The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a vehicle vs. pedestrian crash that occurred this morning, April 8, 2023, at approximately 5:35 a.m. on County Line Road near Gateway Blvd near Lakeland. A pedestrian is deceased. The driver called the Emergency Communications Center and reported he may have hit something in the roadway. There are no other injuries. Drivers should avoid County Line Road. Northbound traffic is closed at this time. The roadway was blocked for several hours .
PCFR & Florida Forestry Services Battling Wildfire Near Lake Wales Estates
Lake Wales, FL – A fire in Lake Wales Estates is being called the #keydeer Fire. The fire is approximately 10 acres in size & is now 85% contained at this time.
Fire crews were dispatched at 2:48pm near Cedar Hammock St. and Key Deere Ave.
Polk County Parks & Recreation Hosting Egg-A-Palooza April 8
Polk County Parks & Recreation is bringing some egg-citing news, Egg-A-Palooza is back this year at Poinciana Community Park!
Egg-A-Palooza will start at 10am on Saturday, April 8, 2023. This free community event will feature music, food trucks, games, and photos with the Easter Bunny.
Egg hunts will begin promptly at the times listed below.
Easter Egg Hunt Times:
10:30 a.m. – 2-3 year olds
10:45 a.m. – 4-5 year olds
11 a.m. – 6-9 year olds
11:15 a.m. – 10-12 year olds
Don’t be late, make sure to bring your bag or basket to collect candy and prizes! For more information, please call (863) 534-6911
📍 Poinciana Community Park
5109 Allegheny Rd
Kissimmee, FL 34759
Lake Wales Softball Makes Epic Comeback This Season
by James Coulter
Last season, Lake Wales Softball only had three teams participating—nearly down to zero!—due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, this season, they have 10 teams with 100 softball players.
Last Friday, the Linton Sports Complex erupted to life with three softball fields teaming with players and bleachers filled with spectators. This year’s softball season has quickly been picking up season following a several-year-long slump due to the pandemic.
Last week was the sixth game of the Lake Wales Softball team. As the old saying goes, it does not matter whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. This season has allowed its female players to learn and improve their game big time, explained Joe Parker, Vice President of Lake Wales Softball.
We are just blowing it [up] and trying to bring softball back to the city of Lake Wales,” he said. “It is doing pretty amazing on the field. The girls are learning. They are learning their fundamentals. They are getting better every day when they come out here. We have excellent coaches. We are trying to bring positivity back to softball and bring it back to Lake Wales.”
Parker has been involved with softball for the past seven years. He owes the success of the softball team, especially this season, to the support of the community. Both the Yates and Parker families have especially proven supportive, along with the board members who have been doing the hard work of getting things rolling.
“They [the players] are just growing,” he said. “The pitching is getting better, as is their catching. It is a lot of love out here, along with the parents showing their love and supporting us…There has been an excellent game. The talent has been spread throughout the teams, and this year, we have many minors and majors and seniors.”
Anyone looking for a fun evening on a weekend night is invited to head down to the softball field, buy a hot dog and drink, and take a seat on the bleachers to enjoy an old-fashioned ball game. The more locals show their support for the home team, the better the overall season will be.
“If you just want to come out and have a great atmosphere, we have great food from the concession stand, great leadership to approach all of us, including myself, and we have a great show and beautiful smiles on our young ladies’ faces. That is what you should come out and see,” Parker said. “There is a lot of fun out here. It is a safe environment we are providing for our kids, and we want to continue to see it grow.”
For more information, visit the City of Lake Wales website at: https://www.cityoflakewales.com/317/Youth-Activities
4 charged, 2 At Large In Organized Crime Investigation “Operation Heavy Lift”
Polk County Press Release
Across 16 Florida counties thieves rented, then systematically stole and resold, large outdoor equipment: loaders, stump grinders, trenchers, & mini-excavators from The Home Depot
Polk County Sheriff’s Office Organized Retail Crime Detectives, working with the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution, Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, developed and charged six suspects during an investigation that started in late 2021 when Home Depot organized retail crime investigators, working with law enforcement, developed information regarding rental equipment not being returned to their stores in the central and southeast Florida areas.
The equipment thefts, involving Toro Dingo utility loaders, stump grinders, trenchers, and mini-excavators (and the trailers they sit on) affected 16 counties within Florida, including 12 judicial circuits.
The investigation began in late 2021 when Home Depot investigators began reviewing large equipment overdue rentals and found a pattern of activity in the southeast region, which includes the Tampa and Orlando area stores. The overdue rentals and thefts had several similarities: they were one-day rentals by renters with Orlando addresses, and the GPS devices installed in the units were disabled within hours of the equipment leaving the store. The stolen equipment was then posted on social media sales sites, such as Facebook marketplace.
The investigation revealed that a total of 61pieces of equipment and the trailers they were on were stolen, at a loss to the Home Depot of $1.1 Million. The six suspects identified have been charged with least 50 of those fraudulent rentals and thefts. The total depreciated net book value of equipment and trailers identified throughout this investigation was determined to be nearly $600,000.
The thefts occurred in the following counties: Brevard, Broward, Duval, Hernando, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Manatee, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, St. Johns, and St. Lucie.
“We appreciate the hard work and cooperation from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution—because of the multi-county theft and fraud that occurred in this case, we could not have held these thieves appropriately accountable without their state-wide resources. Organized retail crime is a serious problem in Florida. It drives up the cost of goods and we all suffer through higher prices. These brazen thieves made a living systematically stealing. They made the mistake of stealing in Polk County—our detectives are among the best in the nation investigating organized retail theft. We will absolutely hold them accountable and put their butts in jail and then prison.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The suspects in this case went to great lengths and long distances to execute this elaborate construction rental scheme—stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in heavy construction equipment. They thought they were being clever by using stolen identities and smashing the GPS trackers on the equipment, but it wasn’t enough to outsmart Sheriff Judd’s deputies, FDLE and my Statewide Prosecutors.”
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said, “Organized retail theft has real-life impacts on our hard-working citizens who pay more for goods because of theft. I appreciate FDLE’s Orlando Regional Operations Center special agents and analysts that worked to recover a portion of the stolen property. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, in partnership with Attorney General Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, will continue to fight these crimes.”
The first reported theft occurred on October 26, 2021, at the Home Depot store number 8545 on US Hwy 1 in Sebastian, FL. The main suspect, Byron Paul Johnson (DOB 3/27/1987) of Orlando, completed a one-day rental form for a Toro Dingo TX427 using his Florida Driver’s license. He then listed an “auger for sale” on Facebook marketplace, and a witness answered the ad due to the fact that his own auger had recently been stolen and he wanted to meet with the seller (Johnson) to see if the listed auger was his. The two arranged to meet, at which time the witness recognized that the auger was a rental from Home Depot. The witness observed Johnson and three other black males attempting to remove the equipment from the trailer, but they were unable to do so. They then appeared to become nervous and suddenly left in a white truck. The witness reported the incident to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, including the tag number of the truck. IRSO deputies responded to the Home Depot and confirmed the equipment had just been rented by Johnson. They issued a warrant for his arrest, charging him with grand theft; he was arrested on that warrant in January 2022 in Orange County and later released after posting bond.
Johnson was tied to several thefts via video surveillance, social media messages, and text messages. He often used his own identification when completing the rental agreements and his own Facebook page to post the equipment for sale. Johnson told the unsuspecting buyers that he was a “construction worker going out of business,” or “my father passed away and I need money.”
His co-defendants (listed below) used identification stolen during vehicle burglaries or victims of identity theft. Investigators saw several of the co-defendants with Johnson in store surveillance video filling out the rental forms.
Johnson was arrested in Polk County on January 27, 2022, after PCSO detectives who were conducting surveillance saw him renting equipment at the Home Depot in Winter Haven, and made a traffic stop. He was taken into custody for DWLSR and transported to a Sheriff’s Office substation to be interviewed. He was released from jail after posting bond, but failed to appear in court. In June 2022, a Polk County warrant was issued for failure to appear.
During the investigation, detectives identified Johnson’s girlfriend, Natasha Tacathy Anderson (DOB 5/30/1995) of Orlando, as part of the theft ring. They also found evidence of his orchestration of thefts by other associates of theirs.
Ivan Ramirez (DOB 2/14/1987), the owner of Smiley’s Heavy Equipment Services, LLC, in Bradenton, coordinated several fraudulent rentals and thefts of Home Depot equipment with Johnson, and then purchased the stolen equipment from him at a much lower cost than retail.
Byron Johnson directed a criminal organization to steal and make fraudulent sales of unreturned rental machinery from The Home Depot stores. His girlfriend Natasha acted as a coordinator, advising Johnson of potential buyers and letting him know where rentals were available. Johnson paid friends, family members, and other acquaintances to act as “look outs” when meeting potential buyers, to do counter surveillance when making the fraudulent rentals, to use their personal vehicles or rental cars, and asking them to deliver the stolen equipment when he was unavailable.
On August 6, 2022, PCSO detectives were contacted by a Home Depot investigator who was watching “On Patrol: Live” (a show that airs footage from camera crews who do ride-alongs with law enforcement agencies). The episode that aired on August 5th showed Volusia County deputies following a white SUV that was pulling a trailer with a Toro Dingo TX427 on it. The truck refused to stop, but then broke down on Interstate 95 in Daytona Beach. The driver – Johnson – was arrested by Volusia deputies on his active Polk County warrant for failure to appear. In the video, he puts himself in the backseat before getting out of the SUV. There are three children in the SUV as well. The Toro Dingo on the trailer was the one that was stolen by Johnson in Jacksonville in December 2021. Johnson is currently serving a 1.5 year sentence in Florida state prison for felony fleeing to elude and child neglect based on this arrest. He is scheduled to be released in January 2024.
The suspects who were arrested and charged during this investigation are:
Byron Paul Johnson, DOB 3/27/1987; 846 23rd St, Orlando (currently in FL state prison – charged via Polk Co. warrant):
· Grand theft over $100,000
· Scheme to defraud
· 9 counts dealing in stolen property
· Unlawful possession of personal identification
· CRIMINAL HISTORY: Grand theft, child neglect, fleeing to elude, resisting arrest, DUI, DWLSR
Natasha Anderson, DOB 5/30/1995; 846 23rd St, Orlando (Polk Co. warrant issued):
· Grand theft over $20,000
· Scheme to defraud
· Dealing in stolen property
· CRIMINAL HISTORY: Possession of: cocaine, meth, controlled substance, synthetic cannabinoid, marijuana, and paraphernalia; petit theft
Michael Tyrone White, DOB 10/16/1989; 1912 Rockwell Rd, Orlando (arrested March 31, 2023, currently in Orange Co. jail):
· Grand theft over $20,000
· Scheme to defraud
· Dealing in stolen property
· CRIMINAL HISTORY: Battery, assault on public education employee, possession of cocaine, possession of synthetic cannabinoid, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, tampering with evidence, criminal mischief, fleeing to elude, resisting arrest, grand theft of a motor vehicle, racketeering, unlawful use of two-way communication device, DWLSR
Marquiel De’Shai Joseph, DOB 11/5/1991; 1760 Bright Meadow Ct, Orlando (arrested February 20, 2023 on Orange Co. charges, still in Orange Co. jail):
· Grand theft
· Scheme to defraud
· CRIMINAL HISTORY: Battery on school employee, battery on LEO, aggravated battery, aggravated stalking, robbery, burglary with battery, burglary, grand theft of a firearm, grand theft of motor vehicle, carrying concealed weapon, possession of weapon by convicted felon, fraud, grand theft, petit theft, possession of meth, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, DWLSR
Ivan Flores Ramirez, DOB 2/14/1987; 3304 17th Ave W, Bradenton (arrested in Manatee Co. March 31, 2023, bonded out April 3, 2023):
· Dealing in stolen property
· CRIMINAL HISTORY: Trespassing
Dwight Williams, DOB 9/1/1987; 4441 Conley St, Orlando (Polk Co. warrant issued):
· Grand theft over $10,000
· Scheme to defraud
· CRIMINAL HISTORY: Burglary with battery, battery, carrying concealed firearm, armed burglary, possession of burglary tools, criminal mischief, grand theft, fleeing to elude, resisting arrest, forgery, possession of controlled substance, possession of synthetic cannabinoid
Byron Johnson
Michael White
Marquiel Joseph
Ivan Ramirez
WANTED:
Natasha Anderson
Dwight Williams
Just Another Day At The Office For Polk Deputy Nason
Polk County Deputy Nason saw a Chameleon crossing the road and not looking too good. She picked him up and got him some help!
Haines City Police Department K9s Matrix, Cash, and Machado Have Received Donation of Body Armor
Haines City Police Department Press Release
K9s Matrix, Cash, and Machado have received bullet and stab protective vests thanks to a charitable donation from the non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Matrix’s vest was sponsored by Nancy Pyon of Huson, MT and embroidered with the sentiment “Born to Love – Trained to Serve – Loyal Always”. K9 Cash’s vest was sponsored by Julie Beauchamp of Advest Investment Group, Southington, CT and embroidered with the sentiment “Gifted by Advest Investment Group”. K9 Machado’s vest was embroidered with the sentiment “This gift of protection provided by Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.”.
The police department’s K9 unit said the dogs are truly their partners and they need to be protected as much as the officers. These three vests will help protect the four-legged officers that run into any situation, without hesitation, in order to protect the citizens of Haines City,” said Chief Greg Goreck.
“I am very thankful for the support and generosity of individuals such as Nancy Pyon and Julie Beauchamp; as well the Organization that helped make this possible, Vested interest in K-9’s Inc.
K-9 Officer Joseph Elam has been paired with his Belgian Shepherd Cash for two years and nine months. Elam said it is an honor to have an extra layer of protection donated to help Cash, who was once struck by a vehicle while trying to locate a fleeing felon.
“Cash is my best friend,” he said. “I spend more time with him than any member of my family,” Elam said.
K-9 Officer Ryon Green has been paired with his Belgian Malinois Machado for three years as a team. Green, who has worked at the police department for 8 years, five as a K9 handler, said he appreciates the vest donations because he wants Machado to return home safely.
“Every time I deploy K9 Machado, I am always concerned for his safety,” Green said. “We both love coming to work to do our jobs.”
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc., established in 2009, is a 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. This potentially lifesaving body armor for four-legged K9 officers is U.S.-made, custom-fitted, and NIJ certified. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. has provided over 4,970 vests to K9s in all 50 states at a value of $6.9 million, made possible by both private and corporate donations.
The program is open to U.S. dogs that are at least 20 months old and actively employed and certified with law enforcement or related agencies. K9s with expired vests are also eligible to participate. There are an estimated 30,000 law enforcement K9s throughout the United States.
Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. accepts tax-deductible contributions in any amount, while a single donation of $985 will sponsor one vest. Each vest has a value of $1,744-$2,283, weighs an average of 4-5 lb., and comes with a five-year warranty. For more information, or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please call 508-824-6978. Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provides information, lists events, and accepts donations atwww.vik9s.org, or you may mail your contribution to P.O. Box 9, East Taunton, MA 02718.
UniVista Insurance Treats Its Customers Like Familia
UniVista Insurance Treats Its Clients Like Familia
by James Coulter
Most insurance agents want to sell you insurance. German Franchise doesn’t want to sell you anything–or at least that isn’t his priority as an insurance broker. Instead, he wants to give you the best advice on what insurance coverage and policies are best for you. He doesn’t want to sell. He wants to serve.
When not working as an insurance broker for UniVista insurance, Franchise serves as a pastor at Alpha and Omega Church in Lake Wales. He considers both occupations as service. He wants to do more than sell things to the community. He desires to serve them.
“Our priority is to serve,” Franchise explained. “That [priority] gives me a sense of serving all the time…My business is to serve the people.”
Once upon a time, the insurance business employed “agents” and “advisors.” Nowadays, few people in the industry refer to themselves by those titles. Their focus has been less on helping people and more about selling insurance, especially if it involves straddling them with policies they do not need, he claims.
One example is the Uninsured Motorist policy. Most people who have health insurance do not need such coverage, as the policy covers the medical expenses procured in an accident. It does not cover any damage to their vehicle. So keeping such a policy is not only redundant, it often makes clients pay more money than they need to, Franchise said.
Franchise recalls his first customer in 2007. After one year, he discovered that they were paying so much in their insurance that they were essentially buying their car again every year. So he advised them to cut policies and lower their overall costs with their coverage.
“[I told her] you are paying more on the car than what is worth. You are buying your vehicle every year,” he said. “That [reason] is why we want to serve the community. We do not want to sell. We want to advise people on what they need to get.”
For more than a decade, UniVista Insurance has assisted clients across Florida with their insurance needs, be it home, health, auto, boat, or property. Even with their wide outreach, they remain “a family-owned and operated, independent insurance agency” with a mission, according to their website, “to provide affordable and innovative insurance solutions that allow our customers to prepare and be protected in every situation.”
“We here at UniVista want to advise our people and tell them what we think they need and we want to cover those needs,” Franchise said. “That is why we take time to interview people. Let us see what you have, and we tell you what you need. If you need coverage with a certain policy, why get coverage that much if you have nothing to protect? We want to advise our people. We want to teach our people what to get.”
Born in Venezuela, Franchise has lived in America since he was eight years old. Before he became the owner and operator of the Lake Wales branch of Univista Insurance, he began his career humbly as a satellite installer before eventually opening his own storefront.
As a Hispanic resident, he saw the need in his community for a Hispanic notary. He became one and started offering notary and income tax services to his store. This drive to serve his community, especially the Hispanic community, would lead him to his current career in the insurance industry.
Around 2007, he drove to Miami to meet with the head of UniVista Insurance. Seeing the man’s face on countless billboards during his drive along US Highway 27, Franchise felt unconfident that he would be chosen to open a branch, let alone be given the time of day.
“I did not have money to buy a franchise,” he said. “I thought he would not have time for me. As soon as he knows I have no money, he would not talk to me. But he set up an appointment anyway.”
During his appointment, he was told his new branch would require $100,000 to start. Franchise rose from his seat to leave. The man interviewing him asked him why he wanted to leave. Franchise explained that he did not have any money.
The man replied that Franchise would not pay a single cent to start his business in Central Florida. He was chosen precisely because of his location and his drive to run his business and support his family.
“I gave him my story,” Franchise said. “I started with DirectTV. I gave him the whole story. He told me he started like that. He came from Cuba and sold cars and many other things. He was in the cell phone business selling what he could to put food on the table…you are humble and said you did not have the money [the man said]. That tells me a lot about what you do. If you have been raising your kids and putting food on the table with what you do.”
Since that fateful day, Franchise has proudly served as an insurance broker for UniVista in Central Florida. The business has since extended its outreach across the state of Florida and America. Being a part of a nationwide franchise has bolstered its overall credibility and value.
Franchise loves being part of such a business. What he appreciates most is how it treats him like a family. He, in turn, treats his clients like family, looking out for their needs rather than his own profit.
“We became the only Hispanic insurance agency in the area. So that has put us in a good perspective through the Latino people and Anglo people,” he said. “It was impressive how these people since the first time I met the family, they treat you like family. Every time I have a meeting, these people are really growing this business as a family.”
UniVista Insurance is located at 14 S. 1st St., Lake Wales, FL 33853. For more information, call 863-318-7000. Or visit their website at: https://www.univistainsurance.com/location/univista-insurance-lakewales-fl-33853-1/
Fatal Crash Involving Semi-Tractor Trailer & Migrants Grove Worker Bus Blocking Hwy 98 In Ft. Meade
UPDATE to traffic crash in Fort Meade this morning:
Some of this information has changed from what we previously released, as this is a fluid situation:
Just after 6:00 a.m. this morning the PCSO ECC began receiving 911 calls regarding a two-vehicle crash on US Hwy 98 East, between Adams Rd and Avon Park Cutoff Road.
The vehicles involved are a tanker truck that was transporting unleaded fuel, and a migrant worker bus owned by Overlook Harvesting in Winter Haven. The bus had 38 people on it, heading to Plant City to pick strawberries.
One person on the bus died at the scene. Nine people on the bus were transported to the following hospitals: Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, Sebring Hospital, Lake Wales Hospital, and Tampa General Hospital.
The tanker driver was transported with less serious injuries to Bartow Regional Medical Center.
According to the investigation so far, the bus was heading westbound and for unknown reasons it crossed over into the eastbound lane and struck the tanker head-on as the tanker was heading eastbound.
Some fuel leaked from the tanker. The rest of the fuel is in the process of being transferred to another tanker, and the roads will remain closed until that is complete.
————-
UPDATE to traffic crash in Fort Meade between a semi-tanker truck and a grove worker transport bus:
There were 38 occupants of the bus, and of those, one is deceased, four were trauma alerted to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, and four were taken to Sebring Hospital. The semi-tanker driver was transported to Bartow Regional Medical Center.
The roadway is still shut down in that area.
——-
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is on the scene of a traffic crash on US Hwy 98 East at Adams Rd in Fort Meade involving a semi-tanker truck and white grove worker transport bus. There are multiple injuries and at least one fatality. The roadway in that area is shut down until further notice. Please avoid the area and use alternate routes.
Argument At Lakeland McDonalds Leads To Shots Fired, Brief Stand-off & Eventually An Arrest For Attempted Murder
Lakeland Police Press Release
LAKELAND, FL (April 2, 2023) – On Sunday, April 2, 2023, Lakeland Police arrested 28-year-old Calvin Jordan Sousa, charging him with two counts of Attempted First Degree Murder in connection with a shooting that took place earlier in the morning. At approximately 2:58 a.m., officers were dispatched to the McDonald’s located at 5325 Frontage Road in reference to a fight between two adult males. While officers were en route, dispatchers received updates from the reportee that shots had been fired.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers located a minivan in the roadway directly in front of the restaurant. Inside the vehicle, officers found a 28-year-old female, who had been shot multiple times, and a 34-year-old male rendering aid. The female was transported to Lakeland Regional Health in stable condition with serious injuries, and the male declined medical treatment at the scene for a minor injury. The suspect had fled the location in a white-colored vehicle.
Officers were told that prior to the shooting, the victims were in the drive-thru line waiting for their order, which had been delayed due to an error. The suspect, in line behind the victims, became upset and began honking the horn and yelling. Both the male victim and the suspect got out of their vehicles and engaged in a physical fight. After a brief fight, both returned to their vehicles. As the vehicles began to leave the parking lot, the suspect pulled up to the passenger’s side of the victims’ minivan and fired multiple shots into the vehicle.
Through witness statements and evidence at the scene, officers identified the suspect’s vehicle, tracking it to a residence in Highland City. The registered owner of the vehicle was confirmed to be Calvin Sousa. Witnesses at the shooting scene also confirmed Sousa as the suspect. Lakeland Police, with the assistance of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, attempted to make contact with the Sousa at the residence. Sousa initially refused to exit the home, barricading himself inside. Eventually, Sousa did exit the home and was taken into custody. Sousa is charged with two counts of Attempted First Degree Murder, Shooting Into An Occupied Vehicle, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Improper Exhibit of a Firearm.
The names of the victims are being withheld in accordance with Marsy’s Law.