BARTOW

A man riding a dirt bike in Polk County was shot and killed, according to sheriff's officials.

The AMC show about a professor has no thesis. That’s half the fun.

Four teens were arrested Monday after being accused of burglarizing 15 vehicles at three apartment complexes in unincorporated Lakeland and in Mulberry, deputies said.

BARTOW, Fla. — A man was arrested after he drove through a cemetery in Bartow, Florida. He damaged some headstones of some graves and ultimately crashed into a house. Adams fled the scene again but just a few minutes later, Adams missed a turn and crashed into a house, according to WTVT. Police say they found methamphetamine inside Adams’ car when they searched it, WTVT reported. The car Adams was driving had stolen tags.

A Polk County deputy faces DUI charges after being involved in a single-vehicle crash in Bartow, according to a news release.

A new FEMA Disaster Recovery Center opened in Polk County, giving another resource to people impacted by Hurricane Ian.

“This is like making something positive out of a big ol’ negative, ya know,” Cornell told WFTS-TV. “We saw three yesterday, right here,” Cornell told the television station. Like many residents, he was bracing for the massive destruction the Category 4 storm could bring to Central Florida. Folks out there that had to get out of their home,” Cornell told the television station. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 14 Hurricane Ian strikes South Carolina CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 30: A pedestrian navigates a driving rain from Hurricane Ian on September 30, 2022 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Polk County’s Spessard Holland Elementary is home of the Gators and Tuesday morning that couldn’t have been more accurate.

BARTOW, Fla. — It’s unclear whether an alligator was looking to enroll or just visit when it appeared outside of a Florida elementary school. The district said that the principal of Spessard Holland Elementary had arrived on campus Tuesday morning and found the alligator waiting near her parking spot. In the video, a voice off-camera identifies the officer who caught the gator as a former trapper for Florida Fish and Wildlife, WFLA reported. The gator, which the school affectionately named “Spessie,” was taken into custody and removed from the school. In an interesting twist, the school district noted that Spessard Holland Elementary’s mascot is an alligator, and it’s known as “Home of the Gators.”©2022 Cox Media Group

A Bartow man drowned after falling out of a boat while fishing in Mulberry, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

A man was arrested in Bartow after trying to pass himself off as his own brother, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

BARTOW, Fla. — A worker at a Florida landfill has died after a colleague accidentally hit the port-a-potty he was inside with a bulldozer, according to investigators. >> Read more trending newsThe Polk County Sheriff’s Office told NBC News they were called to an accident Friday at the Polk County North Central Landfill, where workers told them a man named Aaron Henderson had been crushed while using the bathroom. When the driver began to turn the vehicle, he noticed he went over a port-a-potty he was unaware had been near the staging area, the sheriff’s office told WFLA. Henderson worked for CertiTemp, an employment agency contracted by Polk County, as did the driver of the bulldozer, WTSP reported. Sheriff’s deputies told NBC News the incident has been ruled a “tragic, industrial accident.”This is the first fatality in the history of the North Central Landfill, WTVT reported.

Officials say a Florida sheriff’s sergeant fatally shot a woman who lunged toward him with a shovel.

Authorities say more than 100 people have been arrested in a Florida human trafficking investigation that focused on victims who might be forced into prostitution.

A Florida man was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend after he confessed to his mother and she called police, sheriff's officials said Monday. Jason Robinson was arrested Saturday night after a struggle in which he removed a Polk County Sheriff's stun gun and radio and attempted to choke him, the sheriff's office said in a news release. “Had they not gotten involved, this could have been much worse than it already is,” Sheriff Grady Judd said.

A 15-year-old Bartow High School student was charged after a bathroom was vandalized in a "devious licks" TikTok challenge.

A motorcyclist was ejected and killed in a crash in Polk County, deputies say.

A Polk County woman is facing animal cruelty charges after deputies found one dead dog and two others “severely” neglected in her home, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Polk County deputies arrested two 16-year-olds on Tuesday for the shooting death of a 17-year-old.

An Amazon delivery van was recovered near the intersection of Radford Road and North Avenue in the Gordonville area of Bartow. (Image: Polk County Sheriff's Office)POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 22-year-old man accused of carjacking an Amazon delivery driver in Polk County has been taken into custody, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the Amazon driver did the right thing by getting out of the van. “The delivery man did the right thing by not resisting the unarmed carjacker. He just knew that an unknown man wearing a ski-mask was demanding him to get out, and that was the safest thing to do.

Find All Race Results HereBARTOW, Fla. – One of the key races in Polk County is the U.S. House of Representatives District 9 seat. Check out all the Polk County races, including how residents voted for president, in the list below. Check all the races in Central Florida and statewide in the dropdown menu below.

The State Attorney’s Office filed its intent to seek the death penalty for Tony “T.J.” Wiggins Jr. on Tuesday in Polk County circuit court, the Ledger reported. Wiggins was indicted by a grand jury last month in the deaths of Brandon Rollins, 28; Damion Tillman, 23; and Keven Springfield, 30. Wiggins remained in the Polk County Jail, where he's being held without bond. Wiggins’ younger brother, William Robert, told investigators during questioning that he witnessed the shootings while sitting in his brother's pickup truck, Polk County Sheriff's officials said. He said his brother accused Springfield, who was a mechanic, of taking his truck, reports said.

BARTOW, Fla. – A grand jury has formally charged a 26-year-old man with three counts of first-degree murder in the fatal shootings of three friends who had gathered at a Central Florida lake in July for some late night fishing. Prosecutors have 45 days to determine whether to seek the death penalty for Tony “T.J.” Wiggins Jr., following the grand jury’s findings. [RELATED: ‘Evil in the flesh:’ 2 men, 1 woman arrested after 3 friends slain on Florida fishing trip | Two brothers and young woman charged in deaths of three men on fishing trip make first court appearance | Mystery lingers after 3 beaten, killed during Florida fishing trip]He’s accused of killing Brandon Rollins, Damion Tillman and Keven Springfield. Wiggins is being held without bond at the Polk County Jail. Detectives tracked down Wiggins using evidence gathered at the scene and surveillance video.

BARTOW, Fla. – A Florida man faces up to 15 years in prison for fatally punching another man in the face. Travis Brian Barlow, 37, was found guilty of manslaughter last week in Polk County, the Ledger reported. Barlow went to the Lakeland home of Adam Frank Hoffman, 38, in June 2018, the sheriff's office said. Barlow was apparently angry that Hoffman had disrespected Barlow's girlfriend earlier. Barlow acknowledged to deputies that he hit Hoffman once, though other witnesses said Barlow hit the other man twice, officials said.

BARTOW, Fla. - A Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison for beating his father to death with a ball-peen hammer. The Ledger reports that Vincent Moccia, 27, was sentenced Thursday after a Polk County jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. Prosecutors said Moccia went into 52-year-old Anthony Moccia's bedroom while the older man was sleeping in November 2015 and struck the older man in the head multiples times. Vincent Moccia then grabbed his puppy and left. He crashed his truck into a utility pole not far from the Lakeland home.

BARTOW, Fla. - A Florida prosecutor said he is dropping criminal charges against an estranged couple after the wife's arrest for taking two guns from the husband's apartment and turning them over to the police. State Attorney Brian Hass said in a case disposition sent to The Associated Press Tuesday that Courtney and Joseph Irby agreed to participate in a 12-month program that includes anger management classes. Courtney Irby was originally arrested in Bartow for theft and burglary, but later charged with trespassing . Joseph Irby faced an aggravated battery charge for hitting his wife's vehicle with his. Hass said the offer came after prosecutors found Courtney Irby illegally installed a tracking device in her husband's car.

The Bartow Executive Airport served as a primary flight training base from 1951 to 1961. "We had U.S. Air Force pilots and all the NATO pilots were able to train here. In those 10 years, approximately 8,000 people learned to fly here in Bartow," Patrick Huff, chairman of the Bartow airport museum committee, said. But before it was a pilot training base, the facility played an important role during WWII from 1941 to 1945. The most notable one is the airport's control tower, which was built in 1942 when the airport was developed as a WWII training base.

BARTOW, Fla. - A Florida man who struck and killed a motorcyclist while trying to pass two cars on a rural road was sentenced to 90 days in jail and a year without driving. The Ledger reports Jarrod Witt Lee, 33, was facing up to a year in jail Wednesday for culpable negligence in the 2017 death of motorcyclist Philip Brown. Lee's car hit the motorcycle head-on, and Brown, 40, was thrown from his bike and died, officials said. Prosecutors were seeking a vehicular homicide conviction, but jurors found Lee guilty of the lesser charge. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.