17 and 18-year-old wanted in Polk County homicide turn themselves in

According to the reports, teens wanted in connection with a fatal drug-related shooting in Polk County turned themselves into authorities on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old Tarmetris Daniel Mack and 17-year-old Alfred Higgs, Jr. turned themselves into the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and will have their first court appearance Thursday.

The two teens fatally shot and robbed a man at the 7-Eleven convenience store at 398 Marigold Ave. in Poinciana. The victim and the two teens met for a bag of marijuana.

“I’m so sick of hearing that drugs aren’t dangerous. We have a young man who’s dead today, because he came to a gas station to sell drugs to these two suspects, who ripped him off, then shot and killed him,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

7-year-old boy chases SUV after driver steals electric scooter in Polk County

The reports say a 7-year-old Polk County boy tried to chase down the thief who stole his brand new electric scooter right out of his driveway.

According to the reports, the boy was playing outside around 6 p.m. Sunday. His brand new electric scooter was near the road.

Records show the whole thing was caught on camera. The people of the community praises the brave 7-year-old boy.

“Everybody watches out for everybody,” according to Todd Cannon. “They’ve got six kids in that house,” Cannon said, pointing at homes. “There’s two in that one, two in this one.” So, when something bad happens to one of them, especially a child, it’s a crime against them all.

“He watched the lady get out of the vehicle, put it in there, and drive away,” Cannon said.

“I really, really hope that she looks back at this video, she sees this video and sees what she did to that little kid because it really was hard watching him run,” said Diana, who lives close by. “She was looking for something to steal and that, I believe, is someone who has no heart and needs to be brought to justice,” Diana added.

Reports say neighbors in Remington Oaks have already made sure the little boy has a new scooter on the way.

18 and 19-year-old Polk County teens accused of stealing direct deposits from Lowe’s employees

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, two teenagers are accused of changing direct deposit information so that paychecks that were meant for Lowe’s employees were instead deposited into accounts they controlled.

Solomon Smith, 19, and Garret Sivley, 18, both of Lakeland, were employees at Lowe’s and were recently fired.

The reports say Smith and Sivley gained access to employee payroll accounts via the computer and changed the direct deposit information, sending the payroll funds to fraudulent bank accounts before moving the money to cash apps.

“It is amazing that these two criminals come from nice families with nice homes. Apparently, they thought they were above the law. I can tell you that is not the case, and we will do everything we can to hold them accountable,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

The suspects are accused of stealing $11,795 from employees’ payroll accounts. Deputies said Smith and Sivley face multiple charges that include fraud, grand theft, and other crimes against 222 victims.

36-year-old killed and 3 other injured in Polk County shooting

According to the Haines City Police Department, a shooting that happened in Haines City left one dead and 3 other injured.

The reports say one of the victims is 36-year-old Oscar Lee Hendrix Jr., of Haines City. He was fatally shot in the area of North 15th Street on Thursday night. As per the records, two other men and one woman were injured in the shooting, which occurred before 9 p.m.

Deputies said all the victims were immediately taken to the hospital. Two of the victims were taken by air and two by ground. Officials say multiple bullets struck a residence in the area where a mother and children were inside.

The suspect is unknown. Deputies are doing the investigation. Anyone with any information is asked to call the Haines City Police Department at 863-421-3636.

A deputy injured and the suspect hospitalized in Polk County shooting

According to the recently released reports, a man fired a weapon at a deputy in Mulberry. The reports say the suspect involved in the shooting was hospitalized.

Records show the incident occurred on Nichols Road. The Sheriff’s Office said they returned fire when the suspect fired at one of their deputies. The reports say the deputy had a minor injury to his arm.

Officials said the suspect threatened to commit suicide. The suspect has non-life-threatening injuries. No details about what led up to the shooting have been released.

The injured deputy was treated and released from a local hospital with minor injuries. The identity of the suspect is unknown. Stay Updated!

Lake Wales man brings 8-year-old with him during crimes to ‘toughen him up’, says Polk County Sheriff’s Office

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, a Florida man brought an 8-year-old boy with him as he committed a series of crimes because he wanted to “toughen him up” so the child wouldn’t become “soft”.

The 36-year-old Ernest McKnight, of Lake Wales, III stole an idling red Hyundai that was parked alongside State Road 60 and Central Avenue in Lake Wales on Nov. 7.

Deputies said McKnight was caught on Thursday rummaging through a Chevrolet HHR alongside County Road 653. The reports say McKnight fled the scene in the stolen Hyundai.

The records show McKnight stole a package on a front porch after 5 hours. Deputies said when the victim told him to return it, McKnight reportedly yelled back, “It’s mine now”.

However, after he refused to pull over for a traffic stop in Lake Wales the same day, a law enforcement helicopter unit was able to locate him behind a residence in the area.

McKnight brought the 8-year-old boy with him while he committed the crimes and when deputies asked McKnight why he did so, he replied, “I was trying to toughen him up…I don’t want him to be soft”.

The little 8-year-old boy’s relationship with McKnight is unknown. “Taking a child out with you while (you’re) committing felonies is not the proper way to create a positive influence. I’m quite confident that there is not a child psychologist out there who would agree with this guy’s idea of proper activity for a child,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Deputies said McKnight is facing charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, grand theft motor vehicle, tampering with evidence, petit theft, and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Prosecutors seek death penalty for man accused of using a hammer and knife to murder in Polk County

As per the reports, prosecutors filed a request notifying the court that they plan to pursue the death penalty against a Florida man accused of killing two teenage brothers in their home over the summer.

Mark Wilson, 30, is accused of using a hammer and knife to kill 14-year-old Tayten Baker and 12-year-old Robert Baker in their home in August. Wilson remains in the Putnam County Jail.

Records say the mother of the 14-year-old and 12-year-old found their bodies on Aug. 26. Wilson was arrested about two days later. Putnam Sheriff Gator DeLoach said the scene was one of the most “horrific” he had ever witnessed.

According to the reports, Wilson was the boyfriend of the boy’s aunt, and the family had allowed them to live in a shed in their backyard.

After a grand jury indicted Wilson Oct. 20 on two counts of first-degree murder, prosecutors requested to pursue the death penalty against Wilson.

33-year-old man killed his girlfriend in Polk County

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said a man killed his girlfriend in an argument. Also, the man shot their roommate as that woman tried to protect his girlfriend.

Christopher Pequeen, 33, and his girlfriend recently moved into an apartment in Bartow. Deputies say they lived together with another couple in the apartment.

The reports say Pequeen’s girlfriend got into an argument on Sunday morning and the girlfriend went into the other couple’s room and told: “she was scared that Pequeen was going to kill her and that he had held his hand over her nose and mouth so that she could not breathe”.

Authorities say Pequeen pointed a gun at his girlfriend and hit the female roommate in the face with the gun. Pequeen then shot his girlfriend multiple times. While the female roommate tried to protect Pequeen’s girlfriend, Pequeen shot her too.

Records show Pequeen pointed the pistol at the male roommate and demanded all their cellphones, which the man handed over. Then Pequeen ran away from the apartment and after that, the male roommate immediately went to a neighbor to call 911.

Pequeen’s girlfriend was taken to hospital but unfortunately, she was pronounced dead there. The female victim is in stable condition.

“This is an example of how horrific domestic violence can become. Christopher Pequeen is a coward and a murderer. We will do everything we can to make sure justice is done in this case,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

Deputies say Pequeen was arrested on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

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