NewsTalk 730

Avon Park teachers are reeling after a school custodian was arrested for allegedly stealing their credit card information and going on a spending spree. Deputies say 42-year-old Elizabeth Ortiz Suarez used staff cards to pay her water bill, shop online, and even try to fund her son’s jail commissary account. A search of her phone…

A woman at the center of an explosive case targeting local law enforcement is now getting a mental health evaluation. 27-year-old Emily Michele Staten is accused of unleashing hundreds of vile Facebook messages and videos, threatening to rape, shoot, and run over Sebring Police officers and Highlands County deputies — even driving past their headquarters…

Starting next month, visitors to downtown Sebring will see a dedicated daytime law enforcement presence, funded by the Community Redevelopment Agency. Beginning December 9th, Sebring Police officers and Highlands County deputies will patrol the downtown area Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Officials say the officers will serve as both a visible…

>>HIGHLANDS COUNTY THANKSGIVING SAFETY REMINDER As you celebrate today, officials urge everyone to stay safe in the kitchen. Keep an eye on your turkey—unattended cooking is the leading cause of holiday fires—and keep kids and pets away from hot ovens. If you’re using a turkey fryer, do it outside on a flat surface, keep the…

Highlands County Fire Rescue crews rushed to Hummingbird Avenue in Sebring just before 2 o’clock Tuesday for a brush fire covering about five acres. No homes were threatened, and thanks in part to drone technology helping firefighters track hot spots and fire movement, the blaze was reported fully contained by 5:30 p.m. Crews continue to…

Highlands County, if your family could use a little extra love this Thanksgiving, help is here. Starting today at 12 PM sharp, 225 free Thanksgiving meal kits will be given away at 3135 Kenilworth Blvd. in Sebring. Each kit includes a turkey, vegetables, stuffing, pumpkin pie and more—enough to feed a family of four. This…

A Highlands County murder case is on hold while the killer’s mental state is questioned. Twenty-nine-year-old Britney Lee Andrus, convicted of beating 88-year-old James Little to death and stealing his car and valuables, was set to be sentenced Tuesday. Instead, her attorney asked for a psychiatric evaluation, saying she’s been confused since a change in…

A Sebring truck driver is staging a dramatic protest outside police headquarters after being charged with DUI, despite blowing a zero on his breath test. Felix Carlos Tellez says he was pulled over near U.S. 27 and Flare Road on Sunday, November 16th, did roadside sobriety tests, and twice tested 0.0 at the jail. He…

A 2023 Avon Park murder case is back in the spotlight as a prison inmate is now being charged in the deadly beating of 63-year-old Douglas Lieland. Deputies say 47-year-old Kenneth McLucas—already serving time for gun theft—will be returned to Highlands County to face homicide charges. Lieland was found beaten to death in his mobile…

Highlands County Fire Rescue is sharing new details after a Tuesday morning blaze tore through a home in Avon Park. Crews were called just after 9:30 a.m. to the 400 block of West Gobourne Street, where a kitchen cooking fire quickly spread through a single-family home. One person was inside but was safely escorted out…