A 21-month-old child has died after being found unresponsive in a swimming pool at the Ramada Inn in Lake Placid. According to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, the toddler was discovered by a relative on May 27 and was airlifted to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, where lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful. Authorities have not released the child’s identity due to the ongoing investigation. Officials continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragic drowning.
A state appeals court has denied a request from Zasha Colon to file a late appeal of her 25-year prison sentence in a fatal DUI crash case. Colon was convicted after a wrong-way crash on Sebring Parkway that killed two people and seriously injured three others. She argued that she was not properly informed of the 30-day deadline to appeal her sentence, but the Sixth District Court of Appeal rejected the request. Colon is currently serving her sentence, with a projected release date in 2047.
A 36-year-old Frostproof man was killed in a single-vehicle crash early Sunday morning on U.S. Highway 27 near Sun Ray. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 4:15 a.m. when the driver lost control of his Toyota Corolla, traveled onto the shoulder, and then overcorrected across the roadway. The vehicle overturned, ejecting the driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene. No other vehicles were involved. The crash remains under investigation.
A 19-year-old Bartow man died following an ATV crash early Sunday morning at the River Ranch Hunt Club near Lake Wales. Polk County deputies say the crash occurred around 2:34 a.m. several miles off County Road 630. Investigators believe the teen was riding with friends when he attempted a sharp turn, causing the ATV to overturn in soft dirt. Friends later found him trapped beneath the vehicle. Authorities say he was not wearing a helmet, and the crash remains under investigation.