NewsTalk 730

An alleged murder plot has been thwarted by Highlands County Sheriff’s Office investigators. The plot cooked up by Highlands County Jail inmate Dori Anne Burke and Robert Clyde Diamond of Avon Park reportedly involved a male victim that they were trying to extort in an effort to force the victim to move out of a…

A change is coming to the operation of the traffic signal at College Drive/Bill Sachsenmaier Memorial Drive and US 27. The change is scheduled to take place Tuesday, September 10th at 10:00AM. On the day of the switch the traffic signal will be turned off as crews work to put the new operation into effect.…

A civil lawsuit has been filed in Polk County that accuses an owner of a law firm that recently closed its three offices, of embezzling nearly $1.8 million dollars from a client’s trust fund to support his self-proclaimed “raging” addiction. The suit alleges that Jason Penrod funneled the funds into his personal account to gamble…

The Florida Highway Patrol is currently investigating a fatal crash in Highlands County that occurred early Sunday morning. According to officials an ATV driven by a 26-Year-Old Lake Placid man was traveling south on the southbound lane of Highlands Boulevard, approaching the intersection of Cumberland Street. At that same time, a pickup truck was traveling…

A reminder that there are planned water outages in Lake Placid starting overnight, tonight. The town will be replacing the old water main along Interlake Blvd. The major outage is scheduled to be from 9:00pm tonight to 5:00am tomorrow morning. This outage will shut off water for everyone on the west side of US Hwy…

A Pretrial conference was held Thursday in the first-degree murder trial of Joseph Ables, who is being tried for the first-degree murder of Highlands County Deputy Sheriff William Gentry in May of 2018. Assistant State Attorney Bonde Johnson presented a motion on the Williams rule, which allows evidence of a defendant’s prior bad acts to…

There will be planned water outages in Lake Placid next week as the town replaces the old water main along Interlake Blvd. Aging valves will also be replaced. Most of the work is scheduled to be done at night to help minimize disruptions to businesses, schools, and residences. A major outage is planned for overnight…

A former Sebring High School Cross County Coach is behind bars. Jayson Allan Bass of Sebring was arrested Friday, August 23rd by deputies of the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office. He is charged with three counts of lewd and lascivious behavior, molesting a child under 12, and obstructing justice, tampering in felony life capitol proceeding. The…

The Sebring Police Department says they’re investigating two hit-and-run incidents – one involving a County ambulance – Monday afternoon. The Fire Rescue unit was transporting a patient with lights and sirens on Highway 27 about 4:30 – a red Dodge pickup truck crossed into the ambulance’s lane and sideswiped the vehicle, then turned on Bayview…

Closing statements were heard in the Virgil Lee West murder and attempted murder trial yesterday morning. West is charged with the murder of his former friend Shawn Zeigler and attempted first degree murder of Carrie Leaphart, tampering with evidence, and shooting into a conveyance. Jurors were read their instructions by presiding Judge Peter Estrada and…