AVON PARK — Satisfying that drought-thirsty lawn on the wrong days of the week or any time Saturday or Sunday could lead to an expensive civil citation of $100 or more, at least in Avon Park. Avon Park Police officer Jose Molina sprinkled 19 properties Sunday and Monday with citations, including a home on West Pleasant Street that received a $200 fine as a repeat offender. The rest were cited for $100 each. A business and a church were among those ticketed. ...more

May 5, 2008

VENUS — A remote 10-acre site off of County Road 731 was the site of the 49th growhouse operation to be dismantled in Highlands County since November. More than 100 marijuana plants were seized in this operation. Deysi Lavin Jimenez, 38, and Carlos David Morales, 32, both of 327 County Road 731, Venus, were charged with producing marijuana, possession of marijuana in excess of 25 pounds or 300 plants and possession of narcotics equipment. ...more

October 11, 2007

AVON PARK — An Avon Park man remained in Highlands County Jail in lieu of $32,600 bail after an Avon Park police officer investigating the burglary of Al Joe Hinson's Bar found the suspect passed out drunk on a sidewalk about two blocks away. ...more

October 5, 2007

It took a week and a half to go through court proceedings, but it only took jurors 30 minutes to find Michael Branham guilty of first-degree murder. ...more

September 13, 2007

WAUCHULA — Day four of the Michael Branham murder trial got off to an early and heated start Friday morning at the Hardee County Courthouse. The day began where day three of the trial left off, with Branham's defense attorney, Larry Shearer, trying to suppress witness testimony from Branham's friend and former attorney, James Kelly. Branham, a former Avon Park police officer, allegedly shot his wife, Janette, 40, a prominent Highlands County attorney, 13 times in July 2005. ...more

September 8, 2007

WAUCHULA — The second day of the Michael Branham murder trial ended with 14 people in a jury box and a courtroom full of potential jurors. ...more

September 6, 2007