Jewelry stolen off of elderly woman's hand in nursing home, police say
A nursing home worker allegedly stole rings off of an elderly patient’s fingers and sold them to a pawn shop in Florida, authorities said.
Florida man found eaten by alligator actually died from meth overdose, officials say
It turns out that even though the man's hand and foot were found inside the gator's stomach, he actually died from a meth overdose, reports say.
Operation Santa's Naughty List yields dozens of arrests
More than 100 people were arrested in a sex sting operation in Polk County. Authorities say one suspect walked to a home where he thought he was meeting a prostitute, and he was not clothed at the time.
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Lakeland police officer being laid to rest
Memorial services will be held for a Lakeland police officer, who passed away while on-duty last week.
Lakeland police mourn the sudden death of longtime officer
Police believe he suffered a medical episode while sitting in his patrol car.
Polk County detectives remove $9.5 million worth of drugs in undercover operations across multiple states
A visibly frustrated sheriff announced the arrest of seven people – three of which were illegal immigrants – after 5 kilos of heroin and 130 pounds of meth were seized.
Church pays off $1.62-million of medical debt for families
“We found out that there’s over $3 million in deferred medical debt in our city,” said Access Church’s lead pastor Jason Burns. "This $3 million is owned by people who live at less than half of the federal poverty line.”
Florida church pays of $1.6 million in medical debt
“As we enter the holiday season marked and characterized by generosity, what an amazing thing for families to open mail to say the debt that’s been laying heavy on them is gone."
Driver who crashed into Fort Meade legislator's office was high, deputies say
At 8 a.m. Tuesday, on the day constituents make appointments to discuss issues and causes with State Representative Melony Bell at her office on Broadway Avenue in Fort Meade, a city worker veered off the road and through the front door of Bell’s office.
Polk teen spends 7 days camping on top of semi, raises $10K for charity
A 14-year-old boy and his dad have been living on top of a semi truck in Polk County for seven days – and it’s all for a good cause.
Polk Sheriff: Man fatally shot during child custody exchange
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on Friday identified a man who was shot during a child custody exchange as a suspect and not a victim. Judd said the father of a two-year-old boy who was fatally shot by his ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend was the aggressor in this incident and killed in an act of self-defense.
Father of 2-year-old boy shot, killed during custody handoff
Sheriff Grady Judd says investigators are still trying to piece the entire sequence of events together. It started with a 911 call from the eventual shooting victim – the boy's father – saying he was having “problems” with the exchange of custody.
Policy change for Christmas parade in Lakeland
The City of Lakeland says people are no longer allowed to save their spot for the Christmas parade in advance. They now must save their spot the day of.
15-year-old boy bitten by rabid raccoon in Polk County
Polk County Animal Control says a 15-year-old boy was bitten by a rabid raccoon.
Florida man arrested after punching umpire at nephew's little league game, deputies say
The man disagreed with a call that the umpire made.
Polk County deputies search for stolen credit card suspect
Polk County deputies need your help to locate a suspect accused of stealing a man's credit card and racking up fraudulent charges.
Sheriff's Office warns of utility company scam, call tells citizens they are behind on payments
The person calling claims to be from a utility company and states that the victim is behind on a payment. They insist the victim send money immediately to prevent their electricity from being shut off.
Polk deputies shoot, kill driver heading for them
Monday in a rural area of Polk County, two deputies walked along a normally quiet street, looking for a stolen truck.
Polk youth baseball executives accused of stealing $55,000 from league
Two top leaders of a popular Polk County youth baseball league were arrested this week, accused of stealing over $50,000 in funds, spending it on everything from cell phone bills to grocery orders.