HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Friday, September 20, 2019
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HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Friday, September 20, 2019 VOL. 100 | NO. 262 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 An Edition Of The Sun Hankerson nabbed in Polk County with gun By KIM LEATHERMAN or ammo by a the uncooperative victim is a morning hours to serve an and “to place a hold on STAFF WRITER convicted felon. 27-year-old Sebring man. active warrant from Highlands Hankerson Jr.” The charges In addition to the Highlands County. Upon making contact, Hankerson allegedly asked SEBRING – Alert Polk County stem from an County charges, Hankerson Hankerson gave his identity for his white Nike shoes. The Sheriff’s Office deputies arrest- Aug. 23 shoot- now faces a charge of being a and the deputy confirmed it deputy wrote that he found ed Dwight Cleaon Hankerson ing at Martin convicted felon with a firearm through a law enforcement a black Taurus G2C 9mm Jr., 29, of Sebring because of Luther King Jr. in Polk County. database. handgun in one of the shoes an outstanding warrant in Boulevard and According to the arrest The deputy confirmed the and a loaded magazine in the Highlands County just before HANKERSON Lemon Avenue in report, the Polk County warrant was active and there other. 1 a.m. Tuesday. The warrant the Washington sheriff’s deputy arrived at a was no bond. The deputy Hankerson is awaiting was for attempted homicide Heights neigh- residence on Magnolia Street wrote in the report that HCSO extradition at the Polk County and possession of a firearm borhood. Sebring police said in Lakeland in the early would extradite Hankerson Jail to Highlands County. Local ambulance Yellow Fleet Update company’s county certificate lapses Commission concerned about liability, companies told to check paperwork By PHIL ATTINGER STAFF WRITER SEBRING — Just before Hurricane Dorian brushed the Florida coast, Highlands County commissioners held an emergency meeting to extend a couple of expiring local certifications for ambulance companies. A third company, {span class=”st”}A.T.I Ambulance{/span}, didn’t get on that list and its Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity has lapsed, county officials said Tuesday. MARC VALERO/STAFF County Administrator Randy Vosburg Highlands District transportation mechanic Wesley Newton with eight of the district’s new school buses with one more scheduled for delivery. said Thursday it likely lapsed on Sept. 6, the same day certificates for Positive Mobility Inc. and Aeromed helicopter would also New school buses ready to roll have lapsed. Dorian was expected to arrive in By MARC VALERO Highlands County on Sept. 3, which is why buses with eight of them having been STAFF WRITER commissioners had a special meeting Aug. delivered and then inspected and 30 to extend the certificates of Positive prepped by the district’s mechanics. Mobility and Aeromed for another 90 days. SEBRING — Some School Board of It’s the third year in a row for new The commission voted 4-1 to put out Highlands County students will be buses since the district started re- a notice to the public about this, and the having a new ride next week with eight ceiving revenue from the half-cent importance that all locally-operating am- new school buses checked and ready sales. Prior to the school sales tax, the bulance companies check their paperwork to roll on routes in Avon Park, Sebring district had about seven years with no and make sure their certificates also haven’t and Lake Placid. new buses due to lean budget years. The district ordered nine new lapsed. BUSES | 4A County Attorney Joy Carmichael is International diesel 77-passenger drafting the notice. Vosburg said Thursday that the county has another ambulance company’s cer- tificate coming due in October, and in addition to putting A.T.I on the Oct. 1 Board of County Commission regular meeting agenda, he will probably schedule several extensions to give them all more time to complete paperwork. He counts at least four private ambu- lance companies/entities operating in the county, as many as six, in varying classes of certification. Brooks went further to say he didn’t think that the commission had the authority to notify providers or tell any ambulance MARC VALERO/STAFF MARC VALERO/STAFF company to stop operating locally without a Transportation Director Willie Hills with one local certificate. Transportation Director Willie Hills in one of the district’s new International 77-passenger of the new school buses ready to roll next He was the one dissenting vote on the school buses. week. matter. Highlands News-Sun, AdventHealth honor women in business By KIM LEATHERMAN best enjoyed the bubbly of her personal struggles stay strong and accom- STAFF WRITER champagne from MMM over the past two years plish the works she feels Liquors and hors d’ou- and how she has over- led to do. She closed out SEBRING — The vers from the Olympic come them. Hartline her time at the mic in third annual Women Restaurant. A popular owns and operates Jessica prayer for the women. in Business, brought to photo-op was near the Hartline Allstate agency Every year, the you by the Highlands very cool ice sculpture. in Sebring. Highlands News-Sun rec- News-Sun, took place The prize giveaways Tinker, who owns Heal ognizes an organization at the Champion for throughout the night by Touch Massage and created, comprised of and Children Circle Theatre were a big hit. Float Therapy, urged run by women. This year, on Wednesday night. The After a time of mixing women to take care of the Highlands County evening, which was spon- and mingling, D-R Media themselves as well as Cattlewomen were sored by AdventHealth Vice President and their families and busi- recognized for their work Sebring, was a celebration Publisher Tim Smolarick nesses. She said women in promoting a healthy of businesswomen of welcomed some guests, should ask for help when lifestyle involving beef as Highlands County and sponsors and his staff. they need it and set goals well as their education KATARA SIMMONS/CORRESPONDENT to recognize all they do He introduced the three for themselves. efforts with AgVenture for the communities they guest speakers: Jessica Fann is the executive and the Youth Livestock “I am completely surprised,” Kelly Cosgrave says with a smile serve. Hartline, Ashley Nicole director of the non-profit Buyers Dinner among Wednesday evening after being recognized as the 2019 Over 200 women from Tinker and Brittney Fann. Beauty Fit for a Queen. others. Businesswoman of the Year during the Highlands News-Sun all kinds of businesses Hartline spoke to the She shared tips and funny Next came the mo- Women in Business event at Circle Theater in Sebring. Making or civic organizations women about being stories of feeling over- ments everyone was the presentation is D-R Media Vice President and Publisher Tim were dressed from formal strong in the face of ad- whelmed. Fann shared Smolarick. work attire to cocktail versity. She shared some how her faith helps her to HONOR | 4A Classifieds ......................B5-8 Obituaries ........................ A4 Viewpoints ....................... A6 Good morning To Comics ................A7-8, B9-10 Sports ............................ B1 Weather .........................A10 Lucille Slaughter Lottery ........................... B2 TV Listings ....................... A9 facebook.com/ twitter.com/ Thanks for reading! newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | September 20, 2019 www.highlandsnewssun.com School District offers $75,000 in lawsuit By MARC VALERO Lethbridge The complaint claimed 25-year prison sentence settled to pay in another solicit a child. STAFF WRITER said the the district was negligent followed by 20 years middle school related The lawsuit involved settlement for allowing the student of probation and the negligence lawsuit. the complaint filed SEBRING — The School has to be to enter and remain in a designation as a sexual That civil lawsuit by the attorney repre- Board of Highlands approved by classroom with Dewberry predator. was related to the case senting the parent of a County offered $75,000 to the judge. alone and unsupervised. Dewberry pleaded of former Hill-Gustat student. settle a lawsuit related to The civil Furthermore, it claimed guilty to two counts of Middle School teacher A settlement agree- a student who attended negligence the district negligently sexual battery, custodial Stacy Lynn Hooks. ment of $80,000 was Avon Park Middle School. DEWBERRY lawsuit failed to intercede in the authority. Hooks was arrested in reached in September The offer has been was filed in ongoing sexual assaults He is currently incar- 2016 and subsequently 2018. accepted on behalf of the November of which the student was cerated at the Mayo pleaded no contest to Hooks was sentenced student who, according against the school district a victim when the district Correctional Institution eight counts of lewd to a 20-year prison term to the court document on behalf of a 13-year- knew or should have Annex in Mayo battery, nine counts in October 2017. complaint, suffered old female student who known of the misconduct. (Lafayette County) with of possession of child She is currently in- “emotional distress and was the alleged victim On June 3, former a current release date of pornography, three carcerated at the Lowell injuries” due to incidents of then-teacher Kevin school district teacher Feb. 20, 2043. counts of transmission Correctional Institute at the school. Dewberry over the time and basketball coach The settlement of harmful material to Annex in Ocala with a Deputy Superintendent period of Oct. 1, 2017 Dewberry, 45, accepted amount is close to the a child, and one count current release date of Superintendent Andrew through Feb. 4, 2018. a plea deal giving him a amount the district of use of a computer to Feb.