Now she can comfortably make a living through her full-time job as a teacher and her side gig.

“Catapult is amazing,” she said. “The people here is amazing. The networking alone is amazing. The business leaders that you meet here in the community are just fantastic, so I recommend catapult to anyone.”

We Jammin was one of many local start-ups that were given a boost through the services provided by Catapult Lakeland. On Monday, the non-profit showcased its 40,000 square-foot entrepreneurial center to the public through an open house.

The open house allowed attendees to tour all three floors of the facility, browse its many workshops and resources, and see much merchandise created by participating businesses and start-ups. They could even sample food cooked in the test kitchen, from rice balls to empanadas and vegan plant-based dishes.

Catapult Lakeland started as a vision by local entrepreneurs, who assembled in an empty basement seven years ago. After touring the country and learning from many other businesses and cooperatives, they decided to start their non-profit cooperative to assist entrepreneurs in their community.

“In 2013, leaders in Lakeland had a vision of what our community could become if they came together to support entrepreneurs,” their website stated. “From traveling to learn from other cities to donating resources, they chased after this dream until it became a reality. They have taught us about uncommon innovation, vision casting, and creating community. For this, we will always be grateful!”

Their facility, located along the scenic shores of Lake Mirror in Downtown Lakeland, offers classes, resources, and rental spaces to allow their members the opportunity to expand their businesses and start-ups. As such, they have helped “catapult” more than 200 aspiring entrepreneurs and 27 businesses into the community and beyond.

East of These is another start-up. This small business works with other businesses to use their current logos and branding elements to design handmade pieces like headwraps, bandanas, headbands, and scrunchies.

“We like to think of creative ways to help people represent their business without it being to overt, something that is still fashionable,” said business owner, Taylor Ard.

Ard started East of These after her friend bought a lot of fabric for sewing. After realizing she couldn’t sew, her friend sought a way to utilize all of the material she purchased. Ard decided to use it to start her own business.

Ard utilizes many of the resources provided at the Catapult Lakeland facility. She has her own office space upstairs and uses the downstairs workshop to develop and design her products.

“Catapult has so many great resources,” she said. “They provide a lot of new entrepreneur opportunities and resources that everyone here is in the same boat trying to grow their own business. It is a great community to be a part of…I would rate it very high. It has been very wonderful. It is very supportive, very honest, and just very creative environment where everyone else is on your team.”

For the past seven years, Catapult Lakeland has been allowing such local entrepreneurs to “catapult” themselves into the community, and they expect to keep those numbers growing, explained Laura, a Catapult representative.

“Our expectations is to grow and attract more companies. We have kitchens,” she said. “We want to attract so many different people with different visions to launch out into our community here and add something new to Lakeland.”

Catapult Lakeland is located at 502 E. Main St., Lakeland, FL 33801. For more information, call 863-940-9660, or visit their website at: https://catapultlakeland.com/

Winter Haven Garbage, Recycling, Junk and Vegetation Collection May Run Behind Due to Staffing Difficulties

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Winter Haven Garbage, Recycling, Junk and Vegetation Collection May Run Behind Due to Staffing Difficulties

City of Winter Haven

City of Winter Haven garbage, recycling, junk, and vegetation collection services may intermittently run behind over the next few weeks as our Solid Waste team works through staffing difficulties. If your items are not collected on your scheduled date, rest assured they will be collected as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience and grace as we work through the hurdles ahead.

Questions? Please email the Solid Waste Division at [email protected]

WinterWhen’s your pick-up? Visit https://www.mywinterhaven.com/government/city-departments/public-works/solid-waste/am-i-serviced-by-the-city-or-county/

Downtown Fort Meade Seeking Wider Sidewalks & Less Vacant Spaces

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Downtown Fort Meade Seeking Wider Sidewalks & Less Vacant Spaces

Downtown Fort Meade Seeking Wider Sidewalks & Less Vacant Spaces

by James Coulter

If you drive through Downtown Fort Meade, you probably won’t even notice you drove though the sleepy town at all. Not much stands out along the main roads of Charleston and Broadway save a few gas stations and chain fast food eateries, and many vacant spaces exist in the main downtown area.

All of that could change with a vision plan by Main Street Fort Meade to help beautify and refurbish the downtown area. On Aug. 19, the local non-profit organization hosted a workshop to gain input from community members on how to improve their city’s image.

Nearly 30 local residents attended the meeting that evening. Most of them offered their feedback, providing suggestions on widening the sidewalks, filling up the vacant spaces, and bringing high-speed internet.

The main suggestion was to make their downtown area more pedestrian friendly by providing wider sidewalks and narrower roads to help slow down traffic and allow pedestrians to more easily traverse the downtown area.

“That was a huge priority for us,” explained Shannon Curtis, Executive Director of Main Street of Fort Meade. “We have a lot of big trucks that roll through to, and our layout is geared more towards trucks and traffic. So we would like to shift that and make it more pedestrian friendly area.”

Another suggestion was to fill the empty spaces and stores that exists along Broadway Avenue. These empty lots could be converted into public spaces, and the empty storefronts could be housed by new businesses, Curtis said. Speaking of which, they also want to find new ways to recruit new businesses.

Finally, another big recommendation was high speed internet. As it stands, the city does not have great internet coverage, and the lack of quality high-speed internet is a “hole in the entire community” that needs to be filled if they city wants to attract new businesses.

The workshop was hosted last Thursday by Main Street Fort Meade and the Central Florida Regional Planning Council, which initially created the original downtown vision plan seven years ago. The plan had since been reintroduced to the public and revised through the feedback provided at the meeting.

“It is a really nice comprehensive 80-page guide…but they have not done a lot with the vision plan,” Curtis said. “We are really trying to apply for more grants, and we have a block grant that was awarded to us…[So we are trying] to get an update on that and get word with the citizens of Fort Meade about the possibilities with the upcoming block grant renovations that will be happening.”

Main Street is a nationwide non-profit organization that helps assist cities and towns through downtown renovation and historic preservation. The Chamber of Commerce applied for a Main Street designation last summer, and Main Street Fort Meade was officially established that fall.

Main Street Fort Meade will be taking the feedback provided at the workshop to revise the vision plan, and they plan on hosting a follow-up meeting within the next month to gain more input.

“I think that the citizens of Fort Meade are excited the Main Street program and the development in that have re-inspired everybody and given them new hope for the possibilities in downtown,” Curtis said. “So I think it was a really positive meeting. Everybody enjoyed themselves, and I think it put everyone on that the same page and gave them hope for the future.”

Jan Bagnall, City Manager Fort Meade, commended the workshop for allowing local residents the opportunity to have a say in how their community is improved. She especially appreciated how the feedback from the workshop allowed the vision plan from 2014 to be updated to better match the “current desires of the community.”

“The city is very happy that we were able to get a good response from the community to update the ideas for a vision for the city,” she said. “We are currently evaluating the responses from the community and incorporating those ideas into an updated vision plan as we start to implement planning and capital projects to improve the city services, infrastructure, amenities, and in general the small-town ambiance of Fort Meade.”

Bartow Feed Store Collecting Donations For Local Youth Who Lost Father To COVID

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Bartow Feed Store Collecting Donations For Local Youth Who Lost Father To COVID

Bartow Feed Store Collecting Donations For Local Youth Who Lost Father To COVID

by James Coulter

Florida Farm And Ranch Supply in Bartow is collecting a feed fund for the show cattle of two local youths after their father tragically passed away from COVID-19.

Tracy Hilleshiem tragically lost his battle against COVID on Aug. 21 after spending nearly a week in the hospital. Both his children, Titus and Trinity, have ongoing cattle show projects that he helped them with before his passing.

“A few years ago when Titus began his journey raising and showing cattle, Tracy was as proud as he could be,” read an online flyer from Florida Farm and Ranch Supply. “He was very involved with the projects. He did all he could have to have their projects be successful. In 2020, Titus was the reserve championin the carcass contest. As a community, we want to take the stress of feed off his wife to ensure these kids are able to finish out the projects and be competitive.”

To ensure these children are able to feed their show cattle and finish their projects successfully, Florida Farm and Ranch Supply in Bartow has set up an account to assist them with their feed expenses. Donations can be made in store, mailed via check, or paid over the phone via card.

“I feel it is something the community should pull together and help out the family,” said 

Brad Babicz, general manager for Florida Feed and Ranch Supply. “All the communities are struggling with COVID right now. And it seems to be surging and hitting some people harder than others, and we try to do what we can to help people the best that we can.”

Babicz has known Tracy and his family for a long time. They have been longtime customers at his store, and their children attend the same school and participate in the same youth sports teams as his children. He understands that Tracy had been the breadwinner for the family, so his absence would only make it harder for his children to complete their cattle projects.

“Titus plays balls at the same ballpark as my kids,” Babicz said. “They play baseball, and Tracy was a coach there…as a small community we have all been around the area for the longest time, and it is good family, good people, good kids, and we try to do what we can for them.”

Upon learning about Tracy’s passing, Babicz brainstormed ways to assist his family during their time of need. He decided to set up a fund at his store where people could make donations to cover the feed expenses of his children and their cattle projects.

“It just started a day ago when we announced on Facebook and we had donations,” he said. “It is going well, anything anyone can give will help, small or big, there is nothing too small to help.”

The Show Cattle Feed Fund for Titus and Trinity is being hosted at the Florida Farm and Ranch Supply Store, located at 2975 FL-60, Bartow, FL 33830. Donations can be made at the store, over the phone via credit or debit card, or by check via mail. For more information, call 863-533-1814, or visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/FloridaFarmandRanchSupply/

23 Yr Old Man Killed & 29 Yr Old Critically Injured In Haines City Crash

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23 Yr Old Man Killed & 29 Yr Old Critically Injured In Haines City Crash

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Press Release

Around 5:08 p.m. on Sunday, August 29, 2021, the ECC received a 911 call from the area of US Hwy 17-92 north of Bates Road in Davenport. The driver of a red 2020 Honda Civic, 23-year-old Kevin Rivera of Orlando, was declared deceased on-scene. Evidence and witnesses indicated that Rivera was heading south on 17-92 and attempted to pass the vehicle in front of him – when he went into the northbound lane, he struck a white Ford E250 van being driven north by 29-year-old Juan Juarez Cedillo of Haines City head-on.

 

Cedillo suffered critical injuries and is in a local hospital. He is in stable condition. The investigation is ongoing.

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