18

AVON PARK -- Jessie Wayne Fowler tried to cover up his crime with a shirt, but all that he did was get himself in even more hot water. Fowler, 35, of Avon Park, is currently in the Highlands County Jail and two others are wanted in connection with illegal use of a debit card. Fowler was arrested Thursday, Oct. 18 in connection with multiple transactions using the stolen debit card. He tried to hide his identity by pulling his shirt up over his face on two of the four times he used the card at

October

2018

24

AVON PARK -- Three people were arrested Friday, Sept. 21 and charged with attempting to rob a man in the parking lot of an Avon Park hotel. To say the least, it was not a well-planned caper. Deputies were called to the Econo Lodge on U.S. 27 around 5:30 a.m. by the victim. He told them that he had twice encountered three people the night before at the hotel. The first was around 1 a.m. when he walked outside his room and the three were at the pool and invited the victim and his girlfriend to

September

2018

20

While Hurricane Florence may be gone, her impact is not. Millions of people in North Carolina have been impacted by the storm, and anyone who was in Highlands County a year ago knows how devastating that impact can be. The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with Camp4Heroes and Paws and Warriors to take part in “Operation Call to Action,” a supply collection to help those still suffering in the wake of Florence. Camp4Heroes, which is in Fairmont, N.C., normally serves as a retreat

September

2018

10

AVON PARK -- An Avon Park man who was found asleep in a car on the side of the road on Friday woke up in a heap of trouble. Deputies were called to check on a “scruffy looking” man sitting in a silver Toyota SUV off Falcon Road around 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 7. When Sgt. Amanda Dettman arrived, she found 36-year-old Jimmy Ray Jackson asleep inside the vehicle, which was running and in drive. He was wearing gloves and there was a flashlight and a screwdriver on the seat next to him, and the

September

2018

07

SEBRING -- Sheriff Paul Blackman today announced the arrest of a major methamphetamine dealer in Highlands County, the culmination of a months-long investigation that involved multiple agencies. The investigation led to the arrest of 28-year-old Jackson Payne Sloan Jr. of Sebring, a 10-time convicted felon who has been in state prison twice for selling marijuana as well as burglary and grand theft. He is now facing the following charges: 1 count of trafficking in more than 200 grams of

September

2018