A woman who went to inquire about a nanny job advertised online was found dead in the trunk of her car, police said. ...more

October 29, 2007

AVON PARK — A plastic box filled with intestines and other organs got the rumor mill cranking Monday, but it turned out the remains were not human. ...more

October 16, 2007

AVON PARK — The police chief's position was frozen until the council voted unanimously to thaw it Monday, but also tacked a residency requirement so that Frank Mercurio's successor must live within 10 driving miles of the city limit. ...more

October 10, 2007

AVON PARK — Police Cmdr. Michael J. Rowan, now serving as interim Avon Park police chief after the forced resignation of former chief Frank Mercurio, said Wednesday that he plans to apply for the open position. City Manager C.B. Shirey said he's already received 13 applications for the position. The new acting chief has been busy adjusting to the transition and wants to take his time to submit an application. ...more

October 5, 2007

AVON PARK — Jose Gonzales doesn't know who could have spray painted racial slurs on his house and set fire to his garage and car. "I can't sleep," he said Monday afternoon. "I don't know who did this." State Fire Marshal Public Information Officer Kevin Shireman said the fire was intentionally set and a cash reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information. A Folk-Nation gang sign was sprayed painted on the garage. ...more

October 2, 2007

AVON PARK — When Dan Evers showed up to work Monday morning, he thought someone was playing a joke on him. A 9-foot Burmese python was stretched out along the sidewalk, snuggled against the wall of his State Farm Insurance office at 706 Main St. "I was looking around for the cameras," Evers said. "Then it lifted its head just a little, and I realized this was no joke." ...more

October 2, 2007

AVON PARK — As Avon Park Police Chief Frank Mercurio steps down today, the officers under him say it will be "business as usual" as Cmdr. Michael Rowan becomes the acting chief. Seeing Mercurio leave, they said they were shocked, upset and still hurting over it. "As the week goes along, it doesn't get any better," APPD Detective Sgt. Jason Lister said Thursday. "You're not going to find a sworn member of this staff that's not going to give you the same feelings." Lister and six other APPD officers contacted by Highlands Today were almost monolithic in their sentiments, but they said that they would remain with the department despite the situation. ...more

September 28, 2007

An Avon Park man remained in Highlands County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail Wednesday, charged with attempted murder of a woman over her small claims court case against him involving a damaged cell phone. ...more

September 27, 2007

Nick Bollea last week pleaded no contest to charges he was speeding in Pinellas Park on Aug. 10, a move that brings restrictions on his driver's license, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. ...more

September 25, 2007

Like everything, there's a lot of gray area with Avon Park Police Chief Frank Mercurio's resignation. He's an honest man who worked hard to clean up the city he was hired to protect. His tactics and personality, however, didn't mesh with enough people, and most importantly, the people he worked for. That's always a recipe for failure. ...more

September 20, 2007