Public Safety
FDLE Seeks Help in Finding Missing Man
Brian Klecha, a 35-year-old Disney bus driver who lived in Lakeland, was last seen at MidFlorida Credit Union in Auburndale last Dec. 27. The FDLE asks that anybody with information about his disappearance call them at 813-352-2380.
Lakeland Forestry Crews Fight Western Wildfires
Florida Forest Service firefighters based in Lakeland have been deployed to Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon, California, Utah, Idaho and Colorado to help suppress wildfires.
LPD Shooting Range Injury Prompts Safety Review
An undercover police sergeant was taken to the hospital after flying shrapnel at the LPD shooting range caused severe bleeding on his wrist in June. A safety review team meets Sept. 6 to determine how to improve safety at the range.
Watch: Soldier Describes Dual Hit-and-Run Accidents
Deputies are still looking for the driver of the F-150 that injured Private Lawson and is believed to have killed Kelli Black on Galloway Road last week.
Good Samaritan Soldier Describes Hit-and-Run
Speaking from his recovery bed, Army PFC Kalen Lawson talked with News Channel 8 about the night last week he was injured by a hit-and-run driver on Galloway Road as he helped a woman who had just been hit by another hit-and-run driver:
“She reached out and she grabbed my hand and basically said, ‘Please don’t leave me; please don’t let me go.’ And I basically told her, ‘I’m not going to let you go, ma’am,'” Lawson said. He continued: “She was speaking to us. She would have definitely survived if that second car hadn’t showed up. She would have gotten help and gone to the hospital, and I truly believe she would be alive today.”
The Polk Sheriff’s Office and Heartland Crime Stoppers — 1-800-226-TIPS (8477) — are looking for the driver of the white or light-colored Ford F-150 pickup truck believed to have killed Kelli Black early last Thursday. The driver of the first vehicle turned himself in.
Silver Alert Canceled; Missing Man Returns Home
Joseph Kiersey was found, is safe and has been reunited with his family, the Polk Sheriff’s Office reported shortly after 5 p.m. today. The Silver Alert has been canceled.
Briefly: 2 LPD Vehicle Crashes
TODAY: Nobody was hurt when Lakeland Police Detective Joshua Schecker, 30, crashed his unmarked car into the rear of a Jeep on Lakeland Hills Boulevard near LRMC around 8:10 a.m. A review board will meet to determine if discipline is warranted.
JULY 13: After a long shift and a sleepless night, LPD Officer Camilo Almeida, 32, fell asleep at the wheel before his cruiser overturned at 6:20 a.m. July 13 on County Line Road at Gateway Boulevard, the department reported today. The officer had minor injuries; the car was totaled. A review board found the accident to be preventable.