LAKELAND, FL (July 29, 2020) – Detectives with the Lakeland Police Department are currently on scene of a death investigation near the area of Fairbanks Street and Bella Vista Street. This morning human remains were found in the area. At this time, detectives are unable to confirm the identity or cause of death of the victim. The remains will be transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office for examination.
No additional details are available at this time, as this is extremely early in the investigation. An update will be provided as soon as possible.
Lakeland Homemade Cookbook Offers 350 Recipes From Residents
And Businesses
by James Coulter
Are you looking for a new recipe to prepare for your
next meal? Have you considered making a buffalo chicken queso dip? Or broccoli
salad? Or how about marinated cheese? All of these recipes and more can be found
in a cookbook provided by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce.
“Lakeland Homemade” offers more than 350
recipes, all provided by Lakeland residents, business owners, and other
community members. The cookbook features recipes for main dishes, appetizers,
desserts, and more.
The cookbook was released last November by the
Lakeland Chamber of Commerce and compiled from submissions provided by city
residents and business owners. The book was created not only to help support
local businesses and organizations, but to also foster a sense of community by
collecting favorite recipes from members of the community.
“It is a way to get the citizens of the community
in the home in a different way as well as to create a community feel,”
explained Darla Sechrest Pettaway, Chief Development Officer for the Lakeland Chamber
Foundation. “It incentivizes businesses and individuals within the
community.”
While Darla hasn’t tried every single recipe, she has
tried many of them. Some sound weird at first such as the marinated cheese, but
once you try them, you discover that they’re surprisingly better than expected,
she said.
“I have tried so many of them myself and they are
delicious!” she said. “One of my favorites is Mara’s Marinated
Cheese. When I first heard it, I didn’t even want to look at it, but after I
tried it, it was really good.”
She also tried many of the crockpot recipes. They
allowed her to use her crockpot more often, as well as to prepare meals easily
without having to wait over a hot stove. All she needs to do is turn the
crockpot on and have it cook.
By far, her favorite recipes were the desserts. As
someone with a real sweet tooth, she especially loved the Chocolate Chip
Blondies.
Being able to try out so many different and new
recipes from throughout the local community was one of the reasons why the
Chamber decided to create the cookbook in the first place. They wanted to
create something that brought the community closer together, and nothing
accomplishes that goal better than food.
“One of the functions of the Chamber is to create
a sense of community,” she said. “[The book] was an interesting way
for our Chamber to help businesses their names in the homes of the Lakeland
community.”
Kathy Guin, Volunteer Coordinator for Lakeland
Volunteers in Medicine, has many recipes she collected over the years. She
received many of them when she and her husband first married and she wanted to
learn to cook for themselves.
One of the recipes she submitted was for Broccoli Salad.
Many times, she would visit someplace, and people would ask her to bring the
same food every time. Those recipes proved to be her most popular, she said.
“A lot of people are so busy they do not have
time to sit in the kitchen all day,” she said. “So I wanted to make
it easy for them yet [also] delicious and tasted like it took hours to
make.”
As her organization works closely with the Chamber,
she and her staff were approached to submit recipes. She sent an e-mail
requesting recipes from her fellow staff members and volunteers, and they, in
turn, submitted many recipes that were added to the cookbook.
“You can go anywhere to buy a cookbook, but when
you find a cookbook in your community with recipes from people who live in
their community, it is special to make it and bring home the home,” she
said. “I love those cookbooks because you get it from hand it down recipes
rather than those you find in magazines or on the internet.”
Julie Roggeman, Special Projects Associate for the
PACE Center, submitted a recipe for buffalo chicken queso dip. When she was
approached to submit recipes, she asked her staff of over 20 members to submit
their own.
“We love the chamber,” she said. “They
have been so wonderful for our organization. They saw they needed some recipes,
and we wanted to give back to them. So we provided them recipes so they can fill
up their cookbook.”
Roggeman felt that the cookbook was an opportunity to
help promote a sense of community, not only by allowing people within the
community to share their favorite recipes but specifically to share recipes
created especially for the community.
“I know for all of us, the recipes that we
submitted, it is about the families and clients [like] a meal for your
family,” she said. “Whether you are having dinner or friends over,
all the recipes that we submitted were about the quality time we are spending
with family and friends.”
If you’re looking for something new to make for
dinner, then consider purchasing this book. Not only will you find something
new you’ve probably never tried before, but it will come from someone you
probably know.
“I would suggest that everyone either purchase
the book,” Roggeman said. “Some of our colleagues, when they
submitted them, they were for recipes I haven’t even heard of, so if you are
going for it, if you are tired of making the same dish, then this is a great
opportunity.”
“Lakeland Homemade” is available through the
Lakeland Chamber website. Each book costs $15 while supplies last. For more
information, visit their website at:
https://business.lakelandchamber.com/store/lakeland-homemade-cookbook
Need a face mask? Visit one of the following City of Winter Haven locations to receive up to three disposable face masks.
City Hall (Reception Desk) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Winter Haven Recreational and Cultural Center (inside main lobby) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
AdventHealth Fieldhouse (Reception Desk) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Winter Haven Public Library Walk-Up Window (North side of building off the parking lot) Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Friday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
City Hall Annex, Account Services (Payment window) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Police Department (Main Lobby) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Florida Citrus Building (Main Lobby) Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
On July 24, 2020, the PCSO Organized Retail Crime Unit arrested two suspects who stole merchandise from a Home Depot and a Lowe’s located in Lakeland. The investigation began when loss prevention personnel from the stores contacted detectives about a series of organized retail thefts that occurred on three different occasions.
On April 22, 2020, security video footage from Lowe’s in Lakeland shows 44 year-old Shenicka Whittington leaving the store with Yeti brand coolers and laundry detergent totaling $552.89. Whittington did not pay for the merchandise.
On May 21, 2020, Whittington was seen removing several Yeti brand items from the same Lowe’s store without paying for the merchandise. The stolen merchandise totaled $209.97.
On July 24, 2020, detectives responded to Home Depot where they observed Whittington exit the store with a shopping cart full of merchandise. Her boyfriend, 55 year-old Joseph Lamar was standing next to a vehicle waiting for Whittington. Through witness statements and video surveillance, detectives learned Whittington and Lamar had entered the Home Depot store a total of three times on this day. They removed fuel boxes, a gas pressure washer, chainsaws, a reciprocating saw, Bluetooth headphones, and other items totaling $3,028.83. These items were found in Whittington’s shopping cart and the couple’s vehicle.
“Retail theft is not a victimless crime. It hurts businesses and consumers in the wallet. We are holding these thieves accountable – they are both career criminals. Just one look at the long list of charges, and the fact that Whittington is already on probation for the same thing, and you know they have no respect for the judicial system. These are serious crimes and there will be serious consequences.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Lamar was charged with Coordinated Retail Theft (F-3). Lamar’s criminal history includes 17 felonies and 18 misdemeanors, which includes 4 prior theft convictions.
Whittington was charged with Coordinated Retail Theft (F-3), False Name to Law Enforcement (M-1), and Violation of Probation Felony Petit Theft/3rd Conviction (M-2). Whittington’s criminal history includes 41 felonies and 34 misdemeanors, which includes 23 prior theft convictions. Whittington is also being detained on warrants for theft out of Orange and Hillsborough Counties.
The scene at Borden Dairy in Winter Haven has cleared with firefighters completing the sweep of the building to ensure the air quality is suitable for employees to return.
When Winter Haven Fire and Polk County Fire Hazardous Material crews arrived, employees of the building had evacuated and information on the exact makeup of the solution was unavailable. Crews entered the building first to ensure the leak was contained and there were no further leaks in the system.
A second entry was made to gather a sample of the liquid that was leaked to be tested. Due to the training and expertise of both Winter Haven Fire and Polk County Hazardous Material teams, the liquid was tested on site and determined to be a combination of Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Hypochloride, Sodium Polyacrylate, Nitric Acid and Phosphoric Acid. The spill formed a cloud of gas that caused one employee to begin to feel ill. That employee ultimately refused medical treatment and no other employees or firefighters were affected.
“I cannot be more proud of the professionalism of our team working together with Polk County to ensure the safety of Borden employees and the citizens of our community,” Public Safety Director Charlie Bird said. “We have great partnerships across our County and the dedication to the safety of our citizens is priority one.”
Original Release:
Winter Haven Fire and Polk County Hazardous Materials teams are at Borden Dairy (1000 6th St SW) in Winter Haven in response to a chemical spill that occurred this morning (7/29/2020) at approximately 5:40 a.m.
When crews arrived, the safety team at Borden had the spill isolated and employees were evacuating the building. During the shut down of the spill, one employee had a slight exposure, however refused medical treatment and was not transported. There were no other injuries reported.
The public at large is not in danger and there were no evacuations in the surrounding areas. The chemical is possibly a cleaning solution with exact nature of the solution still being determined.
Winter Haven Fire officials remain on scene at this time going through the building ensuring that the leak is in fact shut off completely and there are no further leaks in the system. They will remain on scene until the building can be completely cleared of any chemical in the air.
The Lake Wales History Museum may be closed to the public, but the public can still visit the museum and peruse its many exhibits—albeit through cyberspace.
The museum recently launched its Virtual Museum, which will allow patrons and guests to explore the museum and engage in various educational experiences including online videos, exhibits, and virtual tours.
As the museum is owned and operated by the City of Lake Wales, it is governed by the city that determines whether or not public facilities such as the museum can re-open; thus far, they have determined the current conditions surrounding the COVID-19 are not yet safe enough to re-open the museum, explained Museum Director Jennifer D’Hollander.
Patrons and guests can tour the museum and its exhibits virtually, either by watching a video tour of the facility, or by perusing the museum exhibits virtually with photographs and descriptions detailing the history of the city and surrounding community.
While the museum itself is closed to the public, locals and visitors alike can learn more about the city simply by taking a walk. By downloading the “virtual walking tour” app to their phone or mobile device, they can tour the city at their leisure and learn more about historic landmarks—all while practicing social distancing!
Aside from permanent exhibits, patrons and guests can also take a virtual look at traveling exhibits. From now until Sept. 26, they can check out the “Florida Before Statehood” exhibit by the Museum of Florida History, which details the history of Florida before it became an official state.
“It is interesting to learn about the history that we may not get to see or hear about very often like pre-colonization and [about] Native Americans,” said D’Hollander. “The exhibit was [created to celebrate] Florida’s 500 anniversary.”
On the fourth Wednesday of every month, the museum hosts itsmonthly book club. Every month, participants read a non-fiction book selection and discuss its contents in-person at the museum.
Currently, the book club is being hosted virtually on-line through the museum website. Not only does it allow current members to continue their meetings, but also allows members out of town or state to continue visiting long-distance, Hollander explained.
“One nice thing about these programs is that we [can] reach people who are homebound for whatever reason…either they are a snowbird that lives up north or they live outside of the city limits,” she said. “It has been a nice way to keep that [group] going, and we [can] keep it going as long as we can.”
The COVID-19 crisis has proven quite a challenge for the museum. One big challenge has been keeping connected with people. The museum relies heavily on donations from patrons who enter its doors, and they host various events throughout the year to engage with residents. The museum remaining closed has cut off that sense of connection, Hollander said.
“The other big challenge is that we have not been hosting any fundraising because donors are not sure about the economy right now,” she said. “These are uncertain times, [and] you do not focus on that thing, so we actually halted our efforts, but we hope things will turn around, and it has not affected us too dramatically, the city has taken good care of us.”
When the museum eventually re-opens in the future, they hope to continue providing the virtual museum experience as well as the real-life experience, thus providing various venues through which to enjoy the museum facility and learn about the surrounding community.
“We really miss the interpersonal connection by having the real in-person programs,” she said. “Our expectation is that we can provide a safe and healthy environment with precautions. Our city leadership and guidelines. We will be keeping people safe and continue to offer activities in a variety of ways.”
Visit the Lake Wales Virtual Museum at: https://www.cityoflakewales.com/833/The-Virtual-Museum
Humane Society of Polk County Finds Homes For More Than 50 Pets At Adoption Event
by James Coulter
More than 50 shelter dogs and cats received forever homes upon being adopted from the Polk County Humane Society during the Tri-MEGA Adoption Event on Saturday.
The Polk County Humane Society partnered with SPCA Florida and Polk County Animal Control to offer pets for adoption for only $20. Both SPCA Florida and Polk County Animal Control hosted their first mega adoption event last year at the RP Funding Center, where they adopted more than 500 pets, said Lisa Baker, Executive Director for the Humane Society.
This year, the Humane Society adopted most of their animals, with 52 pets being adopted and 10 foster animals receiving families, Baker said.
“We were hoping to find forever homes for as many animals as possible,” she said. “We were able to adopt out all but 3 dogs and a handful of kittens who were just surrendered to the facility and were still trying to get adjusted to their new surroundings.”
Due to COVID-19, the Humane Society only permitted one potential family at a time to visit the facility by appointment. These families were able to visit the facility throughout the week and adopt their selected animals at the special adoption price for the event, Baker explained.
“We decided it was best not to bring that many people into one large area at one time to promote social distancing,” he said.
Assisting with the event during that time was Dr. Vargas at Orchid Springs Animal Hospital and Dr. Watts at Heart of Florida Animal Hospital. Both local veterinarians were able to generously provide their time and support towards assisting the facility in adopting pets.
During the adoption event, the Humane Society received many encouraging comments about the animals being adopted, commending the facility for its efforts towards providing needy pets with forever homes.
“So many dogs needed homes and people stepped up and adopted them,” one comment read. “Now every dog [has] a wonderful life!!”
“I hope they all find new homes,” another wrote. “Please someone take them home!”
The COVID-19 crisis has affected the facility, as adoptions have been slow but steady, Baker explained. They have also had difficulty in getting their animals spayed and neutered, she said.
“We have had many requests from families unable to feed their pets for assistance with pet food,” she also mentioned. “I’m very happy to say that we have so far been able to meet that need…So if you are able to and would like to donate pet food and litter we can definitely use those donations.”
So, we hear from those out there who want to know if people are actually CAUGHT skip scanning at Walmart…
We introduce you to 27 year-old Brittney Ocasio and 50 year-old Julissa Lopez (both living on Ave C SE in Winter Haven).
The pair visited the local Walmart (355 Cypress Gardens Blvd) and selected $672.14 worth of merchandise! These items included chair pads, Dove Exfoliating Soap, Funko Pop (?), Thank You Cards, stool, deep fryer, a bath rug, mixing bowl, chef knife, Rug Runner… (you get the point – these weren’t bare essentials) and a WHOLE host of other things. They go to the self-checkouts and skip scan quite a bit of items. They paid $18.18 for the whole lot of merchandise.
Yes, they were stopped. Given this second chance, they went back (can’t make this up) and scanned $33.82 more of items and proceeded to try to leave again. Yes, stopped again and this time detained ultimately taking the free ride to the Polk County Jail.
So given an opportunity to make it right, they blew it. And now they earned the right to be highlighted on our page.
Playground Closure: Trailhead Park playground and adjacent pavilion will be closed for renovations starting August 10 and is anticipated to reopen in mid- September. Our apologies for the inconvenience.
SOLVED: On July 25, 2020, PCSO Traffic Homicide Detectives arrested 29 year-old Robert Patrick Gibson of Lakeland for the fatal hit and run of a pedestrian on Combee Road in Lakeland this past Tuesday.During the investigation, detectives were able to determine the green Ford Expedition involved in the crash belonged to Gibson. He stated that he had been involved in a crash but believed he had hit a pole. Gibson admitted he did not stop following the crash. He admitted to detectives that after he had learned of the hit and run, he thought he had probably been at fault. He still did not come forward.“I’m grateful our deputies were able to solve this case quickly, and bring justice for the family. This isn’t the first time Gibson has left the scene of a crash. Hopefully, with him now behind bars, it will be the last.” – Grady Judd, SheriffGibson was arrested and transported to the Polk County Jail. Gibson is charged with Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Death (F-1), Tampering/Destroying Evidence (F-3), and Attaching an Unassigned Tag (M-2).As previously released: Fatal hit & run of a pedestrian being investigated by the Polk County Sheriff’s OfficeThe Traffic Homicide Unit of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation of a fatal hit & run of a pedestrian which occurred Tuesday evening on Combee Road in Lakeland, about 130-feet south of the intersection with Old Combee Road.At this point in the investigation, the identity of the victim remains unknown. Detectives describe the victim as a white female, approximately 50-60 years of age.The crash was reported at about 8:57 pm. As deputies and Polk Fire Rescue personnel arrived on scene, the victim was found in a ditch on the east side of the road, with no pulse.The vehicle which struck the woman fled the scene, but witnesses described it as a green Ford Expedition (possibly 1997-2004 model).According to the preliminary investigation, the victim was walking northbound on Combee Road on the east side of the road. As the northbound Ford approached the intersection with Old Combee Road, it swerved off of the road and subsequently struck the pedestrian. The woman was dragged by the vehicle before coming to a rest in the ditch about 101-feet from where she was struck.Witnesses say that the Ford turned into the Citgo station at 2580 Old Combee Road, and stayed there for a brief period of time. It then fled the scene going west.The Ford Expedition will likely have some damage to the front driver side as a result from the impact.The crash occurred after sunset, and there are no street lights in the area. The victim was dressed in dark clothing.If anyone has any information regarding the driver, the Ford Expedition, or any other information that might be helpful to this investigation, please call Detective Christello at 863-297-1100, or to remain anonymous, contact Heartland Crime Stoppers – call 1-800-226 TIPS (8477), visit ww.heartlandcrimestoppers.com and click on “Submit A Tip,” or download the free “P3tips” app on your smartphone or tablet.
During the investigation, detectives were able to determine the green Ford Expedition involved in the crash belonged to Gibson. He stated that he had been involved in a crash but believed he had hit a pole. Gibson admitted he did not stop following the crash. He admitted to detectives that after he had learned of the hit and run, he thought he had probably been at fault. He still did not come forward.“I’m grateful our deputies were able to solve this case quickly, and bring justice for the family. This isn’t the first time Gibson has left the scene of a crash. Hopefully, with him now behind bars, it will be the last.” – Grady Judd, SheriffGibson was arrested and transported to the Polk County Jail. Gibson is charged with Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Death (F-1), Tampering/Destroying Evidence (F-3), and Attaching an Unassigned Tag (M-2).As previously released: