Your Sheriff’s Department could use a hand. Highlands County Sheriff’s detectives are seeking help identifying the three other suspects involved in a home invasion robbery in Avon Park on Sept. 6. The alleged ringleader, Latrevieus Dionne Wiley, is in the County lockup on charges related to the robbery on Willie Hawk Avenue. He had three people with him during the robbery, and they need the public’s help in identifying them. If you know anything, Det. David Pearlman would appreciate a call at 402-7250. You can also leave an anonymous tip on our app or with Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS. Crimestoppers tips are eligible for cash rewards.
Maybe it’s just practice before the snowbirds arrive, but this part of Florida is getting another spate of scams hitting us right before season begins. Here is Highlands County, a number of residents have reported a new batch of “phishing” emails claiming to be from Amazon, saying your account will be disabled if you don’t log on right away. The advice you’ve heard before holds; NEVER click on a link in an email and give any personal information. As often as not, it’s sending you to a look-alike website that wants to steal your information. Always log on to the original website yourself and see if they really have an account issue. Betcha they don’t. Up in Polk County, scammers have taken to the phone with the old IRS scam and a local twist – they claim the Sherriff’s department has a warrant out of you, leaving a callback number that – of course – isn’t the department, and guess what? They want money to make it all go away. Both ours and their sheriff’s departments have said it before – if they have a warrant for your arrest, they aren’t going to call you and tell you ahead of time so you can run.
Want to buy a prime piece of lakeside real estate? The Sebring Elks Lodge has officially gone up for sale. The 18,000 square foot facility off the corner of Kenilworth and Lakeview has an asking price of $899,000. Members of the lodge say they need to downsize – a decline in the number and an increase in the age of its members.