Winter Haven Police Department
Stealing a phone at the community pool? Really?
On July 1, 2021, our victim was enjoying some time at the Rowdy Gaines Pool (210 Cypress Gardens Blvd) and had her backpack on a lounge chair.
The guy pictured sits on the chair next to the victim’s chair an fiddles around a bit. He actually looks up and sees the camera. Doesn’t stop him… he reaches in and takes her yellow Apple IPhone Eleven.
If anyone recognizes him, please contact Sgt. Hall at 863-291-5736.
NOAA:
Elsa has regained hurricane status and is now a category 1 hurricane.
Max sustained winds: 75 mph
8pm update:
Location: 26.6°N 83.1°W
Moving: N at 14 mph
Min pressure: 996 mb
Max sustained: 75 mph
Weather Channel:
Attend to information sources as described in the instructions
Tampa Bay/Ruskin – FL, US, National Weather Service
Polk County
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 337 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS IN FLORIDA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 10 COUNTIES IN CENTRAL FLORIDA HARDEE POLK IN SOUTH CENTRAL FLORIDA DESOTO HIGHLANDS IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA CHARLOTTE LEE IN WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA HILLSBOROUGH MANATEE PINELLAS SARASOTA THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ARCADIA, AVON PARK, BAYSHORE GARDENS, BONITA SPRINGS, BOWLING GREEN, BRADENTON, BRANDON, CAPE CORAL, CLEARWATER, ENGLEWOOD, FORT MYERS, LAKELAND, LARGO, LEHIGH ACRES, NORTH FORT MYERS, NORTH PORT, PALMETTO, PLACID LAKES, PORT CHARLOTTE, PUNTA GORDA, SARASOTA, SEBRING, SOUTH VENICE, ST. PETERSBURG, TAMPA, VENICE, WAUCHULA, WINTER HAVEN, AND ZOLFO SPRINGS.
Not Even Rain Could Stop Ribs on The Ridge 2021
by James Coulter
Not even rain could keep people from celebrating the return of Ribs on the Ridge last Saturday in Haines City. After last year’s event was canceled due to COVID-19, people were willing to ignore a little h20 so that they could enjoy some good old-fashioned barbecue.
Tim Malloy, the leader of the Backyard Bros team, wasn’t the least bit bothered by the occasional drizzle turned downpour. If anything, the rain deterred the otherwise smoldering summer heat.
“We actually like the rain,” Malloy said. “It kept it cool out here. If it were [sun on] the asphalt over there, it would have been 200 degrees.”
Of course, Tim and his team absolutely loved walking awayfrom this year’s event with the trophy and title of grand champion in the professional barbecue division. The Backyard Bros also received awards for pork, ribs, and brisket.
This is the 10th grand champion title they received in the past five years. This year was also the second time they won Ribs on the Ridge, the annual barbecue competition in Haines City.
Malloy recalled six years ago when they first competed in the backyard division. Now they had the privilege of walking away with the top prize in the professional division.
“I made it a point of this being our favorite contest,” he said. “We just love the competition. We have a great time. These are our families out here.”
Backyard Bros won the title of Grand Champion, and the title of Grand Reserve went to Double Barrel Smokers from Lakeland. As for their secret, they owe their success to the tips they received from their mentor, Jim Elser of Sweet Smoke BBQ.
This was their fourth year competing in the contest. Even with the rain that afternoon, they loved being able to participate regardless. Of course, winning cash is always a plus, said team leader Jerry Addison.
“Any time we barbecue is a great time,” he said. “Haines City always does a great job. It is well-organized. Everyone is well-taken care of. The teams come around and take care of us. We are in need of nothing out there.”
This Saturday saw the return of Thunder on the Ridge to Haines City. Last year’s event was canceled due to COVID-19. This year’s event made an epic comeback by being hosted the same weekend as the city’s Fourth of July Celebration, Thunder on the Ridge.
Several dozen vendors set up on the lawn of Lake Eva Park. Barbecue teams from across the county and even the state arrived to compete in the backyard or professional division, in categories including chicken, brisket, pork, and ribs.
Obviously, the event experienced some hiccups due to the inclement weather. But not even the rain could stop attendees from enjoying the return of a city favorite.
“The event has been awesome,” said Lindsasia Johansmeyer, Special Events Supervisor. “We are thankful for all of the vendors for coming out…[and] our teams, they stuck it out through the day, continued to compete, turn in all of our stuff, and then all the vendors stuck around.”
Winter Haven Police Department
Do you know of someone who all of a sudden is missing a shoe? We found it after he took more than $2,300 worth of merchandise from West Marine.
On July 2, 2021 around 4:45 pm, the guy pictured below was in West Marine (1107 3rd St SW) and started putting merchandise in a carry basket. After wandering around selecting a host of items, he then takes a large cooler off the shelf and proceeds to fill that up as well.
When he found his opportunity, he wheeled the cooler our with his hands full of merchandise. The clerk ran out side to see him tossing the items in the back of a beige/gold 1990-2000 Toyota Camry with tinted windows. He jumps in the passenger seat and lost a shoe in the process.
Anyone who recognizes him is asked to contact Detective Taylor at 863-292-7924.
Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation Delivers Lunch to Bartow Fire Fighters
by James Coulter
Mike Hancock and Melanie Brown Culpepper had been childhood friends since kindergarten. They knew each other’s family and church family.
The two of them hadn’t seen each other since high school, but they had a welcome reunion on Friday when Melanie delivered lunch to Hancock’s workplace at the Bartow Fire Department on behalf of her non-profit organization, Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation.
Hancock serves as a firefighter and EMT. As someone who works hard to serve his local community, he always appreciated it when someone from the community shows their support back to them.
“It is very nice,” he said. “It is nice to have a helping hand out, knowing there are organizations out there that are willing to come in and step in and say, ‘Hey, look, we appreciate you!'”
As for the lunch delivered to them by Melanie, he loved being able to see an old childhood friend he hadn’t talked to since high school. He especially appreciated everything her organization has done for fire fighters and other first responders like himself.
“She doesn’t quit,” he said. “She has a big heart. I am glad to say thank you very much, and we love you…and you are blessed girl on your adventure.”
Melanie and her volunteers have been making lunch deliveries to various fire departments through the county every first Friday of the month for her initiative, fittingly named First Friday. Her first delivery was made to the Winter Haven Fire Department. The very next month’s delivery was made to the Haines City Fire Department.
Her First Friday initiative is part of her organization, the Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation. Her group’s mission is to support local first responders and fire fighters and to raise money to fund defibrillators through the county.
She started the foundation after the untimely death of her fiancée, Michael Culpepper, a local security guard. They were supposed to be married last year, but fate cut their expectations short when he passed away from heart complications. Melanie had called EMT for help, but despite their best efforts, they were unable to resuscitate him.
Melanie wants to show her support and appreciation for her local first responders by raising funds for their needs, raising awareness for heart health, and by donating defibrillators to be placed throughout Winter Haven. She already has one device set up in her shop, Melanie’s Cutting Edge. Another will be placed at Old Man Frank’s, where her late fiancée served as a security guard.
She also shows her appreciation by serving lunch to fire departments in the county every first Friday of the month. She especially loved being able to visit her childhood hometown of Bartow and reunite with a close childhood friend.
“So it was nice to come here and see my hometown and give back to them what they do for us,” she said. “I wanted to personally meet every fire department in Polk County and to personally feed them lunch for the day to let them know how thankful I am and how appreciative of them because they put their lives on the line every day to help save ours.”
The Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation receives their food for their monthly deliveries from Freedom Tour Church in Lake Wales. Pastor Bobby Williams personally believes that blessing others is a divine blessing in and of itself, which is why he participates.
“Our saying around here is that it is blessed to be a blessing,” Williams said. “So we are blessing the food to bless the people and show them the love of Christ.”
Recently, his church has been renovating the old Sears building in Eagle Ridge Mall. The 150,000 square foot facility will be used as the new home of their church. It is currently being utilized as the distribution center for food donations. They have produced more than $10 million worth of food for the local community since the start of the year, Williams said.
As for the Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation, Pastor Williams is especially honored to help the local first responders and other rescue personnel who faithfully serve their communities.
“Our first responders, they are always the first ones on call that can help, so anytime we can give back to them, they are always given,” Williams said. “Even though it is their job, we know it is their love and passion, and it is our love and passion to go and help them and help Melanie with her heart and what she wants to do to reach people.”
The Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation will be hosting a fundraiser at Tanner’s Lakeside on Sun., July 25. The event will feature booths by the Winter Haven Fire Department and Freedom Tour Church. Festivities will include a DJ, bounce house, face painting, water slide, and other fun children’s activities through the day, and an after party later in the evening for adults.
For more information, visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/honoringculpepper/
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is asking for assistance from the community to identify the vehicle and driver involved in a hit and run crash that injured two 14-year old children.
The hit & run occurred Sunday evening, July 4th, on New Tampa Highway (US 92), about a ½-mile east of Clark Road in Lakeland.
The victims were walking westbound on the north shoulder of the road when they were struck from behind by a pickup truck.
One of the children is in critical condition. The other child was knocked to the ground but only suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the vehicle did not stop to check on the children, and the truck continued westbound toward Hillsborough County.
Detectives recovered some evidence from the scene, as well as a still image of the vehicle.
The suspect’s vehicle is a white Ford F150 (1997-2003). The truck should have damage to the grill and possible additional front-end damage.
If you have any information that could help in identifying or locating the truck and/or the driver, please call the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Heartland Crime Stoppers:
A Haines City woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash Sunday morning in Poinciana, and the driver of the other vehicle was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for DUI Manslaughter and other charges.
The crash occurred on Marigold Avenue at Walnut Street in Poinciana at about 5:26 AM on the morning of July 4, 2021.
Upon the arrival of Polk County Fire Rescue and PCSO deputies, 22-year old Phalande Celestin was found deceased in her vehicle, a blue 2018 Toyota sedan.
The other driver, 46-year old Dawn Nathaniel of Kissimmee, was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Her vehicle was a gray 2017 Kia Optima. During initial contact with Ms. Nathaniel, first responders noted a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on her.
There were no passengers in either vehicle.
From the evidence and witness statements gathered, the two vehicles were driving in different directions on Marigold Avenue; Ms. Celestin’s Toyota was southbound, while Ms. Nathaniel’s Kia was northbound, but in the southbound lane.
As the vehicles neared the intersection with Walnut Street, another vehicle driving in front of Ms. Celestin made an evasive maneuver and avoided colliding with Ms. Nathaniel’s Toyota. Ms. Celestin also attempted to avoid a collision, but her car was struck head-on by the Toyota.
During an interview at the hospital with detectives, Ms. Nathaniel admitted to drinking wine and smoking marijuana while she was in Orlando prior to the crash.
“The victim was still very young…her life was really just getting started. But it all comes to an end because someone made the wrong decision to drive after using alcohol and marijuana. I can only offer condolences to the victim’s family and friends, and to promise that our detectives will do all they can to prevent Dawn Nathaniel from getting behind the wheel of a car again anytime soon.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
Hospital toxicology testing indicated a Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .230 (grams of ethanol per liter of blood) when she was admitted.
Following her treatment and release from the hospital, Dawn Nathaniel was arrested by the PCSO and taken to the Polk County Jail. After her arrival, she provided two breath samples that gave a result of .058 and a .059 (breath alcohol concentration). These samples were acquired eight hours after the crash and were consisted with the blood test at the hospital.
In addition to being charged with DUI Manslaughter (F2), Dawn Nathaniel was charged with DUI with Property Damage (M1), Possession of Marijuana (M1), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1), and DUI (M2).
Seven Haines City Student Athletes Heading to Junior Olympics
by James Coulter
The Free&Forward Express Track Club has superseded the expectations of their head coach Twanna Henderson. With the pandemic overshadowing society, Mrs. Henderson shared how her club faced various challenges due to different health and safety protocols.
Often, the team had to resort to practicing in the parking lot of her home church, New Mount Zion MB. Despite the odds, these Haines City student-athletes will be heading to the Junior Olympics for a chance to win the gold medal.
Seven members of the Free&Forward Express Track Club in Haines City will be going to the 2021 National Junior Olympics and Summer Festival later this month in Humble, Texas.
These seven student-athletes include Ariel Pierce (shot put and discus), Saahnir Young (shot put and discus), Isabella Saint Justin (100 meters), Derion Berry (400 and 200 meters), Jasia Jordan (long jump), Valeria (1500 meter), and Jakea Colman (shot put and discus).
They qualified for the Junior Olympics after competing at the regional district level. Ariel Pierce won second place in disc and sixth place in shotput. Isabelle won third place in the 100 meters. Derion won third place in the 400 meters. And Valerie won fourth place in the 1500 meters.
“They are some of the tops in this region that represents Florida,” explained Henderson. “It is very, very hard to make Junior Olympics your first year, especially to do it out of district, so we were successful to get at least seven.”
Henderson comes from a family of track and field athletes. Her father still holds the state championship record at Haines City High School.
Henderson has three children: two sons, 26 and 21, and a daughter. All of them have competed in track. Her daughter participated in various track clubs, but she did not like them. This inspired Henderson to start her own.
She started the AAU track club last year with her partner, Kenneth. They have since changed the name to the Free&Forward Express Track Club. Their team currently consists of 30 members from local schools.
They currently practice at Haines City High School and have been able to participate in over 10 track meets this season.
“Every track meet, we are getting better and better,” Henderson said. “We haven’t had a track club in Haines City for the past few decades, so to bring that avenue back to the kids has been an awesome experience and the kids involved are gaining more and more interest in the sport. Not to mention we have some of the highest-ranking kids in the area in their events.”
Henderson owes their success to training her students in body as well as in mind and character. She does not simply teach them track and field. She also instills in them training in good behavior and self-management skills.
One of their proudest achievements was traveling to Atlanta to participate in the 14th annual Mark Trail Invitational and compete alongside some of the highest-scoring athletes around the country. They returned home with four medals.
“Everywhere we go, we get applauded for the success we are having as a first-year club,” she said. “Our eight and under are very successful. The field athletes are a team of four, ‘The Four Stooges’, and they are the top four out of the region.”
Henderson hopes to return from the Junior Olympics with her students bringing home at least two medals. Their hopes remain high, and considering their previous track record, they expect to exceed those expectations.
“At first, it was a little shaky and often times along this year we have battled doubt and discouragement but through it all God has sustained them and for that she’s grateful! Our Athletes will be taking donations for their trip [through the] Cash App Free&Forward. [Any donation] will be greatly appreciated.”
A Sunday night crash near Winter Haven claimed the lives of two people, and left six others injured.
Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, along with Polk County Fire Rescue members, responded to the crash at around 10:30 PM, Sunday, July 4, 2021, at the intersection of Thornhill Road and Byni Ridge.
When deputies arrived, 29-year old Brittny Washburn of Eagle Lake was found deceased in the driver seat of a maroon 2016 Kia Optima. Her front-seat passenger, 36-year old James Mullins of Auburndale suffered head and blunt-force trauma injuries. He was transported to the hospital but was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival.
Another passenger in Washburn’s Kia was her 4-year old son. He was airlifted to a Tampa hospital with possible head injuries and was in critical condition.
The second vehicle involved was a blue 2004 Toyota Tundra pickup truck, driven by 51-year old Fredric McCreary of Winter Haven. He was taken to an area hospital with a broken leg.
All four of Mr. McCreary’s passengers were also transported to local hospitals. They were: 33-year old Alexander McCreary of Lakeland, 14-year old Piper Mikel of Winter Haven, 52-year old Melissa Mikel of Winter Haven, and 28-year old Corey Pickering of Lakeland.
According to the preliminary investigation based on evidence and witness statements, both vehicles were travelling on Thornhill Road in opposite directions just prior to the crash. Washburn’s Kia was northbound; Mr. McCreary’s Toyota was southbound.
As the vehicles approached the intersection, the Kia crossed over the center line, appearing to attempt a left hand turn (west) onto Byni Ridge, in front of the oncoming Toyota.
None of those involved in the crash were wearing seat belts. The 4-year old child was in a car seat, but was not buckled into the seat.
The crash investigation remains ongoing at this time.
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