It was like a scene straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. Several deputies - wearing bulletproof vests and helmets and carrying automatic weapons - ducked behind vehicles parked near the Highlands County Sheriff's Office and the county courthouse late Thursday morning. ...more

October 11, 2008

A man wanted by police in a Haines City rape case turned himself in Tuesday and was released today on bail. Hazell Stoudemire Jr., a registered sex offender, turned himself in at the Polk County Jail, Capt. Mervin Stewart said. He was charged with sexual battery, kidnapping and aggravated assault, all felonies, and battery, a misdemeanor. ...more

October 9, 2008

Deputies with the Highland County Sheriff's Office seized 70 cannabis plants, valued around $420,000, from a grow-house off Parkland Avenue in Lake Placid late Wednesday afternoon. ...more

October 8, 2008

Highlands County Sheriff's Office deputies did not find marijuana plants inside a grow house but, instead, buried in five three-foot deep shallow graves. ...more

October 8, 2008

Former St. Louis Cardinals coach George Kissell is in critical condition after a crash Monday at 110th Avenue and U.S. 19, police say. ...more

October 7, 2008