WINTER HAVEN | If you're looking for a place to play Jan Phyl Park provides amenities for pick-up and organized sports The 10-acre park is located in the Jan Phyl Village area It's nestled in a blue-collar neighborhood between the busy areas of Spirit Lake Road and Recker Highway Bordered by backyard fences of nearby homes the park features four lighted softball fields The park's main focus is its four softball fields The dugouts are enclosed by chain link fence with a roof and benches The park is home to Miss Winter Haven Softball The league holds a spring season from February through May and an informal fall league for girls ages 4 to 16 Two of the park's picnic pavilions located near the front entrance are small overlooking a open field large enough for touch football or an informal soccer game One pavilion is close to the concession stand/rest rooms softball field and eight children's swings The location is ideal for a birthday party or for those watching a softball game with smaller children The pavilions are available for free on a first-come While the park's lights illuminate the racquetball courts the lights for court usage are on a box on the court light pole and can be switched on by anyone for free An area behind the softball fields is cleared and flat It's large enough to hold several football fields flying remote-controlled planes or walking or jogging [ Lisa Coffey can be reached at lisa.coffey@theledger.com – A 12-game week for the Bentley University softball team at THE Spring Games got underway Saturday with the Falcons dropping two contests 3-0 to West Virginia Wesleyan College and 10-8 to Post University Bentley had 11 hits in the two games, including three apiece from junior third baseman Lindsey Allen (Worcester, Mass./Worcester Tech) and senior left fielder Stacey Korotsky (Raynham The first game was a well-pitched game between Bentley sophomore Elise Pereira (Plainville HS) and West Virginia Wesleyan's freshman Abigail O'Shields (Dagsboro O'Shields authored a five-hit shutout with five strikeouts and Pereira allowed seven hits while giving up two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth Both third inning runs came home on a double to left center by sophomore left fielder Destiny Alvarado (Winthrop Harbor A single by junior first baseman Kennedy Cowart (Houston Texaas) and a double by sophomore catcher Kiley Turner (Leesburg Va.) set the table for the two-out hit by Alvarado and had just two hits in 12 at bats with runners on base The second game of the day was a wild one with Post erupting for ten runs in the top of the inning Bentley responding with five in the bottom half of the inning and the Falcons eventually drawing within two runs before sophomore Legha Goldsack (Rutherford N.J.) retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh received five RBI from sophomore designated player Paige Delier (Milford She was involved in six of the Eagles' ten runs with a three-run homer to right a two-run double to left and another run scored Bentley's offense included two hits and two RBI from Allen, who also scored a run. Senior first baseman Gabby Casalino (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West HS) and junior shortstop Noelani Rivera (Clifton N.J./Hawthorne Christian Academy) both scored twice for the Falcons will face Ferris State and Edinboro in Winter Haven on Sunday with the first game getting underway at 2:45 pm Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Game Recap: Softball | 3/17/2023 11:43:00 PM Thanks for visiting This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Home/Fire Apparatus BARTOW, FL—In the never-ending quest to provide world class emergency medical services (EMS) to the residents, visitors, and businesses of Polk County, fire suppression engine company fire apparatus at the Saddle Creek and Jan Phyl Village stations have been converted to advanced life support (ALS) paramedic engine companies “It’s important for patients to start receiving advanced medical care as soon as possible.” Effective Jan. 30, when an engine crew is sent to a call in its assigned geographical area, there will be a paramedic assigned on the fire apparatus By placing a paramedic and the necessary advanced life support equipment on a fire engine visitors and businesses can expect the quick arrival of a paramedic and the lifesaving equipment to their medical emergency There are many times when fire rescue ambulance crews are detained on a call It is imperative that a paramedic begins lifesaving treatment modalities in a timely manner to support a good patient outcome prior to the ambulance arrival “An objective is to make fire suppression units advanced life support capable to assist in our EMS mission due to the sheer size of our great county,” said Chief Tony Stravino Currently, nearly half of the engines in Polk County Fire Rescue’s fleet are now ALS The engine at Saddle Creek is Polk County’s busiest engine It responded to more than 4,000 calls in 2016 The engine at Jan Phyl Village is also a busy one Additional Ambulances AddedIn early January Polk County Fire Rescue added two additional ambulances to serve the county as part of the Polk County Board of County Commissioners commitment to continue to provide outstanding service One new ambulance is assigned to the South Lakeland area and the other one is assigned to the Auburndale area ambulances in the two regions responded to more than 6,500 calls additional resources were added to assure proper coverage and reduce response times “We will continue to look for ways to improve and enhance our services to our residents businesses and visitors,” Chief Stravino added “We expect to be adding additional ambulances and advanced life support suppression units throughout the county Polk County is geographically a very large county and we have significant population and area to cover.” Polk County Fire Rescue covers more than 2,000 square miles and responds the more than 88,000 calls per year Thanks for visiting 2017 at 5:11 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}BARTOW FL — With the entire Tampa Bay area squarely in Hurricane Irma’s potential path Polk County had asked its residents who live in manufactured homes and flood-prone areas to evacuate as a precaution with power outages on Sunday afternoon causing some of the county's smaller lift stations to go offline The county says it will cause wastewater to spill onto the ground near the lift station; wastewater should not back up into homes Lift stations and neighborhoods affected include: If electric companies cannot get into neighborhoods until after the storm these lift stations will be down until power is restored Residents in affected areas are asked to use water sparingly and avoid areas with wastewater spillage The county plans to open its shelters at 7 a.m Shelters are located throughout Polk County including several that are equipped to help those with special needs The county also has a pet-friendly shelter Also See: FEMA Tells Floridians In Irma's Path To 'Get Out Now' leaving at least 10 people dead in her wake had downgraded to a strong Category 4 storm packing maximum sustained winds of 150 mph Irma was located about 450 miles southeast of Miami Irma is expected to clear the northern Cuban coastline by Saturday and make its way up the center of the state in the early morning hours Monday Forecasters say Irma’s hurricane-force winds extend out 70 miles from the center while tropical storm-force winds reach out 185 miles forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say Irma remains an “extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane.” Like Lakeland Patch on Facebook and keep reading below: At the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office in Ruskin forecasters say Irma’s effects are likely to be felt in the region starting Saturday night Tropical storm conditions are possible in the overnight hours Saturday while hurricane conditions are expected throughout the day Sunday and into Monday The main window of concern for Hurricane Irma impacts across west central and southwest Florida is Sunday through Monday afternoon,” service forecasters wrote in Friday morning’s local hurricane statement Forecasters are urging residents to prepare for damaging winds storm surge and the possibility of flooding rain “Moderate risk of flooding due to heavy rainfall may prompt several evacuations and rescues,” the agency wrote Tornadoes are also a concern as Irma makes her way through People who have been asked to evacuate should do so and “stick to prescribed evacuation routes.” Image via Shutterstock/Map courtesy of Polk County Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Jamelia Tyler and her cousin were talking outside of his house He was considering returning to school and his once promising football career But Shykeem Pitts won't be going back to school a single bullet entered 21-year-old Pitts' right upper back hit his heart and settled under the skin of his chest ending his football career and his life according to a Haines City Police Department affidavit Pitts was a star athlete at Ridge Community High School He was named player-of-the-year by PolkPreps.com in 2012 His name was often compared to other Ridge Community stars Vince Williams and Mike James Georgia and Florida State University were interested in him Tennessee and Western Kentucky offered him scholarships and he signed a letter of intent with Marshall He instead wound up playing at Georgia Military College His family says he did not like how he was treated there and left the school about three months ago Any chance of going back ended about 9:30 p.m Investigators said they suspect it happened near a lot situated between a barbecue restaurant and a building that houses Faith Kingdom Church and a barber shop A crowd had gathered there after a "Chunky Sunday" party in Boomerang Park Baker said people hang out in the lot some nights after the church closes County and city officials said the unofficial Chunky Sunday block-style parties have increased in number during the past several years parks and recreation manager for Polk County said a committee was formed several weeks ago to talk about how to handle the parties The parties involve groups of people who typically organize a party through social media Neighbors and park visitors have grumbled to officials about the gatherings listen to loud music and frequently litter in parks or recreation halls Chunky Sunday parties have been held in Florida since at least the 1990s Winter Haven police dealt with nearly 2,000 people at an event in 2005 "It's difficult for us because we want the parks to be used but a lot of these events occur when the proper safeguards aren't in place," Callender said He said law enforcement officials plan to monitor social media for any signs of the party the events are advertised as something else Javonte Pittman of Bartow paid nearly $300 to rent a recreation hall in Bartow saying he wanted to have for a birthday party according to a document provided by the city the city's interim director for parks and recreation said officials denied Pittman the rental after seeing a flier on a Facebook page under the name of Polo Petey that advertised a talent show and after-party in the recreation center for the same date and time as the party "It was misleading information," Barr said There are other fliers for parties on Polo Petey's site including a Chunky Sunday party held in Jan Phyl Village Park in Winter Haven a party on March 28 in the Auburndale Civic Center featuring the "Polk County Twerk Team," and a "Nike vs Adidas" party in the Auburndale Recreation Hall that occurred in 2012 head of parks and recreation for the city of Auburndale said his department was fooled by party organizers earlier this year A person who rented out the recreation hall told them a baby shower was going to be held Etherton described what happened as a "wild party." City officials shut down the gathering because people were smoking and charging admission into the building He said there were whiskey and beer bottles It's unclear how much violence has occurred at Chunky Sunday events Haines City Police Chief Richard Sloan said he knew of shootings that have occurred in Fort Meade and Gordonville in Bartow Sloan didn't provide specific information but said he planned to talk to city leaders about "tightening up ordinances" that would prevent the large gatherings from occurring again Lake Hamilton city officials are already taking steps in that direction Lake Hamilton Police Chief Lyle Jagniszak said Town Council members are expected to vote in October on an ordinance that requires people who rent facilities or space to provide bathroom facilities and additional permits That vote will occur months after a raucous party on Easter Sunday earlier this year that was promoted as an Easter egg hunt Jagniszak estimated 2,500 people from around Central Florida arrived at a party in the northwest section of Lake Hamilton "It started as an Easter egg hunt but developed into a wild party," Jagniszak said I called the Sheriff's Office for assistance," Jagniszak said "We've got six people (on the Lake Hamilton force)." He said police forced people to leave when the park closed A Chunky Sunday party was held in Haines City's Boomerang Park last week as well Police said they received noise complaints about that party so they had officers patrolling the area Sunday but those officers were responding to another call when shots rang out Sloan said police were at the scene within 60 seconds of receiving a call about the shooting Police then received a call from Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center saying two shooting victims who was shot through the leg and released the same night police were informed Jozeff Turpin had been taken to Lake Wales Medical Center suffering a gunshot wound told police he got a gun after having been attacked and robbed by some other men involved in the shooting and that he was afraid for his life because of a series of incidents that developed over the past few weeks Jozeff Turpin told police he was attacked Sunday by four armed gunmen and returned fire after taking cover on the ground He admitted to police that he fired in the direction of Pitts Police would not say whether Turpin was considered a suspect in Pitts' death Pitts had narrowly escaped death years prior were at a party together in Lake Wales in April 2012 Peterman was shot to death shortly after the two parted ways Pitts also escaped unharmed from a 2011 party in Lake Wales that ended with a shooting Pitts' family said he had friends in a bad crowd "His decision was to try to lead them somewhere else," said Tyler "I would never hear him talking to them negatively He was always telling them they need to get right and do better." his family said they hoped that others could learn from Sunday's shooting and prevent future tragedies from occurring "They need to think before they pull the trigger WINTER HAVEN | Winter Haven police found a lull during Thursday's rain which gave them time to canvass parts of southwest Winter Haven for tips in a 3-year-old murder case Armed with 60 signs for posts and 500 flyers hoping to stir up new leads in the 2010 killing of Cheri T and in parts of Wahneta and Jan Phyl Vil­lage Kirkendall was shot and killed through an open window in her apartment at 751 Ave Witnesses and neighbors told police they saw a white man with short blond hair and freckles between 30 and 40 years old and known by the nickname "Sport," near the apartment just before the shooting But police have not been able to identify the man and have been short on leads Detectives said Thursday they were hoping to keep the unsolved case in the minds of those with information that could lead to an arrest They're sure somebody in the community has information that could close the case Winter Haven Police Chief Gary Hester said police are just one phone call away from an arrest "Those folks just need to pick up the phone and call us We certainly are eager to hear from them," Hester said and we are certainly committed to bringing the person or persons responsible to justice At least one neighbor said she was not surprised to know a murder had taken place so close said police are in the neighborhood so often you "put out a chair and watch officers" on any given night "I don't find anything on this road strange," Knipfer told officers during their canvass on Thursday "I didn't know what I was getting into in this neighborhood." Knipfer moved to a three-bedroom home just 100 feet from the duplex where Kirkendall was shot She and her three children had been living in Haines City She worries about her 14-year-old son getting involved with the wrong crowd but the $500-a-month rent will keep her in the neighborhood for the foreseeable future Hester said the neighborhood is not the worst in Winter Haven "It's a neighborhood that has some challenges in it It's been in transition with a lot of absentee landlords," Hester said "We've worked to try to restore order to that community Hester said many people initially involved in the case have moved out the area That's why detectives canvassed in additional Winter Haven areas Winter Haven police have solved more murders than have been committed since Hester took command in August 2010 Police solved every murder in 2011 and 2012 "The efforts today are not our first efforts .. just as we have solved some of the other cold cases we have worked," Hester said [ Ryan Little can be reached at ryan.little@theledger.com or 863-401-6962 WINTER HAVEN | The Turley family knows a little something about soccer in Winter Haven The Turleys have had three generations of family members involved in soccer almost since the Winter Haven Youth Soccer league began And the sport still keeps the family close as Mary and C coach and grandsons Davidge and Sebastian play at Lake Region High School The kids from their neighborhood went to Westwood Middle School to play When the local league formed and games were played there in the Winter Haven youth league's second year played on the earliest youth competitive teams in the area and on the first varsity team at Winter Haven High School And he was one of the first high school players to play in the early days of the Lakeland Adult Soccer League His coaching career started when he coached his youngest son on an under-5 team with the Winter Haven youth league served on the Winter Haven board as referee He served as the Lake Region High School announcer and team manager The family involvement in the game started years ago when Mary was playing in a three-team women's league at Westwood Middle on the Bombers "The husbands sat on the sidelines with the kids," she said "My whole motivation was to go jogging," he said It was the beginning of the Winter Haven adult league They played with six men and five women on a squad the league grew to 10 teams with two seasons was always around the fields with his parents He began playing in the Winter Haven youth league at age 7 David joined the board and became coaches and referees "A lot of people wanted to start the game," Mary said of the new league "So many people donated their money to really help get them started David coached the first competitive team - the United He also coached the Westwood Warriors Club soccer team then the women's Kix Suncoast competitive team while Mary played Mary and her husband coached the Winter Haven High School junior varsity girls' team they coached their grandsons in youth soccer and his father coached Winter Haven United together "When you get the ball you should know what's going to happen," David C She still coaches her grandsons from the couch "You need to work on your throw-ins from the other night," Mary said "She tells me to be more aggressive," Davidge said "But grandpa taught me to use my left foot." "I probably give the boys more grief than anyone else," Mary said Sebastian asked his brother tho his toughest coach is David also instilled sportsmanship and life values in their son and grandsons through the game You have to be skilled to play at a high level That's one of the top things about soccer." "David always said he didn't coach for the winning," Mary said "He coached to give back what soccer gave to him It's for the love of the game and to give back." Joseph Heard might think the Lord was playing a trick on him Heard had been the pastor of Winter Haven Church of God for just 2 1/2 years An old building had been torn down to make way for a new The storm ripped off part of the roof of the church's remaining building `What are we going to do now?' " Heard says "I knew we had to secure a place quickly." the 280-member church worshiped in borrowed quarters while it went forward with the construction of its new sanctuary members of Winter Haven Church of God will formally dedicate their new sanctuary The ruined and condemned old sanctuary still stands just feet away a contrast between the power of nature and the power of faith It is unknown how many churches in Polk County suffered damage in the three hurricanes that struck last year Ledger records indicate at least 15 churches had major damage or lost buildings in the storms Among Church of God congregations in Florida damaged by Hurricane Charley the Winter Haven church was among the top six in financial loss All that is behind the Winter Haven Church of God now Heard's booming baritone led his flock in rollicking gospel songs "The hurricane was a blessing in disguise," she says Winter Haven Church of God was founded in 1958 near Lake Howard in southwest Winter Haven and within a few years the church had outgrown its first building and that was where the church was worshiping in February 2002 Several years ago they preached at a revival at Winter Haven Church of God and Heard was asked if he'd consider the position but for the next year I couldn't get away from that," Heard says and there were about 80 worshipers in Sunday morning services was demolished and construction began on a new "It was supposed to take seven months," Heard says Heard made his way to the church about 10:30 that night the roof had extended several feet over the exterior wall Wind caught the overhang and ripped it off taking with it a 10-foot strip up and down the roof and most of the shingles It was all thrown about 50 yards away into a car dealer's lot An awning on the side of the church was bent like a pretzel "We think the tail end of a tornado hit us," Heard says We had no idea what was going to happen," she says and Hurricane Frances tore them off anyway and the city eventually ruled the building unsafe That was eased when the administrative bishop for the Florida Church of God raised about $1.5 million and paid half the deductible for all the churches that suffered damage "That was a tremendous blessing," Heard says The new sanctuary's frame had been erected and fortunately sustained no damage and the Winter Haven congregation began holding worship services there on Sunday afternoons It was just like a family going through difficulty," Heard says who had been the church's pastor for 22 years Construction on the new sanctuary was delayed for two months and the completion date was pushed back four times Winter Haven Church of God added 22 members a member of the church's building committee the congregation held services to welcome new members "We took marking pens and wrote scripture verses on the floors and the beams before they were covered up," he says "We like to say we're standing on the word of God." the church was able to take occupancy of the new sanctuary It seats 300 comfortably and includes up-to-date audio-visual equipment Already the church is thinking about creating a balcony and it has acquired a few surrounding lots for parking The next step is to demolish the old sanctuary and build a fellowship hall in its place but allowing other Church of God congregations to join in including a video presentation of the church's history and the construction of the new sanctuary "The greatest part of the story is the outcome," Heard says The church is probably healthier because of everything we've been through." Cary McMullen can be reached at cary.mcmullen@theledger.com or 863-802-7509 WINTER HAVEN -- A massive downtown fire destroyed the Bank of America building Wednesday night despite the efforts of dozens of fire fighters who responded from area fire departments Flames shot high into the air and black smoke billowed from the downtown landmark as spectators gathered and watched for several hours after the fire started shortly after 6 p.m The fire apparently started on the second floor of the north side of the building where heavy wood timbers erupted in a hot fire that could not be subdued estimated the damage to the building at $1 million County records show the 27,000-square-foot structure was recently assessed at nearly $2 million by the county property appraiser Brown and Brown Insurance occupied the second floor of the building which was expanded in 1965 when local architect Gene Leedy designed an extensive remodeling of the building the bank's vice president and branch manager said the bank's vault was designed to withstand such a fire Records of all financial transactions are kept electronically and off-site Four aerial firetrucks telescoped ladders high over each side of the building and pumped water through windows and through holes in the roof in an effort to douse the flames The trucks were pumping 5,000 gallons per minute and had the potential to produce 8,000 Winter Haven's fire department got help from fire units in Auburndale Lake Alfred and the Polk County Fire Department and volunteer units based in Jan Phyl Village and Garden Grove police cordoned off traffic and ambulances prepared their bays for anyone who was injured Firefighters battling the blaze sustained some minor abrasions and other wounds long horn to alert the emergency personnel inside the building on the ground floor to get out after officials feared the upper floor might collapse A Polk County firefighter was the first to scale the ladder on the back of a truck to reach the second story where he used his yellow-handled axe to break a window water was sprayed inside and the heavy-suited firefighter entered The process was repeated at another south-side window with another ladder truck and another firefighter shattering on the pavement below as smoke billowed from the hole "It worked like we drew it up," said Winter Haven Fire Chief Tony Jackson "We called in our additional personnel and the county helped set up the fire command and relief areas The spectacle drew a larger crowd as time passed as couples and families gathered in Central Park on the east side to watch "I was just sitting there and saw it begin to billow out," said John Dangle one of the first people on the scene not long after the call went out But even with the hard work of firefighters and other units on the scene "It's probably going to hit the ground," one city fire fighter said It is suspected that is the same corner where the fire originated Bank of America officials encouraged customers to use its other nearby branch locations "We're working very closely with the fire department," said Amanda Malcolm "We'll be in close touch with our customers Our disaster recovery team is working to restore the bank alongside the fire department." Other Bank of America locations include the Garden Grove branch at Cypress Gardens Road the South Winter Haven branch at South Cypress Gardens Boulevard and the Auburndale branch at 300 Havendale Boulevard DAVENPORT | About 15 minutes after a customer left a lone man brandishing a handgun walked into the Rightway Food/Citgo gas station about 9:30 a.m The victim has been identified as Jashavantal K Witnesses said Patel was the store's owner and took turns working with his son A customer who walked into the store on the northeast corner of U.S 17-92 and West Pine Street a few minutes after the shooting saw Patel lying on the floor ran outside and flagged down a passing sheriff's deputy "We are at this time looking for a black male with a handgun and detectives are working to recover it at this time," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd "The man (Patel) was taken by EMS to the Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center in Haines City where he succumbed to his injuries about an hour later," he said Judd said police would release the picture of the suspect as soon as possible weight unknown and wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt; knee-length blue-jean shorts; and black shoes Davenport police Chief Charles Clements said the shooting occurred at 9:38 a.m Clements said he turned the investigation over to the Sheriff's Office because that agency has more manpower and investigative equipment Witnesses at the store said Patel was extremely nice and kept a metal bar behind the counter and would likely have fought back Judd would not confirm whether a metal bar was found or whether Patel fought back "We will release more information as we can," he said said she and fellow employees go to the store about 9 a.m "We go over to get breakfast and something to drink," Pointer said and he was asking where (U.S.) 17-92 would take him in both directions and he said he was just trying to get to know the area Pointer said the man walked out of the store with her and then just sat in what looked to be a company truck with "B & M" written on the side She said she was in the store about 9:15 a.m. and the man was still there when her supervisor walked in a few minutes later Officials said no customers were in the store at the time of the shooting Judd said they could tell the shooter had come from the northeast corner of the building and left the same way He said he did not know whether the man left using a vehicle Sheriff's deputies were canvassing the surrounding neighborhoods Friday and talking to residents Judd said the shooting was a senseless loss of life "What we need now is help from anyone who might have seen this man," Judd said asking people with information about the shooting to call either 911 or the Tips line at 800-226-8477 Clements said a robbery at a local convenience store is rare The last robbery Davenport had was at the Dollar General store a couple weeks ago "There's probably only been one or two since I've been chief here," said Clements Friday sheriff's deputies brought bloodhounds to the scene to help search for the suspect [ Amber Smith can be reached at amber.smith@theledger.com or 863-422-6800 At least nine convenience store workers have died during robberies in Polk County since 2000: – Winter Haven resident Crystal Tigner by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office following a disturbance in Jan Phyl Village where they encountered a man with a ripped shirt who explained the situation known by the nickname “Pie,” had ordered pizza from Hungry Howie’s When the man informed Tigner that he didn’t have the money to pay for the order Read: Polk County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Lakeland Man After Dogs Found Malnourished, One Dead When deputies asked Tigner for identification authorities confirmed her identity and discovered she was on probation for grand theft related to the theft of a fire extinguisher Tigner was subsequently arrested and taken to the Polk County Jail providing false identification to law enforcement Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality Android Users: Download our free app to stay up-to-date on the latest news Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox – Polk County Jail inmate Keyshawn Wilson now faces 46 new charges linked to vehicle burglaries and thefts that occurred in Winter Haven’s Jan Phyl Village area between April and May 2024 Fingerprint evidence from a recovered stolen vehicle led Polk County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Investigators to identify Wilson as the suspect Wilson confessed to his involvement in the crimes admitting to stealing money and selling one of the two firearms he took Surveillance footage also captured him near the crime scenes Read: Poinciana Man’s Temper Tantrum Earns Him An All-Inclusive Stay At Polk County Jail The investigation is ongoing to locate the firearm’s buyer and identify a second suspect involved in one of the vehicle thefts Wilson’s charges include petit theft Read: Lake Wales Man’s Artistic Expression Lands Him In Deeper Trouble: Polk County Sheriff “We appreciate our Forensic Investigators and Identifications Section for being the behind-the-scenes heroes that oftentimes crack our toughest cases Their efforts and expertise enable our deputies and detectives to arrest suspects that disrupt the peace and safety the citizens of Polk County deserve and expect us to maintain We also ask that citizens remember to always lock their car doors Almost all of the items stolen from cars were stolen because the vehicles were left unlocked Lock it or lose it!” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.