Chief Charlie Bird Seeking Winter Haven Residents to Participate in the
2018 Winter Haven Police Leadership Council

Winter Haven Police Chief Charlie Bird is seeking residents of Winter Haven, who are over the age of 18, to participate in the Winter Haven Police Leadership Council.  The sessions for the council will be held every other Tuesday at 6 p.m. beginning in January until the end of April 2018.

The Council will consist of approximately 20 members who will serve voluntarily and meet every other Tuesday from 6 – 9 p.m. with Chief Bird and agency members for a total of eight meetings. The Council will begin on January 23, 2018. Participants will be asked to complete assignments and provide feedback on Department operations.

Members of the Council will experience hands-on activities over the course of the eight weeks while gaining a much better understanding of what it takes to operate a Municipal Police Department.  Council members will participate in tours at the Polk County Jail book-in, Central County Jail and the Courthouse. Participants will be required to serve specified timeframes at the Sheriff’s Emergency Communications Center and complete a Ride-A-Long with an officer. Participants will be a valuable community resource in advising on topics that affect the agency.

Those interested in serving on the Police Leadership Council can request an application by calling 863-291-5858, ext. 2351. Applications can also be obtained by going to the Department website at www.WinterHavenPD.com  and clicking the Community Services link on the homepage.  Applications must be submitted no later than December 1, 2017 to be considered for the upcoming council that will begin on Tuesday, January 23, 2018. Citizens awarded the opportunity to serve will be notified no later than December 15 in order to make plans for the meeting dates. A listing of meeting dates will be sent along with the application.

Woman Leaves Fifteen Year-Old Injured In Roadway

Winter Haven PD Release:

Thirty-three year-old Stephanie Stinson of Winter Haven missed her chance to be mother of the year after she took her 15 year-old daughter to purchase drugs and wound up leaving the scene of a crash with injuries.

On October 15, 2017 at approximately 1:37 a.m., officers were called to the scene of a hit and run traffic crash on 6th St. SW that injured 15 year-old Austin Lopez of Winter Haven. Stinson had told her 15 year-old daughter that she wanted to purchase some marijuana and asked her daughter to set up the transaction. The daughter contacted someone she knew who met them at a laundromat located at 834 6th St NW in Winter Haven.

Stinson paid $20 for a bag of marijuana and expected change in return. When she didn’t get her change, Stinson attempted to block the vehicle from leaving. Lopez, who was getting inside of the vehicle on the passenger side, was struck when Stinson rammed her blue Dodge Avenger into the vehicle. The impact launched Lopez over the hood of the vehicle where he landed in the roadway. He suffered significant injuries including facial fractures and other broken bones. Lopez was air lifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

Stinson stopped briefly to pull off a piece of her vehicle that was dragging and both she and her daughter saw Lopez injured in the roadway. As they left, Stinson’s daughter called 9-1-1, but they did not stay at the scene. A piece of Stinson’s car was lodged in the silver Chevrolet she had struck and police were able to determine the ownership by the vin number marked on the vehicle part. Initially, police were unable to locate Stinson’s vehicle; however her estranged husband called police at 7:06 a.m. to report that he found his vehicle with damage and Stephanie had sent him text messages stating she had struck a vehicle and a person earlier.

On October 15, 2017,  at 8:09 a.m. Stinson and her daughter reported to the Winter Haven Police Department to give statements to the incident. Stinson was taken into custody and charged with Leaving the Scene of a Crash Involving Injury (F.S.S. 316.027(2)(A) F3 and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor (F.S. 827.04(1) M1.

UPDATE:

**** CHILD LOCATED ***

The missing 6 year-old child, Mephatlie Joseph has been located at a nearby church. She is unharmed.

** MISSING CHILD ALERT ***

Winter Haven Police are currently attempting to locate a 6 year-old girl who was dropped off for school at the corner of Havendale Blvd. and 26th St NW this morning at approximately 7:50 a.m. She did not report to Garner Elementary School and has not been seen since.

Nephtalie Joseph is a black female, wearing a pink shirt, blue jeans and has braided hair with red and while beads in the braids. She speaks Creole.

Anyone who has seen or knows where Nephtalie is should call 9-1-1 immediately.