The discovery of several malnourished dogs on Monday has led to the arrest of a 42-year-old Lake Placid man. The dogs were found at James Ididson Barfield’s home on Flamingo Street. According to reports, The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services Unit was dispatched Monday afternoon after a call regarding an emaciated dog in the area. The dog was identified as belonging to Barfield. More than a dozen dogs were discovered living at Barfield’s home and six of them showed signs of serious neglect. The dogs and puppies located in the outside kennel were seized by Animal services. Barfield was charged with six counts of animal cruelty and his bond was set at $30,000.
Retired professional wrestler, Kimber Lee, will soon go on trial on charges of DUI in Highlands County. The trial is set to start February 10th, but a hearing will commence today before the start of the trial next week. According to reports, Lee was arrested after an officer saw her in her car facing the wrong direction and stopped on a roadway. When the officer conducted a traffic stop the car began moving, nearly colliding with the guardrail and then stopping in a parking lot of a shopping center. Lee allegedly showed obvious signs of impairment. Lee then struck the officer when he tried to detain her, leading to additional charges of battery on a law enforcement officer. Lee had a blood alcohol level of 0.14. She entered a not guilty plea to all charges on July 7th, 2023.
Deliberations are underway in the trial of a teenager accused of killing his mother in Polk County. The jury was handed over the case yesterday after closing arguments. Authorities say 17-year-old Collin Griffith stabbed his 38-year-old mom, Catherine, to death at his grandmother’s Auburndale home last September. The young suspect initially called 9-1-1 claiming his mom had fallen on a knife during an argument. Collin’s defense team ultimately argued that the teen acted in self-dense due to his mother’s alleged history of threatening him.
The son of an NBA Hall of Famer is facing drug charges in Central Florida. Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus, was arrested in Maitland yesterday morning. The 34-year-old is charged with cocaine possession and resisting an officer without violence. Maitland Police say he was found after his Lamborghini SUV got stuck on some train tracks. According to the arrest report, Jordan appeared to be drunk, was slurring his words and had alcohol on his breath. Police say he flunked a field sobriety test and had a bag of cocaine in his pocket.
The Grand Marshal for the upcoming Sebring SpeedTour at the Sebring International Raceway has been announced. Lyn St. James will be giving the command to start engines before the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series race starting February 21st. St. James will also join the 2024 champions of the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association as the keynote speaker at the annual awards celebration. Lyn has been pegged as an icon for women in motorsports after becoming the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of The Year in 1992. Her long list of accomplishments also include winning the 24 Hours of Daytona twice, racing in the 12 Hours of Sebring, setting 21 national and international speed records, and being named one of the “Top 100 Female Athletes of the Century” by Sports Illustrated.
A wanted man has landed himself back behind bars in Polk County. After a major law enforcement operation, Mark Edward Spradley of Lake Wales, was arrested by authorities on Friday, January 31st. He was wanted on multiple charges, including an outstanding warrant from Monroe County for Failure to Appear on a Criminal Traffic charge. Additionally, local authorities also sought him for Robbery with a Deadly Weapon and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Spradley was tracked to the Lake Wales Inn where he was arrested without incident and taken to the Polk County Jail.
A Central Florida couple is accused of leaving a toddler inside of a car while they went to a bar. Police say a mother and her boyfriend left her two-year-old daughter inside the vehicle for two hours while they went drinking at an Edgewater business last Tuesday. A witness saw the child and called law enforcement. The city police department released several videos yesterday of the officers’ interactions with Kristina Vitucci and Joshua Harris before and during their arrest. During one of the videos, the suspects get into an argument about who was at fault. The couple has been charged with felony child neglect.
Florida’s former attorney general is now America’s top prosecutor. The US Senate yesterday confirmed Pam Bondi’s appointment as attorney general. The Hillsborough County native was confirmed with 54 votes. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote for her. He says Bondi isn’t his ideal pick, but she’s qualified. Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott says Bondi was a great attorney general for Florida, and she’ll be an incredible AG for our nation. He adds he has no doubt she’ll do an incredible job restoring trust in our federal government and keeping our country safe.