The Lake Placid Community is mourning the loss of two Lake Placid High School seniors after a tragic Friday night accident on US-27 and Lake Josephine Drive. 18-year-old Bo Ward and his girlfriend 17-year-old Kaidence Ruelas were critically injured when a sedan carrying a group of teenagers attempted to change lanes and collided with Bo Ward’s truck. The collision caused Ward’s truck to flip several times and eject the two beloved LPHS athletes. According to reports, neither Ward or Ruelas were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. Ward and Ruelas later succumbed to their injuries at the hospital. The driver and passengers of the sedan were shown to have been wearing seatbelts, and did not sustain any injuries.
The Florida Highway Patrol responded to a single-vehicle collision Saturday on Panther Parkway, south of Memorial Drive in Sebring. The accident resulted in the death of a 35-year-old Sebring man. The man was travelling south on Panther Parkway when he reportedly lost control of his vehicle while negotiating a curve, causing the vehicle to overturn. The victim sustained critical injuries and was transported to a local hospital where he later passed away. The crash remains under investigation.
A recent Polk County Traffic Stop led to the recovery of two missing and endangered children from St. Petersburg. When authorities conducted a traffic stop on a red 2003 Mercury Mountaineer, they found 34 year old Twanda Neal behind the wheel, 50 year old Anthony Davis, and the two missing/ endangered children in the back seat of the car. Twanda Neal had a warrant out of Pinellas County for child abuse. During the traffic stop, Twanda called 911, and stated that she was scared for her life. Deputies told Neal to end the call and exit the vehicle, but she refused. As a deputy worked to remove Neal from the car, Davis struck the deputies multiple times. Twanda Neal and Anthony Davis were both arrested, and the two children were turned over to the Florida Department of Children & Families.
An Orange County native will be getting a Super Bowl ring. The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, last night in New Orleans. The Eagles roster includes Apopka’s Jalen Carter. The 22-year-old is in his second year in the NFL. He was in the Apopka High School Class of 2020 and attended the University of Georgia. He joins former Buccaneer Warren Sapp as the only AHS alums to win a Super Bowl.
A disagreement over a ladder has led to the arrest of a 39 year old Lakeland man. The altercation reportedly escalated to an armed threat. James Davis, was arrested Saturday after authorities with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office determined that he entered the victim’s property without permission and took the ladder. When the victim confronted Davis, Davis dropped the ladder and armed himself with a 2×4 board threatening the victim. Davis then retrieved a 9mm handgun from his vehicle and told the victim, "I will blow your head off." Davis was arrested and charged with armed burglary with assault/battery and petit theft.
A Central Florida man accused of killing 13-year-old Madeline Soto is trying to get the death penalty dropped from his case. Stephan Sterns’ attorney has filed more than four dozen motions over the last week, including the removal of the death penalty and a request to limit the word "murder" during court proceedings. Soto was reported missing out of Orlando in February of last year before her body was found in a wooded area near St Cloud. Authorities believe the child was sexually assaulted and killed by Sterns, her mother’s boyfriend. Sterns has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting his trial.
The son of NBA legend Michael Jordan is pleading not guilty in his recent DUI case. Marcus Jordan faces three charges from his run-in with police earlier this week. Jordan was charged with DUI crash with property damage, possession of cocaine, and resisting an officer without violence. He was booked into Orange County jail following his arrest. Marcus is the second of Michael’s five kids. He’s due back in court next month.
Florida is set to execute its first death row inmate of the year next week. Sixty-four-year-old James Ford is scheduled to die by lethal injection on February 13th after the Florida Supreme Court unanimously rejected an appeal Friday. He is guilty of murdering Greg and Kimberly Malnory at Charlotte County sod farm in 1997. Florida Governor Ron Desantis signed off on the execution January 10th.