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Tattoos Give Polk County Armed Robbery Suspect Away

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Davenport man on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, after he committed an armed robbery within two hours of another robbery at a different 7-Eleven store in Osceola county. 

Detectives located 28-year-old Victor Santana Ramos at his girlfriend’s residence Tuesday afternoon, less than a week after the robberies. PCSO deputies responded to an armed robbery call on March 10th at about 5:04 AM at the 7-Eleven store at the intersection of Lake Wilson Road and Ronald Reagan Parkway in Davenport. 

The suspect in that robbery pointed a handgun at an employee and demanded money and Newport cigarettes. After getting both from the employee, he fled northbound on Lake Wilson Road. Detectives learned that a similar armed robbery had occurred about a mile away at a 7-Eleven store on Osceola-Polk Line Road in Osceola County at about 3:00 AM that same day. During the processing of the Polk County scene, PCSO Crime Scene Investigators noted an obvious tattoo on the suspect from surveillance photos.

Investigators also recovered a fingerprint belonging to Victor Santana Ramos, a convicted felon whose fingerprints were on file. Detectives were able to track him to a residence in Davenport, where he was arrested. During an interview with detectives, Santana Ramos denied the allegations against him, saying that he is too smart to rob gas stations so close to his residence. Detectives then showed him a photo of one of his tattoos that was visible during the robbery, and he stated, “I’m guilty, you got me.” Cartons of Newport cigarettes and clothes from the robbery were found during a search of Santana Ramos’ residence. And when deputies first made contact with him, he had a gun tucked in his waistband, and it resembled the one that was used in the robbery. Detectives seized that handgun and another in the residence.

 “Some top-quality work was performed by detectives and crime scene investigators on this case. This guy said he was too smart to do something like this, but our evidence proved him wrong. A detective said that when they showed him the photo of his tattoo, Victor physically deflated. He knew he was busted. Fortunately in Florida, when you are caught committing an armed robbery, you are subject to a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years. We look forward to him being held accountable for terrorizing these convenience store clerks.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff. 

Santana Ramos was transported to the Polk County Jail and charged with Robbery with a Firearm (Life Felony), Armed Burglary with Assault (Life Felony), and Possession of Firearm by Convicted Felon (F2), and Carrying a Concealed Firearm (F3). These charges are related to the Polk County investigation only. Santana Ramos was also found to be on felony probation in Lorain County, Ohio and currently has a warrant for his arrest in Cleveland, Ohio for aggravated assault with a gun. He did not disclose to his probation officer in Ohio that he had left the state.


His prior criminal history also includes a felony conviction in Ohio for Improper Handling of a Firearm in a Vehicle, two charges in Puerto Rico for Attenuated Aggression and Aggravated Weapons, and charges in Florida to include Giving False ID to LEO, Resisting, and DWLSR.

Polk County Visitor Center Hosts Free Easter Egg Hunts on Saturday, April 3

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Polk County Visitor Center Hosts Free Easter Egg Hunts on Saturday, April 3

Davenport, FL (Mar. 17, 2021) – Central Florida’s Visitor Information Center (CFVIC) will host an Easter Egg Hunt event on Saturday, April 3. This free event will take place from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., featuring kid-friendly activities, giveaways and egg hunts beginning at the top of each hour (children will be separated into three age groups for each of the four sessions). There will be chances to win LEGOLAND® Florida Resort and Bok Tower Gardens tickets and vendors will be on hand with local goods and treats for sale. Safety measures will be in place to promote social distancing and proper hygiene, and face coverings are encouraged. For more information, call (863) 420-2586.

In addition to assisting visitors, and residents (by providing tourism information about Polk County), CFVIC also sells discounted attraction tickets for many Central Florida attractions (including LEGOLAND Florida Resort) and hosts a seasonal Farmers Market on Thursdays, continuing through May 6, 2021.  

The information center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week (excluding major holidays, closed on Easter Sunday), and is located at 101 Adventure Court, Davenport, FL 33837 (along U.S. Highway 27), a half-mile south of I-4 at Exit 55.

Skip Scanner At Walmart Casually Makes His Way Out Of Walmart With Stolen Items

IDENTIFIED! 33 year-old Danny Pike.
He was already out on Felony Petit Theft Charges. He’s back in jail.


Winter Haven Police Department

And we’re back with yet another tale of a skip-scanner in progress. This guy has some manners. Doesn’t attempt to run over the people in front of him as they slowly exit the store. He patiently walks behind them though many of his items weren’t scanned.
The guy is pictured with a distinctive wallet by the way) at Walmart (7450 Cypress Gardens Blvd) on March 12 where he skip scanned quite a few items including items he left in the cart and didn’t bother to scan. Not cool dude!
Recognize him? Call Sgt. Hall at 863-291-5736.

Spring Obsession Obsesses Over Spring At Lake Crago Park

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Spring Obsession Obsesses Over Spring At Lake Crago Park

by James Coulter

Carol Prevatt has been creating glass wind chimes for the past 14 years. She self-taught herself after repairing a pair of old chimes. Now she makes her own and sells them out of the store in her home.

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From puppy dogs to majestic swans, Carol designs her chimes after everything and anything. No matter what they look like, they all sound just as mellifluous as their glass bits clangor in the wind.

Carol has been selling her chimes at the annual Spring Obsession in Lakeland for the past seven years. She draws in plenty of customers at the show, and she loves the overall majestic landscape of the venue, customarily hosted at Munn Park. This year, the location was changed to Lake Crago Park.

This year, she made up for lost time, as the show was not hosted last year due to COVID-19. She loved being able to reunite with old customers, and she also enjoyed being able to take in the new view at the show’s new venue.

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“I do well at these shows,” she said. “I enjoy talking to the people and watching them look at the art and brag on it, I love it, they enjoy looking at it. Customers have been happy with this new venue and so am I. I love it. Everyone who comes out loves it, and they hope they will be out next year.”

Last Saturday, the Rotary Club of Lakeland hosted its 18th annual Spring Obsession outdoor spring event. More than 60 vendors showcased various flowers and plants and outdoor decor, gardening equipment, and other spring-related merchandise.

Since it first started 18 years ago, Spring Obsession has been hosted at Munn Park in Downtown Lakeland. However, due to the current COVID-19 crisis, the event was canceled last year.

This year’s event was hosted at the new Lake Crago Dog Park off of Massachusetts Avenue. The new venue was selected to not only highlight the new location but to provide a more spacious environment that would permit for better social distancing, explained Kathy McGee, Lakeland Rotary Club Member.

Gladys Baxley, a Rotary Vendor Coordinator, helped oversee the change of location. She claimed the turnout was tremendous, and she owed the overall success to their marketing strategy. Over the past few weeks, she and her team has been working overtime to promote the event and its new location.

“I think we got the word out in term of our marketing,” she said. “We knew that a new location would call for more marketing efforts, and we used all media, social media, to get the word out, and our vendors got the word out for us.”

Whether or not the event will stay at its new location at Lake Cargo Park, or return to its old home in Downtown Lakeland, has yet to be determined; however, Baxley is more than happy to have the event hosted at either location.

“The turnout has been tremendous,” she said. “We were pleasantly surprised that when we moved the event [that] had been in Munn Park for many, many years. So this was the first time we changed. People came in big numbers, so we were very pleased…It seems positive to be here. We are very happy, and if we can work all the details out, we would love to stay.”

The City of Lakeland participated as one of the many vendors. Lakeland Parks and Recreation volunteers distributed free plants and flowers that were grown at their nursery.

Most of their foliage is grown for public landscaping, with the different plants being donated to the community through an event such as this, explained Amanda James, Grounds Maintenance Supervisor with Parks and Recreation.

“We gave away a few plants,” she said. “Probably not as many as in the past, but there were quite a few people…who are interested in what we did and how we can help out.”

While Amanda enjoyed the excellent weather and tranquil atmosphere at the event, she missed its old location in Munn Park. She much preferred it being near the local eateries and shops in the downtown area.

“I don’t know if I’m fond of the new location,” she said. “I feel it is too cramped. Downtown was better because it was more open with shops and places to eat down there. The atmosphere was nice. But it has been a success for us this year.”

Bartow Hops into Spring with Upcoming Spring Fling Hop & Shop

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Bartow Hops into Spring with Upcoming Spring Fling Hop & Shop

by James Coulter

Downtown Bartow helped residents and guests fall into autumn with their Fall Festival in September and get into the holiday spirit with the Mistletoe Market in December. They hope to have people hop into spring with their upcoming Spring Fling Hop & Shop, to be hosted on Sat., Apr. 3.

From 10 am to 4 pm, Downtown Bartow will host countless vendors along their streets, showcasing various wares from crafts and jewelry to jams and jellies. Even the Easter Bunny will be visiting for the smallest attendees to enjoy! A little bit of everything and anything will be available during this inaugural springtime market.

“It is a fun day out in beautiful Downtown Bartow with great places to eat, great retail shops, and a large variety of vendors for people to come out and shop with,” explained Linda Holcomb, Executive Director of Main Street Bartow. “We are always looking for ways to bring people to our beautiful downtown and bring revenue to the downtown shops.”

Main Street Bartow routinely hosts outdoor markets to draw in residents and guests alike to Downtown Bartow. They had previously hosted similar events such as the Fall Festival and Mistletoe Market, along with other events such as the Honey Bee Festival and Craft Fair and SyFy Bartow.

This Spring Fling Hop & Shop will be their inaugural event. More than 90 vendors will be set up Central, Summerlin, Wilson, and Florida Avenue rather than Main Street’s usual location. Their new venue will allow vendors and guests to spread out more, thus better facilitating social distancing.

To ensure public health and safety during these uncertain times, special measures will be implemented to meet COVID-19 protocols. Vendors will be spaced ten feet away from each other, additional hand sanitizing stations will be offered, and masks will be encouraged for attendees.

“We are hoping for a beautiful spring day,” Linda said. “Our expectation is to bring out a nice crowd. Because we are doing everything that we can for COVID safety, we have spread out the event over a larger area so it will separate people and they will feel safe to come to shop. Our retail shops will be all set up for people to bring [their merchandise] on to the sidewalks and serving lunch, and I am hoping it will be as successful as our other events.”

Spring Fling Hop & Shop will be hosted on Sat., Apr. 3 from 10 am to 4 pm. The event will be located in Downtown Bartow along Central, Summerlin, Wilson, and Florida Avenue. For more information, visit the Main Street Bartow website at: http://www.MainStreetBartowFL.com/

Polk County Parks and Recreation Offers Bug Hunt at Simmers Young Park

Polk County Parks and Recreation:
Certified Bug Hunter is the title you will win for completing Polk County Parks & Recreation’s Bug Hunt at Simmers Young Park. Bug Hunt is a self-guided virtual scavenger hunt. By using a QR scanner on your mobile device, participants will explore the park with the goal of finding all seven life size bugs! If you can complete the hunt, you will be mailed a prize!🐝🦋🦎

Simmers Young Park
339 American Spirit Rd.
Winter Haven, FL 33880

  • 1.3 mile hike/walk between clue #1 and clue #7
  • After clue #2, all clues will be accessible by car
  • Each bug will have a QR clue code that will guide you to your next clue
  • First clue is at playground by the fire station

Skip Scanning Walmart Pair is Arrested

Update March 17:

Sometimes we just have to put the faces to the crimes. Remember the pair that continued to go to Walmart multiple times and, at one point, attempted to take more than $4000 in merchandise? Well, they did a lot more than that. And people couldn’t wait to call them out. Now, they are right where they belong. Destiny Bass and Frankie Murray. They currently sit in the Polk County Jail where they belong. Destiny on theft charges and Frankie, well his a little more. In addition to grand theft, he was in possession of methamphetamine and he had contraband on him when he went to the jail – adding on additional charges. Also false ID to law enforcement.

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Can you identify this pair?
On at least four occasions between Feb. 25 and March 10, this pair have skip scanned items at Walmart (355 Cypress Gardens Blvd.) involving more than $4,000 worth of merchandise. On March 10, the pair selected numerous electronic items and can been seen exiting the Garden Center without even attempting to skip scan. They skipped right past the registers!
They have been seen entering and exiting a silver or dark gray SUV.
If you recognize either of these two, please call Detective Maldonado at 863-401-2256.

One Person Killed In 5 Vehicle Crash Which Closed Hwy 98 For Hours

One person was killed in a five-vehicle rush-hour crash Tuesday morning, March 16, 2021, which remains under investigation by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

The crash occurred at about 8:05 AM on US Highway 98 South at the intersection of Smith Lane, between Highland City and Bartow.

23-year-old Kayla Harris of Lake Placid was killed at the scene of the crash, and two other drivers suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Ms. Harris was the driver of a red 2005 Chrysler Sebring. The other drivers involved were: 29-year-old Kellen Pfantz of Lakeland (black 2003 Ford F150 pick-up), 36-year-old Jayme Jamison of Auburndale (red 2014 Chevy Sierra pick-up), 48-year-old Edward Cantrell, Jr. of Winter Haven (white 2014 Freightliner semi and trailer), and 57-year-old Bryan Green of Lakeland (white 2016 Ford F150 pick-up).

According to the preliminary investigation, Mr. Pfantz was driving east on Smith Lane and possibly suffered a medical episode. His black Ford proceeded through a red light, onto the southbound lanes of US 98 and into the path of Mr. Jamison’s red Chevy; the black Ford truck was struck in the driver’s side door.

After impact, both trucks rolled across the median and entered the northbound lanes of US 98.

Ms. Harris was driving in the inside northbound lane and attempted to avoid colliding with Mr. Jamison’s red Chevy by moving to the right, but she lost control and the Chrysler began to spin. Her car was struck by Mr. Green’s white Ford truck.

Mr. Jamison’s red truck struck the front of Mr. Cantrell’s Freightliner (owned by the Saddle Creek Corporation) which was travelling in the center northbound lane. Mr. Pfantz’s black Ford truck struck the side of the semi-truck.

No criminal charges are anticipated but a final determination is pending the outcome of the investigation.

Also assisting in the crash were Polk County Fire Rescue, Bartow Police Department, a Winter Haven Police Officer who happened to be passing by at the time of the crash, and the Florida Department of Transportation.

US 98 was closed in both directions for approximately six hours.

Crawlin On The Lake Raises Proceeds, Awareness to Keep Local Lakes Clean and Beautiful for 2nd Year

Crawlin On The Lake Raises Proceeds, Awareness to Keep Local Lakes Clean and Beautiful for 2nd Year

by James Coulter

For nearly 30 years, Keep Winter Haven Clean and Beautiful has been keeping its shores and waters within the Chain of Lakes “clean and beautiful” through its annual Project Eagle event in April.

After postponing its clean-up event last year due to the COVID-19 crisis, Project Eagle is once again prepared to go out on the lakes to clear their waters of litter and debris this April. For its second year, Tanner’s Lakeside hosted a fundraiser to help raise funds and proceeds for the annual clean-up.

Several hundred people assembled outside the local eatery along Lake Howard’s shores for an afternoon of live music, spirits, and fried gator. Attendees could participate in 50/50 raffles and lotto hat drawings for a chance to win prizes donated by local businesses.

All the while, participants could listen to live music performed by Robert Jennis and the Josh Blevins Band, allow their children to frolic in the water slide and bounce house, and enjoy barbecue dinners with all the fixings, including actual fried alligator.

“It has been a beautiful day,” said Melanie Culpepper Brown, Event Coordinator. “Even with coronavirus and everything going on, it has been a great turnout.”

Melanie Brown serves on the board for Keep Winter Haven Clean and Beautiful and many other local boards and associations. As someone who coordinates and hosts many local fundraisers, she is more than experienced in raising funds and awareness for such local causes.

She is more than excited for Project Eagle to host their clean-up event this year on April 24 after being unable to host it last year. Two years ago, more than two tons of garbage was cleared from the lakes in under four hours, one volunteer explained.

After a year’s hiatus, Project Eagle is more than likely to clear even more garbage from the lakes this year, Brown said.

“[Our expectation is] getting our lakes cleaned up, putting the community back together, getting everybody out, and just getting together again to make this thing work,” she said. “So we are ready for a great year because we haven’t been able to clean up the lake in two years.”

Rhonda Todd, President and Executive Director of Keep Winter Haven Clean and Beautiful, Inc., was more than pleased with the turnout for the fundraiser on Saturday afternoon and the hard work and effort done by Melanie to move it forward.

“This had gone above and beyond,” she said. “The crowd is ready to support events to help our community, so we are extremely excited and happy about today…The proceeds from today will

go towards Project Eagle so we can go out into our community in our lakes and clean it up and keep our community the treasure and jewel it is today.”

As for the upcoming Project Eagle event, Todd is more than certain that it will be a huge success. After a year’s absence, both she and her team are more than ready to head out on the lakes to clean them up.

“It will be the same and better because people are ready to get out and support our community and continue the efforts to keep Winter Haven clean and beautiful,” she said. “We will keep our waterways clean and protecting our environment to keep Winter Haven clean and beautiful.”

Greg Gay, Volunteer and Sponsor, has been attending Project Eagle since it first started. He has seen generation after generation step up to do their part to keep their local lakes clean, and he is more than willing to venture out once again this year to do the same.

“This is…a real worthy cause, to keep the lakes clean and beautiful,” he said. “We couldn’t do it last year, so it means there’s twice as much trash to pick up this year, so hopefully we can get tons and tons of trash out of the lake, make it cleaner, prettier, and healthier.”

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Divers Recover Stolen Truck From Polk City Lake

Polk City, Florida – Members of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Underwater Search & Recovery team found & recovered a stolen pickup Tuesday morning. The dive team was spotted by readers, who contacted the Daily Ridge, in Mudd Lake just West of Polk City. . According to Brian Bruchey, Public Information Officer with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the pickup truck was stolen from Orange County.

No additional information is available at this time regarding how the pickup came to be in Mudd Lake