15

SEBRING -- A 61-year-old man died when his mobile home was engulfed in flames Friday night, July 14, in Sebring. Alan Michael Schunk was inside the mobile home at 30408 Tigertail Rd. in the Francis 1 mobile home park when it caught on fire sometime before 9 p.m. The first to arrive on scene -- at 9:03 p.m. -- were Sheriff’s Office Tactical Anti-Crime Team units, who risked injury trying to force their way into the home, which already had flames coming out the west side of the structure. By the

July

2017

12

LAKE PLACID -- A tense situation was resolved peacefully Wednesday, July 12 after a reported shooting on Pine Tree Drive near Lake Francis. A 60-year-old man called dispatch at 10:54 a.m. to report he had just shot a man, and the victim had been loaded into a car by two other men and left the scene. He told dispatchers he was still armed and refused requests to put the gun away. He also would not come out of the house when deputies arrived and kept hanging up on dispatchers. The Crisis

July

2017

11

SEBRING -- More than 20 people came to the first session of the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Dementia Friendly Business Training Tuesday, July 11. Leading the training were Gary Joseph LeBlanc, a renowned dementia expert and author, and Lisa Rodriguez, Certified Dementia Practitioner and Dementia Care Specialist. Participants learned how to recognize the signs of dementia and how to respond to and communicate with people who may be having problems. They were given strategies on how to

July

2017

10

FROM THE SHERIFF It’s amazing the level of technology we take for granted these days. We take for granted the fact that most of us carry a device that can not only be used to contact somebody on the other side of the world but can also access almost every piece of information known to humanity. Advances in technology have also helped us fight crime. Everything from investigating a traffic accident to finding clues at a murder scene has become more efficient thanks to hardware and software that

July

2017

10

SEBRING -- Jail is often viewed as the end of the road for some. But for a few inmates in the Highlands County Jail, their time behind bars could turn into the start of a life-changing experience. A pilot program spearheaded by Lt. Chris Ritenour and Deputy Scott Waldon is aiming to divert some inmates into the Army when they are released from jail instead of sending them right back onto the streets and into the same environment that landed them in trouble in the first place. The goal is to

July

2017