A Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputy was injured Friday evening after being knocked down by a loose longhorn bull running through a busy Lakeland intersection.
According to Carrie Horstman, Public Information Officer with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened just after 5:28 p.m. near the intersection of Combee Road South and Crystal Lake Drive North. That’s when deputies were called out after drivers reported a “cow” — later confirmed to be a bull — running in and out of traffic, causing a safety concern for both vehicles and pedestrians.
The first deputy to arrive spotted the bull and called for backup. Just a minute later, the second responding unit radioed in with a concerning update: the initial deputy had been knocked down by the bull, hit his head, and was possibly unconscious.
The deputy was taken by ground to Lakeland Regional Health for treatment. Fortunately, officials say he is expected to be okay.
Deputies were able to locate the bull’s owner, and with some help, the animal was eventually secured in a nearby pasture behind the Dollar General in the area.
The quick response from law enforcement and first responders, the situation was brought under control without further incident.
Jeffrey Glenn Hutchinson, a 62-year-old Gulf War veteran, was executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Raiford at 8:14 p.m. Eastern Time on May 1, 2025. His execution concludes a decades-long legal process following his conviction for the 1998 shotgun murders of his live-in girlfriend, Renee Flaherty, and her three young children: Geoffrey (9), Amanda (7), and Logan (4).
The tragic events unfolded on the night of September 11, 1998, in Crestview, Florida. After an argument with Flaherty, Hutchinson left their shared home and visited a local bar, where he consumed beer and expressed frustration about the dispute. Approximately 40 minutes later, a 911 call was placed from their residence. The caller stated, “I just shot my family,” a voice that two of Hutchinson’s close friends later identified as his. Upon arrival, deputies found Hutchinson in the garage with the phone still connected to 911. Inside the home, Flaherty and her two younger children were found shot in the master bedroom, while Geoffrey was discovered in the living room, having sustained two gunshot wounds. The murder weapon, a Mossberg 12-gauge pistol-grip shotgun registered to Hutchinson, was found on the kitchen counter. Gunshot residue was present on Hutchinson’s hands, and tissue from one of the victims was found on his leg.
During his 2001 trial, Hutchinson claimed that two masked intruders were responsible for the killings, asserting that he struggled with them before they fled. However, the jury found him guilty of four counts of first-degree murder. He received a life sentence for Flaherty’s murder and three death sentences for the murders of the children. The court cited the particularly heinous nature of Geoffrey’s death, noting that the child was conscious and attempted to defend himself before being fatally shot.
Hutchinson’s defense team presented evidence of his mental health struggles, including Gulf War illness and post-traumatic stress disorder, arguing that these conditions impaired his judgment. Despite these claims, multiple appeals were denied over the years, with courts consistently finding him mentally competent and upholding the original sentences. His final appeal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court shortly before his execution.
At the time of execution, Hutchinson declined to make a final statement. Witnesses reported that he appeared to mumble and experienced body spasms during the procedure, which lasted over 15 minutes.
This execution marks the fourth carried out in Florida in 2025 under death warrants signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
LAKELAND, FL (May 1, 2025) – On May 1, 2025, Nicholas Lue was charged with Second Degree Murder in the death of Jesse Banks. Banks was killed while Lue was attempting to perpetrate the murder of another individual.
*****ORIGINAL RELEASE*****
LAKELAND, FL (April 25, 2025) – On April 24, 2025, at 9:31 p.m. the Lakeland Police Department responded to reports of a shooting at the Cali Rose 15 Kitchen (formerly known as Rush Hour Bar & Grill), located at 1323 Ariana Street. Upon arriving, officers learned two persons, Jesse Banks (age 28 of Lakeland) and Nicholas Lue (age 26 of West Palm Beach), had sustained gunshot wounds. Both persons were transported to Lakeland Regional Health (LRH) for treatment. Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, Banks was pronounced deceased. Lue, who is expected to recover, was stabilized and remains hospitalized.
Based on the initial witness statements and evidence collected thus far, detectives have learned Banks and Lue initiated an argument with Tre D ‘Shon Huntly (age 24 of Lakeland) just outside the front door of the business. The altercation then turned physical when Banks struck Huntly on the head with his fist. A male who was just inside the front door of the business, opened the door in defense of Huntly. Banks and Lue then turned their aggression towards the male, produced a handgun and pointed it at him. Huntly then produced a handgun and shot several times at Banks and Lue. Huntly cooperated with detectives at the scene. During the initial investigation, Banks was also found to be in possession of a handgun.
Preliminarily it appears Tre D’Shon Huntly was acting in defense and no charges have been filed at this time. The investigation is active and ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Neal Robertson at 863-834-6971 or [email protected].
FL (May 1, 2025) – On May 1, 2025, at 4:52 a.m. the Lakeland Police Department responded to reports of a shooting at the Fast Stop convenience store, 820 E. Memorial Blvd. Upon arriving, officers located the suspect, Ricardo Zelidon (age 59 of Lakeland), behind his vehicle with his hands up. They also located Jessie Woullard (age 45 of Lakeland) inside his vehicle with gunshot wounds. Woullard was transported to Lakeland Regional Health for treatment and despite the best efforts of medical professionals, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
Based on the initial witness statements and evidence collected thus far, detectives have learned Zelidon was at the Fast Stop for several minutes prior to Woullard’s arrival. When Woullard pulled into a parking space, Zelidon pulled behind his vehicle, blocking him from leaving. Woullard attempted to back out but was unable. Zelidon then got out of his vehicle carrying a firearm and wearing a ballistic vest. He approached Woullard’s vehicle and had a short argument with him before Zelidon opened Woullard’s driver’s side door and shot him two times.
After the shots were fired, Zelidon retreated to his vehicle and awaited police arrival. Investigators learned Zelidon paid Woullard to work at his residence a few weeks ago and believed Woullard stole a firearm during that time. Zelidon has been arrested for First Degree Murder.
The active investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Biko Duhaney at 863-834-5918 or [email protected].
Do you have a child or person in your family with autism? Do you suspect your child may have autism? Do you want to learn more about autism in general?
The Winter Haven Hospital Foundation will be hosting a free educational series to educate the community about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and how Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can help families and caregivers better manage it. The series is being funded with donations provided by Rockin’ on the Chain, a local organization that raises funds for ASD and developmental disabilities.
Through this three-day series, hosted over three weeks, attendees will be able to better understand ASD and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. They will also learn the basics of ABA and how its methods can be applied to help families and caregivers improve their experience with healthcare services.
“Attendees will learn to use ABA to teach skills to children and adults with ASD to communicate levels of pain and discomfort, preferences for medical procedures, and approaches to build tolerance for medical procedures in general,” a press release explained. “Attendees will practice problem-solving using ABA to manage aggression, self-injury and non-compliance with medical procedures during physical exams and increased comfort during vaccine administration.”
The series is hosted by the Winter Haven Hospital Foundation, a local not-for-profit organization that seeks to “to provide patients with state-of-the-art medical care, cutting-edge technology and equipment, and the best educated and trained personnel.”
This education series is part of the foundation’s overall efforts to help improve access to mental health and primary care services in the community. Their strategy has included partnering with two universities to help bring mental health and primary care professionals to the community.
John Straughn, founder of the “Rockin’ on the Chain” organization stated he’s proud to partner with the Winter Haven Hospital Foundation. “I think the Foundation does a good job of improving our community’s quality of life,” Straughn said.
“Our philosophy in terms of improving access to any particular health service is that…if you want to improve access to primary care services, your focus should be on improving access to physicians, primarily primary care physicians; and if you want to improve access to mental health services, you should be working on improving access to mental health professionals,” said Joel Thomas, President and CEO of Winter Haven Hospital Foundation.
The Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) is one of the two universities the Foundation has formed a partnership with to help with their endeavors. Specifically, they have collaborated with the university’s Scott Center for Autism Treatment and Research, which aims to “provide gold standard diagnosis and treatment services for children with autism spectrum disorder.”
Florida Tech’s College of Psychology faculty recommended the community education series, which was created not only to educate the public about ASD and ABA but also to provide an opportunity to bring some of the university professors to the Winter Haven community to further improve access to mental health services.
“We know that there is a significant relationship between mental healthcare and physical health,” said Dr. Nathan Falk, program director of the Florida State University College of Medicine Family Medicine Residency Program in Winter Haven. “We want to try and take care of the whole person. And so, to do that, not only do primary care physicians need to know a lot about mental healthcare, but we also want our physicians to know the impact that mental health has on physical health and other conditions…So, as part of this partnership with Florida Tech, our medical residents see patients alongside Florida Tech doctorate-level clinical psychology interns and provide care in an interdisciplinary manner.”
Through partnerships with Florida Tech and the Florida State University and other regional colleges and universities, the Foundation has been able to achieve its goals. They have been able to incorporate more physical and mental health professionals in the community. Through their upcoming educational series, they hope to further their goals and benefit everyone, both professionals and residents alike.
“We are excited to continue our partnership with Florida Tech and utilize it to expand into the community and continue the benefits that we have been proud to offer here in Winter Haven. This helps us continue to educate and expand services to our community,” Dr. Falk said.
The free autism spectrum community education series will be hosted on May 29, June 5, and June 12 from 5 PM to 7 PM. The series will be hosted at the Winter Haven Family Health Center, located at 1201 1st Street South, Suite 100A, Winter Haven, FL 33880.
HAINES CITY – Incumbent Anne Huffman will retain her position as Haines City Commissioner for Seat 5 after defeating challenger Horace West in a runoff election.
Huffman secured 1,110 votes, accounting for 53.4 percent of the total, while West received 969 votes, or 46.6 percent.
The runoff was triggered after no candidate earned more than 50 percent of the vote in the April 1 municipal election. In that race, Huffman led with 917 votes (46.99 percent), followed by West with 727 votes (37.09 percent). Newcomers Edwin Perez and Alisa Romero received 275 votes (14.08 percent) and 41 votes (2.09 percent), respectively.
Among those who cast their ballots in the runoff were Valeri and Aaron Augustin, who brought their two-month-old baby girl to the Haines City Community Center polling site. The couple said they missed the opportunity to vote in the April 1 election but were glad to participate this time.
Valeri and Aaron Augustin voted today in Haines City’s City Commissioner Seat 5 Runoff election. In the background is the Haines City Community Center, one of two polling locations for the run-off. Photo by Anita Todd
“I’m glad we were able to vote today,” Valeri said. “Voting allows us to speak up and speak out.”
Her husband added, “Voting gives us a direct voice in our community.”
In 2017, Huffman became the first Black female official in the city’s history when she was originally elected. She was reelected in 2021 and served as mayor in 2022.
West, a former Haines City Commissioner for 20 years, chose not to seek reelection in 2022. Instead, he made an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives that year.
Notice is hereby given that Lake Wales Storage intends to sell the property described below to enforce a lien under the Florida Self Storage Facility Act, Statutes (section 83.80-83.809). The owner will sell at public auction on or after May 15,2025 at 10:00 am at storageauctions.com
Units belonging to the following:
Shavonski Rahett /UNIT #218
This sale will be continued on such succeeding sale days thereafter as may be necessary to be completed. *Unless otherwise noted units contain household items.
Sheriff Grady Judd will brief the media at 2:30 am from the scene of a deputy involved shooting with an armed suspect that occurred just after 11 pm on Friday, April 25, 2025.
No deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office were injured. The suspect is deceased.
Media can respond to the scene, at 2630 US 92 in Lakeland, near North Combee Road (Harvey’s Supermarket).
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The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and other emergency personnel are currently headed to a serious incident near 2736 US 92 in Lakeland. We have no confirmed details at this time, but the mobile command unit is en route. Please avoid the area as law enforcement is starting to block off roads in the area.
We have some unconfirmed reports at this time, but cannot confirm any details at this time. We have reached out to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to get more information. Please again avoid the area and let law enforcement do their jobs.
We will update this article as soon as more information is available.
LAKELAND, FL (April 25, 2025) – On April 24, 2025, at 9:31 p.m. the Lakeland Police Department responded to reports of a shooting at the Cali Rose 15 Kitchen (formerly known as Rush Hour Bar & Grill), located at 1323 Ariana Street. Upon arriving, officers learned two persons, Jesse Banks (age 28 of Lakeland) and Nicholas Lue (age 26 of West Palm Beach), had sustained gunshot wounds. Both persons were transported to Lakeland Regional Health (LRH) for treatment. Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, Banks was pronounced deceased. Lue, who is expected to recover, was stabilized and remains hospitalized.
Based on the initial witness statements and evidence collected thus far, detectives have learned Banks and Lue initiated an argument with Tre D ‘Shon Huntly (age 24 of Lakeland) just outside the front door of the business. The altercation then turned physical when Banks struck Huntly on the head with his fist. A male who was just inside the front door of the business, opened the door in defense of Huntly. Banks and Lue then turned their aggression towards the male, produced a handgun and pointed it at him. Huntly then produced a handgun and shot several times at Banks and Lue. Huntly cooperated with detectives at the scene. During the initial investigation, Banks was also found to be in possession of a handgun.
Preliminarily it appears Tre D’Shon Huntly was acting in defense and no charges have been filed at this time. The investigation is active and ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Neal Robertson at 863-834-6971 or [email protected].
Polk County, FL — On April 15, 2025 a domestic dispute between two sisters over a shared water pump erupted into a violent confrontation involving a firearm, resulting in one arrest on multiple felony charges.
Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to Timberwood Road, Lakeland, after reports of an assault with a deadly weapon. The investigation, led by Northwest Patrol, revealed that a verbal disagreement between sisters escalated when one retrieved a gun and made life-threatening threats.
Victim 1, told investigators she and her sister, Leslie Matson, share access to a water pump that supplies both of their properties. The argument began when Leslie allegedly shut the pump off without warning. As Victim 1 approached Leslie to confront her, she noticed Leslie holding a pistol at her side. Victim 1 stated she was not initially afraid but became alarmed when Leslie’s adult son, Mitchel Matson, emerged from the home and allegedly charged at her in an aggressive manner.
Moments later, Victim 2, Victim 1’s husband, arrived on scene after witnessing the altercation escalate. According to his statement, yelling ensued, and he was knocked to the ground—though it was unclear if Mitchel pushed him directly or caused someone else to fall into him. While Victim 2 was attempting to get up, he alleges, that Leslie pointed the pistol at his face, about two inches away, and threatened to kill him. He described being “scared shitless” and feared for his life.
Surveillance footage confirmed the events, capturing Mitchel pushing Victim 2 to the ground and Leslie brandishing a handgun in his direction. Audio from the recording reportedly captured Leslie shouting, “shoot that motherfucker,” as the victims began to walk away toward their residence.
Leslie later admitted during a recorded interview that she had retrieved the pistol from inside her home when she saw Victim 1 approaching. A Ruger .380 pistol was recovered from the scene.
Based on the evidence, deputies determined probable cause to arrest Leslie Matson for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon Without Intent to Kill and Improper Exhibition of a Firearm. She was taken into custody and transported to the Polk County Sheriff’s Processing Center.
No physical injuries were reported, though deputies noted the emotional toll the incident had on both victims.
Leslie Matson (Photo Credit: Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
