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Two Teens Arrested For Shooting Out More Than 100 Car Windows

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Two Teens Arrested For Shooting Out More Than 100 Car Windows

Press Release Highlands County Sheriff’s Office

SEBRING — Two teenagers have confessed to shooting the windows out of more than 100 cars and nine businesses with BB guns during a month-long spree that began in late March.

Logan Patrick Lashley, 19, of Babson Park, and his 17-year-old cousin Reno Jay Lashley of Avon Park were arrested Friday, July 28, and charged with six counts of felony criminal mischief, nine counts of shooting into a building (a felony) and one count of misdemeanor criminal mischief. They turned themselves in on Friday, July 28, the same day arrest warrants were issued.

In total, there were 97 incidents (61 investigated by the HCSO and 36 by the Sebring Police Department) with 112 damaged vehicles and nine businesses damaged, resulting in more than $47,000 in repair costs. The District 10 Office of the State’s Attorney in Sebring grouped the cases by date in order to upgrade the charges to felonies instead of misdemeanors.

Assistant State’s Attorney Christine Pletcher said that statute allows for ongoing incidents to be grouped together and for the consolidation of victims to meet the criteria for felony charges. “Every victim has been accounted for,” she said, adding that each victim will be eligible for restitution if the two plead guilty to — or are convicted — on all charges.

The pair were identified and confessed in early May. The sheer volume of paperwork associated with such a large number of cases took weeks to process, accounting for the delay in the arrest warrants being issued. Pletcher said the task of organizing the cases to determine time frames and completing all the documentation required to make sure every victim was accounted for was a huge undertaking for the state’s attorney staff.

“This was a huge undertaking and it was solved by solid police work,” Sheriff Paul Blackman said. “There were many deputies, police officers and detectives involved in these cases from the start, and it took more than 300 hours between the two agencies from the beginning of the investigation to the end. HCSO Det. Du’Wayne Kelly and Sebring Police Det. Tim Ritenour are to be commended for taking the lead roles and putting an end to this crime spree so quickly.”

In total, HCSO logged more than 210 hours on the case, while SPD had 119 hours invested. That total does not include the hours spent by the State’s Attorney staff.

Lake Wales City Commissioner Allegedly Held Pocket Knife To Girlfriends Neck & Punches Her Repeatedly

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Lake Wales City Commissioner Allegedly Held Pocket Knife To Girlfriends Neck & Punches Her Repeatedly

 

Lake Wales, Florida – According to the Lake Wales Police on July 30, 2017, Curtis Lee Gibson Jr., a Lake Wales City Commissioner, was arrested for Aggravated Assault- Domestic Violence and Battery Domestic Violence.

The incident arose when Gibson and his girlfriend, victim, of 4 years, who also lives with Gibson and their 4 children, got into a verbal arguement,according to reports. The victim was reportedly tending to one of the children when the Gibson allegedly instructed the child to “bad mouth” their own mother. The victim stated that Gibson told the child to tell their mother to “shut up.” This made the victim mad so she snapped a hair bow towards the Gibson’s direction.

This allegedly angered Gibson so he approached the victim in an aggressive manner. According to reports as soon as Gibson was within arm’s reach, he allgedly punched the victim. The punch reportedly made contact with the victim’s left shoulder. In return, the victim swung back at Gibson. When asked, the victim was not sure if she had made contact. The victim stated, “I’m pretty sure I hit him.”

Soon after this exchange, Gibson allegedly grabbed the victim’s arm and twisted it behind her back. This was done in an attempt to restrain the victim at that moment. Reportedly at the same time, the victim is trying to reach for the bed in an attempt to reach for any object to hit Gibson in an attempt to get Gibson away from her. The victim stated when Gibson had her r arm behind her back, this caused her pain and she was trying to get Gibson to stop.

Once both Gibson and victim were near the bed, the victim grabbed a hanger and hit Gibson in an attempt to get him to stop hitting her. Gibson allegedly continued his onslaught by punching the victim multiple times. The victim then grabbed a hair brush and hit Gibson again. The victim then grabbed a set of nail clippers which, allegedly, inadvertently scratched Gibson as she attempted to stop his advance.

After victim’s futile attempts to stop the defendant from allegedly battering her, Gibson reached into his shorts pocket and allegedly produced a pocket knife. Once the pocket knife was produced, the victim began to scream and go for her cell phone. The victim was trying to call for help. At the same time, Gibson allegedly lunged at the victim in an aggressive manner. Gibson opened the pocket knife and allegedly pushed the victim onto the bed. Once on the bed, Gibson jumped on top of the victim while still holding the pocket knife in an aggressive manner. Once Gibson was on top of the victim, he allegedly placed the pocket knife onto the victim’s neck While having the pocket knife on the victim’s neck, Gibson allegedly stated; “you trying to pierce me? You trying to pierce me?” “I should stick you right now, I should stick you right now.” “Do you know what I can do to you right now? Do you know what I can do to you right now?” Gibson allegedly made the reference to “sticking” the victim meaning he should have stabbed the victim.

Reportedly soon after Gibson made this statement, the victim quickly begged for the him to get off of her. Once Gibson got up, the victim walked towards the bathroom where the he allegedly grabbed the victim again. Once Gibson was restraining the victim, he allegedly held the victim up against the bedroom dresser. The victim attempted to call 911, but hung up. As soon as the victim hung the phone up, Gibson elected to call 911 himself.

Gibson was placed under arrest for Aggravated Assault-Domestic Violence per FSS 784.021 (1) (a) and Battery-Domestic Violence 784.03 (1) (a) (1). The pocketknife and nail clippers used during this incident were seized for evidence. The victim and Gibson did not require medical attention while on scene. Gibson was transported to Polk County Jail.

PCSO & FWC Dive Teams Trying To Locate Missing Boater

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PCSO & FWC Dive Teams Trying To Locate Missing Boater

Update: With great sadness, at 6:58PM on July 30th, 2017, FWC with the support of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Lakeland Police Department, have located and recovered a body in Lake Gibson.  

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Update: Florida Fish & Wildlife continues the search for missing Plant City, Florida man. According an FWC spokesman the search has been going continuously since yesterday afternoon. Less officers work last night, but rescue workers work through the evening. At this time we know 23 year old Cornelius “Corn” Wiggins was riding in a 21 ft. Tidewater boat. According to the FWC Mr. Wiggins sunglasses came off and he jumped in after them. The operator of the boat, Julie Bryant, turned around and tried to help Wiggins. Bryant reportedly dove into the water to try and locate Wiggins, but he never surfaced again.

According to the FWC they will continue the search until Wiggins is found or his body is recovered.

Wiggins or “Corn” to his friends is well liked by many. Friends and family are expressing prayers and hoping for a miracle. One family member posting on Facebook “Why”

We will continue to update this story.

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Lakeland, Florida – According to the Florida Wildlife Commission an incident has occurred on Lake Gibson who in Lakeland. Earlier today a male boater fell overboard while boating on Lake Gibson. The man never resurfaced. At this time dive teams from the Polk County Sheriffs Office and FWC are conducting a search of the lake.

The victim is being identified by Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission as Cornelius Wiggins, 32, of Plant City, Florida.

This is a developing story and we will update as information becomes available.

Winter Haven Police Officer Charged With Having Sex With Minor

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Winter Haven Police Officer Charged With Having Sex With Minor


Winter Haven Police Department Press Release

Winter Haven Police Officer Arrested For Having Sex With A Minor

On Saturday, 7-29-17 at approximately 6:30 a.m., Polk County Sheriff's Deputies arrested 39 year-old William Kenna of Winter Haven for one count of Sexual Activity with a Victim 16 or 17 (FSS 794.05) (F2) after it was discovered he had sexual intercourse with a 17 year-old female.

At approximately 1:30 a.m., Winter Haven Police were contacted regarding the possible relationship between Kenna and the victim. Once police arrived on scene, Kenna and the 17 year-old victim were found together in a room alone, however they both denied any sexual act had occurred at this time. Winter Haven Police contacted the Polk County Sheriff's Office to conduct the investigation into the allegations.

According to the affidavit, the victim disclosed that she and Kenna had known each other for approximately one and a half years. She stated she and Kenna would discuss personal problems they each were having and would turn to each other when they needed advice. She stated that over time she and Kenna became close. The victim stated that approximately four months ago, she and Kenna were at his Winter Haven home and while there, they engaged in consensual sexual intercourse with each other.
Kenna, who immediately resigned in lieu of termination, was hired by the Winter Haven Police Department on 6-11-12 as a Police Officer. He obtained the reclassification of Police Officer II in July 2015.

"Our officers are expected to conduct themselves with honor and dignity and provide professional service to our citizens," said Chief Charlie Bird. "The decision Kenna made goes against everything the men and women of our agency stand for."

Kenna was booked into the Polk County Jail and is expected to make his first appearance on Sunday at 8 a.m.

Lake Wales Hosts New Polk County Drone Racing Club

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Lake Wales Hosts New Polk County Drone Racing Club

A new Drone Racing Club has arrived on the scene in Lake Wales and is the first chapter in Polk County of the MultiGP Drone Racing League.

Recently the Daily Ridge was invited out to Kiwanis Park in Lake Wales by Jay DosSantos and Stephen Kelly of  863-FPV Addiction to check out the new club at their Kiwanis Fun-Fly event.

This gathering was an open-fly event where drone pilots honed their skills in drone racing and tweaked their machines while having some fun socializing with other pilots, their friends and interested spectators.

The club set up a race course next to the lake and pilots from all over Florida came out to join the fun.

The racing drones are equipped with cameras while the pilots wear head-mounted displays similar to virtual reality goggles that show the live stream camera feed from the drones as they are flying them…..it’s like you’re in the pilot seat of the drone itself.

The 863-FPV Addiction Drone Club is a newly sanctioned member of the MultiGP Drone Racing League which is a world-wide organization for first-person view (FPV) radio-controlled aircraft.

According to their website, MultiGP.com, the racing league “provides community standards for their chapters to safely design their own courses and also generates individual pilot competition through their Universal Time Trial Track program which ranks pilots worldwide on standard measured courses.”

FPV (first person view) flying means that pilots only see what the drone sees. This is accomplished by live streaming footage from a camera mounted on the nose of the drone.

Over the past two years, in the US and abroad, independent leagues have sprung up to gather the best drone pilots together to stage competitive races.

In 2015, Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross invested $1,000,000 in the newly formed Drone Racing League, which hosts a series of races that are held at makeshift courses around the United States and is considered to be the drone racing sport’s equivalent of Nascar.

Last year, ESPN3 in the United States signed a deal to air drone racing on television, which was possibly an early step for it into the motorsport mainstream.

In March 2015, a British teenager, one of the youngest pilots on the scene, won first place in the inaugural World Drone Prix held in Dubai.

15-year-old Luke Bannister, flying for the UK-based Tornado X-Blades team, out-performed 150 global teams that competed  to become the first World Drone Prix champion, claiming a $250,000 grand prize.

During the 863-FPV Addiction Drone Club’s Fun-Fly, the racing drones reached speeds of up to 60 MPH and without the head-mounted FPV (first person view) goggles worn by the pilots, they would have been impossible to control. Some racing drones are said to be able to reach 100 MPH when fitted with the right components and can do a quarter mile on a race track faster than a Porsche 911.

A recent example of this was the inaugural Qualcomm New York City ePrix Formula E Race in New York held a couple of weeks ago in which a Titan Grand Prix GFD1 Drone smoked a Formula E Race Car and was winning before crashing, apparently from loss of the signal between the drone and the controller. The crash didn’t do too much damage and the cost of repairing it was far less than what the cost would have been for the race car if it had crashed.

The cost of a racing drone is quite reasonable and a great alternative to gaming from your couch. The continual improvements in drone technology and the growing availability of parts are allowing pilots to fly for less and less money each year.

The 863-FPV Addiction Drone Club is a great place to start if you are interested in learning more about drone racing or just want to watch a unique and exciting competition that’s growing quickly in popularity.

You can check out the 863-FPV Addiction Drone Club Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/118292322104629/ for more information or to join the group or email them at [email protected]

US Marshals and PCSO Join Forces to find Hit-and-Run Suspect Darrell Coleman Jr

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US Marshals and PCSO Join Forces to find Hit-and-Run Suspect Darrell Coleman Jr

The US Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force joins PCSO in the search for hit-and-run suspect Darrell Coleman, Jr., and the Heartland Crime Stoppers reward for information leading to his arrest has been increased to $5,000.

“As Chuck Hudson’s family prepares for his funeral, Darrell Coleman remains at large. We know that someone knows where he is. All you have to do is call Heartland Crime Stoppers, get $5,000 cold hard cash, and remain anonymous. It’s that easy. Do the right thing – turn him in.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

ANYONE WITH INFORMATION WHO WANTS TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS AND BE ELIGIBLE FOR A $5,000 CASH REWARD IS ASKED TO CALL HEARTLAND CRIME STOPPERS AT 1-800-226-TIPS or LOG ONTO www.P3tips.com to submit your tip via the web. For a secure and password protected mobile app for your smart device, go to the app store and download the free “P3tips” mobile app. No caller ID, no recorded lines, no tracking cookies, no saved IP addresses. ANONYMITY IS GUARANTEED!

UPDATE on Fatal Accident on Rim Road Near Golfview Cutoff Rd Last Night

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UPDATE on Fatal Accident on Rim Road Near Golfview Cutoff Rd Last Night
On 07/25/2017, at approximately 11:53 PM, the PCSO Emergency Communications Center (ECC) received a 911 regarding a single vehicle rollover crash on Rim Road South, off Golfview Cutoff Road, Lake Wales, FL. Polk County Fire Rescue arrived on scene and found one occupant of the vehicle, the driver 28-year-old Antonio R. Johnson of Lake Wales, deceased. The other occupant, passenger 34-year-old Andrea T. Johnson of Lake Wales, was transported to Lakeland Regional Health with minor injuries.
 
Rim Road South in the area of the crash is a clay road that travels through citrus groves. Rim Road South has no street lighting and no posted speed limit. It was dark at the time of the crash with little external illumination.
 
Investigation revealed that a 1999 white Chevrolet SUV was traveling east on Rim Road South, pulling a small utility trailer. Antonio R. Johnson was the driver and his spouse, Andrea T. Johnson, was the right front passenger. Andrea Johnson indicated that they heard/felt a noise, at which time the SUV began to swerve. Antonio Lost control of the vehicle as it travelled off the left (north) side of the road. It appears as if Antonio over-corrected, at which time the trailer began slide clockwise, pulling the rear of the SUV with it. After losing traction, the SUV and the trailer began to slide in a southeast direction across the road rotating clockwise. As the vehicle and trailer exited the south side of the roadway, the SUV dug into the soft dirt. It flipped onto the driver’s side and continued sliding southeast approximately 40 feet. When the SUV flipped on its side, Antonio was partially ejected out the driver’s side window. The SUV came to final rest on its side with Antonio partially out the window and pinned. He suffered fatal injuries as a result of his partial ejection.
 
Antonio was not seat belted, but it appears as if Andrea was. A trailer tire was found to be deflated and could have been the noise heard by Andrea Johnson.
 
Rim Road South was closed in both directions for approximately 4 hours. Andrea Johnson suffered a dislocated shoulder. She was in good condition and was being kept overnight for observation.  

My First Experience With Uber

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My First Experience With Uber

By Kip Kirchberg

Being in the Technology Industry I travel a lot. Up until recently I have never attempted to utilize any type of ride sharing system. This was simply because I typically have a driver when I travel and never had to worry about finding my own transportation. My latest trip to Charlotte, NC completely changed that and my outlook on Uber.

My travel out of Charlotte was delayed due to some last minute meetings I needed to attend. Due to this delay, I lost my ride to the airport. I was completely at a loss on what to do until a good friend of mine told me that I should just catch an Uber. He stated that Uber was cheaper and cleaner than a taxi and a service that caters to its passengers. So I figured now was as good a time as any to give the Uber system a test ride.

The first thing I had to do was download the Uber app to my phone and register. It was as simple as entering my phone number, filling out some profile data, and entering my credit card information. What’s really cool about the app is I can enter a Credit Card Account for Personal and Business. Very useful for business people especially during tax season. Oh and don’t forget to add a picture so the Uber driver can recognize their passenger.

Once everything was complete I told Uber where I wanted to go. The Uber app quickly told me how long it would take to reach my destination and what my ride fee would be. Once I completed the transaction Uber paired me with a driver who would pick me up and showed me a map with my driver’s location and estimated arrival time. It took my driver about 3 minutes to arrive. Way quicker than I ever expected. So if you decide to take an Uber be prepared for a very prompt pickup.

 

The Uber App showed me the driver’s picture, the type of car they were driving, and the color. This was very helpful so I could help flag down my Uber driver if needed. Since I was the only person standing in front of the office building it was easy to spot my Uber driver and catch my ride. I greeted my Uber driver, threw my suitcase in the trunk, hopped in the back seat, and was off to the airport.

I told my Uber driver that this was my first Uber ride and was very impressed with how easy Uber was to use. We then proceeded to carry on a small conversation about the Charlotte area before we arrived at my final destination. Once at my destination, I thanked my driver for the ride, grabbed my bag from the trunk, and headed into the airport.

I no more than stepped inside the airport lobby and I received an Uber message to rate my driver and provide any feedback. Remember Uber drivers and passengers are rated based on past user experience so feedback is very important. I gladly gave my Uber driver a 5- star rating who was willing to chat and even added a tip. All this without ever exchanging cash but simply using an app on my phone. I was very impressed with the whole experience and can tell you I’ll be using Uber again in the near future.

Have you ever used Uber or other ride Sharing services? Why or why not? We would love to hear your thoughts or hear about your experiences.

Lakeland Guitar Center Closes After Hole Opens Up In Parking Lot

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Lakeland Guitar Center Closes After Hole Opens Up In Parking Lot

Lakeland, Florida – The Lakeland Guitar Center is currently closed after hole opens up in parking lot. According to witnesses the hole opened sometime before 3:30pm this afternoon.

The Guitar Center is located at 3165 U.S. 98, Lakeland, Florida.

It is unknown if this has been labeled a sinkhole or if something else has caused the hole. This is a developing story and we will update as information becomes available.

Hit & Run Driver Darrell Coleman Jr. Still at Large

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Hit & Run Driver Darrell Coleman Jr. Still at Large

UPDATE to fatal hit-and-run investigation:

Darrell Coleman, Jr., of Lake Hamilton, is still at large.  Darrell Lavel Coleman, Jr., whose last known address is 918 North Church Street in Lake Hamilton.

He currently has 3 Polk County warrants for his arrest:

Leaving the scene of a crash involving death;
Driving with a revoked license involving death;
Trespassing (he abandoned the car in someone’s yard, and fled the scene on foot).

Photo shows the car he was driving, in the yard where he abandoned it. The car is being housed at a PCSO facility and is being processed.

We are still seeking the public’s help to find Coleman, whose nickname is “Smooth.”

ANYONE WITH INFORMATION WHO WANTS TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS AND BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CASH REWARD IS ASKED TO CALL HEARTLAND CRIME STOPPERS AT 1-800-226-TIPS or LOG ONTO www.P3tips.com to submit your tip via the web. For a secure and password protected mobile app for your smart device, go to the app store and download the free “P3tips” mobile app. No caller ID, no recorded lines, no tracking cookies, no saved IP addresses. ANONYMITY IS GUARANTEED!

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