LAKE WALES

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Three people were injured Monday in a pair of drive-by shootings in two unincorporated areas of a Central Florida county, authorities said. Judd said the first shooting occurred at about 2:52 a.m. EST in the Highland Park Manor subdivision, according to the television station. The sheriff told reporters that deputies found 59 spent casings from two different weapons. The second shooting occurred at around 3:09 a.m. EST in the Lake Pierce Ranchettes subdivision, Judd told reporters. “They shot up the wrong house,” Judd told reporters.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A man has been arrested on a Polk County warrant for first-degree murder. The victim, Luis Contreras Marrero, 35, of Lake Wales was fatally shot on Christmas Eve. Detectives arrested Fernando Vega Mangual, 23, for providing False Information during a Capital Felony Investigation and Tasha Cintron, 30, of Lake Wales for providing False Information during a Criminal Investigation. Marshals Service and the Puerto Rico Police Department. He is currently being held in Puerto Rico and will be extradited to Polk County.

A 23-year-old man was arrested in Puerto Rico after being accused of murdering his brother in Polk County on Christmas Eve, according to the sheriff's office.

Practice is underway for Mainland High School with their state championship game a week away.

A fatal crash involving a car and a motorcycle Saturday morning forced the closure of a stretch of State Road 60 near Lake Wales, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

Unlike those mega-festivals that squeeze the depth out of the live experience with their crammed bills and manic proceedings, the annual roots music affair Orange...

A Lake Wales K-9 officer was killed in a shooting Wednesday morning, according to the Lake Wales Police Department.

Lake Wales Police canine killed during a shooting in Polk County Max is seen with his K-9 partner Lake Wales Police Officer Jared Joyner. (WFTV/WFTV)POLK COUNTY, Fla. — One fallen canine was carried in a procession Wednesday after being killed in a shooting, the Lake Wales Police Department said. Lake Wales Police Officer Jared Joyner’s K-9 partner Max died this morning in Polk County. Read: Police identify family of 5 found dead in apparent murder-suicide near OrlandoThe procession started at 11:45 a.m. at the Lake Wales police station and went to the medical examiner’s office in Winter Haven for a necropsy. Read: I-4 in Seminole County is back open after a serious crash caused delays Wednesday afternoonPolk County Sheriff’s Office K-9 deputies joined the procession.

Detectives found that a 39-year-old man previously charged with vehicular homicide had three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

A wrong-way driver caused a crash that resulted in the death of a woman in Lake Wales early Sunday morning, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on Friday held a news conference to detail the arrests of two Lake Wales men earlier this week.

“Honky-tonk country” is making its way to Bok Tower Gardens for a night of music under the stars.

Kentucky murder suspect shoots himself after police confrontation in Polk CountyLAKE WALES, Fla. — Police in Lake Wales are conducting a death investigation after a Kentucky murder suspect reportedly shot and killed himself on Sunday. READ: ‘Full House’ actor Bob Saget dead at 65Officers said the 54-year-old man was wanted for a homicide that occurred a few days ago in Nicholasville, Kentucky. According to a report, the wanted man was confronted by police at the Love’s Travel Stop on U.S. Highway 27 South, where he then shot himself. WATCH: Large group fighting leads to deadly shooting in Titusville, police sayPolice in Polk County are working with detectives in Kentucky as the investigation continues. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV.

Javorice Tramel, 21, was initially arrested on Sept. 22 for grand theft of the victim’s vehicle and violation of probation, but after an investigation by the Polk Sheriff’s Office, he has been charged with first degree murder and using a two-way device to commit a felony.

Deputies are seeking information on a shooting that left a 21-year-old man dead in unincorporated Lake Wales, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Ebony Chaney, 34, of Lake Wales - Charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, obtaining property by fraud, grand theft and cheating/gross fraud. Phyllis Tirado, 49, of Lake Wales - Charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, obtaining property by fraud and cheating/gross fraud. Takila McBurrows, 36, of Lake Wales - Charged with obtaining property by fraud, grand theft and criminal use of personal ID. AdTashai Newman, 43, of Winter Haven - Charged with obtaining property by fraud, grand theft and criminal use of personal ID. Derrick Dawsey, 50, of Lake Wales - Charged with obtaining property by fraud, grand theft and criminal use of personal ID.

Danne Frazier was found dead last week in an orange grove off Helicopter Road in Lake Wales, according to the sheriff’s office. On Saturday, both brothers were taken into custody in Lake Wales by Polk County deputies. According to the arrest affidavit, Jo and Angel Lobato attacked the victim, choking him and hitting him with a bat. The suspects told detectives they cut Frazier with a knife before leaving his body in an orange grove. Both suspects were booked into the Polk County Jail on first-degree murder and ordered held without bail.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida man brought an 8-year-old boy with him as he committed a series of crimes because he wanted to “toughen him up” so the child wouldn’t become “soft,” according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. He refused to pull over for a traffic stop in Lake Wales but a law enforcement helicopter unit was able to locate him behind a residence in the area, records show. “Taking a child out with you while (you’re) committing felonies is not the proper way to create a positive influence. I’m quite confident that there is not a child psychologist out there who would agree with this guy’s idea of proper activity for a child,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. Click here to subscribe to ClickOrlando.com’s Strange Florida newsletter, delivered every Friday.

This weeks Next Level updates the progress of former local standouts Eletra Graham (Leesburg), Anthony Brown (Lake Minneola), and Joseph Martz (MDCA)Anthony Brown has always been able to score the basketball. Eventually, he found a home at Lincoln Memorial University, an NCAA Division II school in Harrogate, Tennessee for his final two seasons. In that game, Brown hit 10-of-14 shots and grabbed eight rebounds. Eletra Graham, Leesburg, Webber InternationalAt Leesburg High School, Eletra Graham was a key element in the Yellow Jackets success on the hardwood. Martz season and college career high this year is 17 points in a 110-69 on Dec. 13 against Toccoa Falls College.

LAKE WALES If you haven't visited Bok Tower Gardens in the past several years, now's a good time. The Chao exhibit hall, named for the late T.T. Park-themed collectibles on display include a 1941 Kellogg's Rice Krispies box that featured Bok Tower. To drive home the point, the exhibit hall includes a woman's wool hat from the late 19th century that includes a brightly plumed bird affixed to the crown. For more Florida stories, visit here, and to support local media throughout the state of Florida, consider subscribing to your local paper.

LAKE WALES If you haven't visited Bok Tower Gardens in the past several years, now's a good time. The Chao exhibit hall, named for the late T.T. Park-themed collectibles on display include a 1941 Kellogg's Rice Krispies box that featured Bok Tower. To drive home the point, the exhibit hall includes a woman's wool hat from the late 19th century that includes a brightly plumed bird affixed to the crown. For more Florida stories, visit here, and to support local media throughout the state of Florida, consider subscribing to your local paper.

LAKE WALES If you haven't visited Bok Tower Gardens in the past several years, now's a good time. The Chao exhibit hall, named for the late T.T. Park-themed collectibles on display include a 1941 Kellogg's Rice Krispies box that featured Bok Tower. To drive home the point, the exhibit hall includes a woman's wool hat from the late 19th century that includes a brightly plumed bird affixed to the crown. For more Florida stories, visit here, and to support local media throughout the state of Florida, consider subscribing to your local paper.