The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has charged Cheryl Lynn Williams, DOB 5/30/76, with 13 felonies in the death of Deputy Sheriff Blane Lane, who died in the line of duty on October 4, 2022:
Second degree murder of a law enforcement officer (F1)
3 counts aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer (F2)
3 counts possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (F2)
3 counts resisting arrest (F2)
2 counts possession of ammunition by a convicted felon (F2)
Possession of methamphetamine (F3)
She will be booked into the Polk County Jail upon her release from the hospital, where she remains in stable condition.
Click here to read the news release with early details of the investigation.
“When deputies arrived at this residence following up on a Crime Stoppers tip that Cheryl Williams was there with an active warrant, they gave her every opportunity to turn herself in. She made the choice to hide, and then to jump out while pointing a gun at them. Everyone in that house is a convicted felon with a criminal history, but all they had to do was cooperate, and this tragedy would never have occurred. Cheryl Williams would have been taken into custody peacefully, and would solely be facing her original failure to appear charge. Now she is responsible for the death of Deputy Lane, a young man who had his entire life ahead of him, eager to serve the people of Polk County while making a positive difference as a law enforcement officer.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
After a search of the residence that Williams shares with two others (4345 Foxtown South, Polk City), deputies found the following firearms openly displayed on a gun rack attached to the wall in the hallway:
A Marlin model 99M1 .22 caliber rifle with scope; one live round in the chamber and seven rounds in the magazine tube
A Connecticut Valley Arms, Inc. single-shot 12 gauge shotgun
A bolt-action 410 gauge shotgun; one live round in the chamber
Deputies arrested the two convicted felons who live there, Donald Mathis, DOB 8/11/50 and Joseph Larry Albritton, Jr., DOB 9/18/67, for 3 counts possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (F3), 5 counts possession of ammunition by a convicted felon (F5), and Albritton was also charged with violation of probation.
Mathis was additionally charged with possession of meth (F3) and possession of paraphernalia (M1). Detectives found a small plastic baggie in his bedroom with a substance that tested positive for meth, along with three boxes of ammunition.
Mathis’ criminal history includes 13 felonies and 11 misdemeanors. He spent 1.5 years in state prison for cocaine possession. He’s had numerous arrests since 1991, on charges such as possession of cocaine with intent to sell, grand theft, battery, DUI, and petit theft.
Albritton’s criminal history includes 8 felonies and 22 misdemeanors. Since 1986 he’s been arrested many times, charged with aggravated battery, battery domestic violence, resisting arrest, trespassing, DUI, possession of meth and marijuana, DWLSR, and tampering with a witness.
For more than two decades, Roy L. Wilkinson has served his Lake Wales community by reaching out and saving lives as a firefighter. Now, having turned his life over to the Lord, he will be serving his new community in Lakeland by reaching out and touching lives as a pastor.
A fourth-generation Lake Wales resident, Wilkinson always wanted to serve in fire and rescue. His father worked as a volunteer firefighter, so Wilkinson often spent his time at the fire department playing and dreaming of becoming a firefighter.
In 2000, he started his career at the Lake Wales fire department. In 2014, he was promoted to lieutenant, and later, as deputy fire chief. He had hopes of becoming fire chief, but after much thought and prayers, he decided to rededicate his life to a much higher calling.
As of Sept. 30, Wilkinson has retired from the fire department. He will now be serving as a pastor at Highlands Church of God in Lakeland. He served others in his old career, and he expects to continue doing the same with his new one.
“I am really looking forward to what God is going to do through me in the church,” he said. “There is a great group of people here who are excited about moving forward with the church body, and God has great plans for the congregation for the church and this community.”
Fire Chief Joe Jenkins worked with Roy ever since he first joined the station. Jenkins considers Wilkinson to be a high-quality employee who always did his job well. He will miss the conversations they had both on and off the job, and he wished him well in his new endeavors.
“He was a real asset to the department,” Jenkins said. “I wish him well and I am sure he will do a great job.”
Wilkinson has worked at Lake Wales Fire Department for 22 years. He was the first staff member to attend paramedic school in 2005. His department won a Humane Society Award for helping save animals trapped in a burning building. Other notable accomplishments include helping start a fire truck committee in 2004, being named firefighter of the year in 2006, and being promoted to fire chief in 2014.
In 2011, he started contemplating a different life path by working towards his calling in the Church of God. There he served in a program called Calling Ministries Studies, where he started to further explore his calling to the ministry. In 2012, he went through the ordination process and became an ordained minister.
Following his ordination, he served as a part-time youth pastor. In 2017, he became an associate pastor of Ridge Community Church in Dundee, where he had served since 2013. During that time, he would perform double duty as both a firefighter and a minister. He initially had plans to retire a few years later and become a minister full-time; however, after much prayer, he discovered God had other plans.
“I have been living a lifestyle where I worked in the fire department and served the citizens of Lake Wales and now we will work at the church and serve the community there, and that has been our story for a long time,” he said.
Three months ago, Wilkinson received a phone call from a longtime mentor, to whom he had not spoken to in ten years. The mentor had been praying, and he felt the call to ask Wilkinson to consider the opportunity of pastoring his church. Wilkinson and his wife prayed about the decision, and they decided to answer the call.
“We told God to sacrifice anything and everything he asks us to, to stay on the path of putting him first and each other next and serving others,” he explained. “It was a hard thing to think about…but I was trusting God, and as we walked along the path, we decided to apply for the position.”
Initially, Wilkinson did not qualify for the position, as he did not hold the highest-ranking ordination in their denomination. However, as the requirement had since been relaxed, and as he was the best qualified for the position, he was inevitably considered.
“Two weeks later, I got a phone call from the state that said the church took a vote and they want us to come and be their next pastor,” he said. “He agreed, and we signed off on it.”
Wilkinson was elated, but he still had his concerns. He still had to consider his retirement, his insurance, and other benefits to ensure that he could survive on his income. Nevertheless, he made all the proper arrangements and is now set to minister at his new church.
“We know the possibilities are endless,” he said. “I am looking forward to seeing what God will do here to change lives and help this community. So I am really excited about what the future holds here.”
Wilkinson will miss many of the firefighters whom he has fostered close relationships with. Matt Hulen started at the fire department in 2007, having previously ridden for the department in high school. He considers Wilkinson to be a great leader, a Christian man, and an amiable boss. He could talk with him about anything on or off work. Getting used to him not being around the station will certainly take time, Hulen said.
“God changed plans on him, and when God opened up doors to him and moved his life into another direction…he thought it was the right thing to do and a time in his life to move forward in,” he said. “We understand what he is doing and we are proud of him for that.”
As for his old community of Lake Wales, he knows it is growing and thriving. He wishes everyone there the best, and that his old staff members will be able to meet any new challenges in his absence.
“The department is growing, and…as long as the city is growing, it is awesome to see the changes taking place,” he said. “The growth is coming whether we like it or not, but we want to make it the best it can be.”
This morning (10/4/2022) at approximately 11:31 a.m., Winter Haven Officers responded to a disturbance call at 270 Kings Pond Ave., Winter Haven.
The first officer on scene arrived and was speaking with a witness across the street from the residence where the disturbance occurred, when two men from the disturbance residence came outside and starting shooting at each other.
From across the street, our officer turned to see the aggressors shooting towards each other. Due to the imminent danger to the public, our officer fired his weapon in the direction of the aggressors.
The two aggressors were injured and aide was given by our officers on scene. It is unknown at this time what injuries came from the aggressors shooting at each other or if there are any injuries resulting from our officer firing his weapon.
Our officer was not physically injured. The two aggressors were taken to the hospital and condition on either is unknown at this time.
This is very early in the investigation with limited information available. The Tenth Judicial Circuit Task Force, overseen by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, is handling the investigation. We will send out additional information as it becomes available, however there will not be any further updates this evening.
NASHVILLE — Loretta Lynn, the country singer whose plucky songs and inspiring life story made her one of the most beloved American musical performers of her generation, died on Tuesday at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tenn. She was 90.
Her family said in a statement that she died in her sleep at her ranch, which had turned Hurricane Mills, about 70 miles west of Nashville, into a tourist destination.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of 21-year-old Deputy Sheriff Blane Lane, who died in the line of duty on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, during a deputy-involved shooting.
This information is preliminary, based upon the investigation so far:
At 2:07 a.m. on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office received a Heartland Crime Stoppers tip that Cheryl Lynn Williams, DOB 5/30/76, who had an outstanding felony warrant for failure to appear on a possession of methamphetamine charge was at 4345 Foxtown South in Polk City. Williams has a criminal history that includes 11 felonies and four misdemeanors, and she spent 9 years in the Florida state prison system out of an 11-year sentence for trafficking in meth.
Sergeant Michael Brooks, and Deputies Johnny Holsonback III, Adam Pennell, and Blane Lane arrived at the scene, and at 3:08 a.m., they advised that shots were fired. Deputy Lane, 21 years old, was shot in the left arm, and the round entered his chest. As a result, he died at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center.
The first witness at the trailer home told the deputies when they arrived at the front door that Williams was at the back door. The second witness who was at the back door told them, “She’s in here” and all of the deputies except Lane went inside. Lane took up a tactical position outside the trailer near the front side. Lane’s tactical position afforded him the view of the door and windows to ensure that he would see the suspect in the event she tried to flee.
The deputies approached a “gaming” room and initially did not see anyone in the room. Williams then stepped into view armed with a silver handgun which she immediately pointed at them. Shots were fired and the suspect went down. Lane then reported that he had been shot in his arm. He was transported to LRHMC. Williams was also transported to a local hospital to be treated for multiple gunshot wounds. She is in stable condition.
Deputies interviewed the second witness after-the-fact, who told them that when Williams realized the deputies were there, she picked up the handgun and walked away from him. He told her, “You don’t want to do that,” and she replied, “Let them in.”
The handgun turned out to be a very realistic-looking BB gun.
According to the early investigation, it appears that both Sergeant Brooks and Deputy Holsonback fired their agency-issued firearms. The round that struck Lane came from one of their firearms.
Deputy Sheriff Blane Lane was 21 years old and lived in Fort Meade. He entered the Polk State College KCTIPS dual law enforcement-detention academy in September 2020, graduated, and was hired as a Detention Deputy in May 2021. He became a Deputy Sheriff in January 2022, and was assigned to Northwest District Patrol.
Cheryl Williams will be charged with felony second degree murder, among other charges, upon her release from the hospital. This investigation is ongoing.
PCSO will plan a line-of-duty death funeral with full law enforcement honors, and that information will be released at a later date. Please keep Deputy Lane’s family and our PCSO family in your prayers during this difficult time.
POLK COUNTY, FL (October 3, 2022) – Polk County residents who wish to register to vote in the November 8th General Election must do so by October 11th.
Voter registration forms may be completed online at PolkElections.gov or paper copies are available for pick up at many convenient locations throughout the county including City Halls, Libraries, and Chambers of Commerce. Registered voters are reminded to inform the Elections Office of any voter information changes before Election Day.
For more information, visit PolkElections.gov or call the Elections Office at (863) 534-5888.
We here at Welcome, World Travelers love to discuss Walt Disney World. However, we also want to take the opportunity to promote the local attractions here in Polk County. So please enjoy this week’s column on Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales.
Fall is in the air. Time to grab a pumpkin spice latte, put on a sweater, and take a stroll through the great outdoors. And what better place to experience natural Florida than at Bok Tower Gardens? Here are seven things you can fall into there for some fall weather fun.
#1: Take a Stoll with a Sip of Wine
What could be more leisurely than taking a stroll through Bok Tower Gardens on an autumn day? How about doing so with a glass of wine in your hand? You can do just that during the annual Wine Walk. With a glass in hand, sample up to 12 different wines from around the world, with wines from here in the states to as far away as South Africa or Argentina. And what goes better with wine than smooth jazz? Listen to the music play from a live band at the Terrace of The Blue Palmetto Café.
Sat., Oct. 15, 2022
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
$40 for members / $55 non-members
#2: Learn to Mix a Herbal Mocktail
Not a fan of alcohol but still want something nice and tasty to sip? No problem. Learn to mix a mocktail from natural ingredients in the Outdoor Garden. From Blackberry Thyme Oxymel and Prickly Pear Ginger Beer Mockarita, not only do these drinks have the same bold flavors of a cocktail, but they’re packed with antioxidants and other minerals and vitamins to boost your immune system and leave you feeling healthy rather than tipsy.
Sat., Oct. 8, 2022
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
$30 members / $35 non-members
#3: Assemble Your Own Air Plant Terrarium
Terrariums look great as a table centerpiece or any other decoration. They not only make your home look greener, but feel greener as well by supplying fresh air. Learn to make your own
using unique air plants at an upcoming workshop. All the materials will be provided for you. All you need to bring along—aside from the fee, of course–is your own creativity.
Sat., Oct. 22, 2022
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
$30 for members / $40 for non-members
#4: Drum Your Way to a Better you with Training
Drum circles are not just for hipsters. Drumming has been linked to better mental health by helping those connect with others through a sense of community. After all, what brings people together better than a good beat? Come and learn how you can become a better person by literally playing to the beat of your own drum.
Fri., Nov. 05, 2022 / Sat., Nov. 06, 2022
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
$350 for members/ $365 for non-members
#5: Find Peace and Tranquility with Yoga and Sound Baths
Find your center and become one with nature as you perform yoga and listen to crystal singing bowls in the gardens. Whether you’re performing chair yoga indoors or striking a sun pose outdoors, their yoga classes are the best way to find peace and tranquility in such a peaceful, tranquil environment. Or take a breath and listen to the tranquil sounds of Himalayan crystal singing bowls, tuning forks, and other such instruments.
Thurs., Oct. 20, 2022
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Thurs., Nov. 3, 2022
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
$25 members / $35 non-members
#6: Learn to Garden from a Florida Gardener
Fall may be upon us, and winter is almost around the corner–but, then again, here in Florida, it’s always spring and summer weather. There’s always time to spruce up your backyard garden. And you can learn some valuable gardening tips to gain a better green thumb even during the white of winter from an expert Florida gardener.
Wed., Oct. 5, 2022
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 2, 2022
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Free for members / $10 non-members
#7: Build a Tiny House for Tiny Fairies
Ever wanted to see fairies in your flower garden? You could always invite them there by building a home for them. The Fairyhouse Ladies, Vikki and Rhonda, can show you how through their two-day workshop. Build your own small home to attract small tenants to your backyard. Many of these fairy houses are currently on display in Hammock Hollow. Feel free to drop by and see if your little eye can spy a little person dwelling inside.
Fri., Dec. 2, 2022 / Sat., Dec. 3, 2022
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM each day.
$85 members / $95 non-members
#8: Take a Virtual Field Trip…to Space!
Ever wanted to visit space? Well, technically, you can’t. Not unless you’re a trained astronaut. However, you can take a virtual trip into space. Learn all about the daily lives of astronauts and even take a look at some of the food they eat on the space station. Learn all about it during the NASA Goddard Visitor Center presents “Living and Working in Space.”
A man was fatally shot in unincorporated Haines City Saturday morning, September 24, 2022, and detectives from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office have charged three men with his murder; the suspects and victim are all from Orange County.
All three suspects were arrested in Orlando and booked into the Orange County Jail, and are being charged with 1st Degree Murder (FC) and Tampering with Evidence (F3). They have been identified as:
° Felix Jomar Agosto Velazquez, 25, of Orlando
° Joel Javier Ortega, 29, of Orlando
° Bryan Jose Colon Deleon, 26, of Orlando
“The victim was shot and left to die in a very rural part of the county. With very little information to start with, our homicide detectives were able to determine all three of his killers, and get them charged in about 24-hours. Our prayers go out to the victim’s family, and hopefully they’ll see justice carried out swiftly against these three murderers.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Deputies were originally dispatched to the area of Lake Marion Creek Road and Midway Road at around 12:35 a.m. Saturday morning, in regards to a man stumbling on the road, covered in blood.
The 26-year old man was found by deputies, lying next to the road, with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he died a few hours later.
Several shell casings were recovered at the scene and detectives began looking for a black Mercedes that was reported to have been in the area.
The Mercedes was soon identified, and that lead to the identification of Felix Jomar Agosto Velazquez.
Felix, Joel Javier Ortega, and Bryan Jose Colon Deleon were said to have been friends of the victim, and had spent a lot of time together in recent days. The three suspects were together at the time Orange County deputies took them into custody.
PCSO detectives searched a storage unit belonging to Felix and discovered that he visited there less than seven hours after the shooting. Detectives found ammunition in the storage unit that matched the ammunition found at the crime scene, and also found firearms which were capable of firing that type of ammunition.
During interviews with the detectives, each suspect confirmed they were together with the victim in the black Mercedes Benz, and near the area where the shooting occurred, but they refused to provide additional information.
Sunday evening crash in Winter Haven kills one driver and injures another
A two vehicle crash Sunday night, October 2, 2022, in an unincorporated area of Winter Haven resulted in the death of one driver, and non-life-threatening injuries to the other.
Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and crews from Polk County Fire Rescue were dispatched at about 11:36 p.m. to State Road 540, just east of the intersection with Spirit Lake Road in Winter Haven.
Upon arrival, they found 31-year old Tiffany Flannagan of Winter Haven, deceased. The other driver, 21-year old Matthew Hjort, Jr., also of Winter Haven, suffered a broken leg and was transported to a local hospital.
Ms. Flannagan was the driver of a black 2019 Chevy Malibu, and Mr. Hjort was the driver of a black 2014 Honda Civic.
Based on evidence and statements taken at the scene, it was determined that Ms. Flannagan had been driving westbound on SR 540 at a high rate of speed when her Chevy crossed over the grassy median and collided with Mr. Hjort’s Honda which was travelling east.
Ms. Flannagan’s Chevy caught on fire following impact, but witnesses at the scene were able to extinguish it quickly.
A portion of SR 540 was closed for approximately three hours.
