KPD Mourns Loss of Crime Scene Tech by Fallan Patterson Chief,” “Supreme Leader” and “Commandant,” a Reserve Officer
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50 CENTS 113TH YEAR • SATURDAY EDITION May 19, 2012 The Journal of Osceola Business is included in this edition of the News- Gazette. See page, A-7. OOSCEOLASCEOLA NNEWSEWS-G-GAZETTEAZETTE www.aroundosceola.com • www.holaosceola.com KPD mourns loss of crime scene tech By Fallan Patterson Chief,” “supreme leader” and “commandant,” a reserve officer. Staff Writer had 200 visitors in one day during his hospital When Schroeder was first hired at the depart- In the often grisly world of a crime scene tech- stay. ment in 1984, Lunsford rode with him to serve a nician, Danny Lunsford knew how to lighten the Hisi funeral procession rivaled that of a decorat- search warrant in McLaren Circle. The suspect ran mood. ed police officer, Sgt. Ron Schroeder said, adding into a house and out the back, right into the path He often joked with his peers at the Kissimmee memorial patches with 51, Lunsford’s identifica- of Schroeder, who tried to stop the man. Police Department that he hadn’t “authorized” tion number and a thumbprint were distributed to Schroeder was smaller than the suspect and anyone to commit a crime in his city. police department staff. was being dragged along until Lunsford “came out of nowhere” and with one leap, tackled the Lunsford, 54, died May 5 when he suffered a Born William Daniel Lunsford in 1956, he was suspect to the ground. heart attack in a local hospital after being trans- raised in Kissimmee, graduating from Osceola “After that, Danny rode with me anytime he ported there complaining of stomach pains. High School in 1974. A photography buff, Lun- wanted because that was a good arrest,” Schro- Beloved in his community, the burly man who sford dabbled in the profession before being hired at the Kissimmee Police Department in 1979 as eder said. made up nicknames for himself such as “The Wanting to incorporate his love of photogra- phy into his career, Lunsford took a job as a crime scene technician and latent fingerprint examiner in 1984, a position he held until his death. “He was just a wealth of knowledge,” police spokeswoman Stacie Miller said. “It’s going to be a huge loss for us.” In the police academy Lunsford taught Lt. Dan Burkard how to preserve evidence at crime scenes and to take photos if needed. “Danny (was) the KPD crime lab. He was actu- ally a crime scene investigator,” Burkard said. “If you needed something in crime lab, he’d take care of you.” Photo/Courtesy of the Kissimmee Police For all of his joking around, Lunsford knew Department when to be serious, helping to put one man on death row and several others in prison for life Crime Scene Technician Danny Lun- based on his testimony of crime scene evidence sford was hired by the Kissimmee Police at their trials. Department in 1979. He died May 5 after “It’s a big loss because all that experience is out suffering a heart attack. the window,” Burkard said. A huge Andy Griffith fan, Lunsford decorated A hands-on father to Meghan, 22, Cody, 17, his office with posters and calendars. He enjoyed and Dakota, 15, Lunsford was known to partici- collecting autographs and often went to a baseball pate in Boy Scout activities with his son and spent card store in downtown Kissimmee with Burkard time researching his genealogy. Recently, Lun- to meet professional ballplayers. Additionally, the sford had his old 1987 pickup truck refurbished to pair would go to card shows together and attend give to his son. Florida Marlins games. Lunsford also is survived by his mother, Evelyn Lunsford also organized a weekly lottery pool Horst, brothers, Randy and Mike Lunsford and and a monthly “old timer’s luncheon” to catch up sister, Connie Arnold. News-Gazette Photo/Rick Pedone with retired and former police officers. The funeral procession for Kissimmee Police Department Crime Scene Technician A “big time family guy,” Schroeder said that Contact Fallan Patterson at 321-402-0434 Danny Lunsford rolls along Church Street May 10. once Lunsford met his wife of 20 years, Yvette, or by email at fpatterson@osceolanews “that was it.” gazette.com. Have a berry good time on farm By Peter Covino Lifestyles Editor You can find your thrill on blueberry hill. It isn’t on a hill exactly, but Osceola County has its first “u-pick” berry farm for blue- berries and blackberries. Located just outside St. Cloud’s eastern city lim- its, the new farm has some 2,400 blueberry and black- berry plants, and the berries are ready to be picked now. Larry and Nancy Chap- man have lived on the 11- acre farm since the 1980s. Larry Chapman planted the blueberries and blackberries not much more than one File Photo year ago. The main event at the Festival of Festivals Sept. 21-23 will be the hot air balloons in He expected to have some western Osceola County. berries ready for picking this spring, but the results have been amazing. Festival of Festivals more than just hot air “I never dreamed it would be like this,” Chapman said Festival organizers have Byrd said response from as he walked amongst the rows of berry plants. just announced a margarita the hot air balloon commu- Margarita The berry farm has six challenge, a contest de- nity nation-wide has been varieties of blueberries and contest great so far. There should signed to concoct the best two different kinds of black- introduced margarita in Central Flori- be at least 50 hot air bal- berries. For the most part, all da. loons in the skies above of that planting and irrigating By Peter Covino The Festival of Festi- Osceola come festival time, – which equates to hours and News-Gazette Photo/Andrew Sullivan Lifestyles Editor Sept. 21-23. vals is a new event sched- hours of work – was done by Larry Chapman, proprietor of Chapman’s Berries in Going on a hot air bal- uled for the fall calendar in “It is going great,” Byrd Chapman. said. “We have been getting east St. Cloud, displays a vine of ripening blackberries loon ride won’t be the only western Osceola County. The farm had citrus trees along one of several rows of ready-to-pick produce on a great response.” Several before, and the Chapmans way to get high when the The main event will be the his 11-acre farm. The berries become ripe and ready to Kissimmee Festival of Fes- hot air balloons. See Berries, page A-2 pick through the month of June. tivals debuts in September. Festival spokesman Alan See Festival, page A-2 Inside Community Lifestyles Tax rolls Classifieds .......... C-1 For the lat- Peter Covino looks See the delinquent tax roll Community ......... B-4 Legals ................. C-3 est activities, at the big films insert in this edition of the Local news .......... A-3 events and coming this Osceola News-Gazette. Lifestyles ............ B-1 classes, summer. Obituary .............. B-6 Opinion ................ A-4 see ... Page B-1 Sports .................. A-8 Page B-4 Page A2, NEWS-GAZETTE • Online All The Time • www.aroundosceola.com • Saturday, May 19, 2012 Berries Continued from Page A-1 also have the standard garden variety of toma- late last week at the farm, berry picking is toes, eggplants and other vegetables. a great family activity. Since the plants are But the citrus trees are coming to the end young, many of the berries are close to the of their life cycle, and Chapman, who works ground, making them just the right height for full-time, will probably retire in a few years. the youngest members of the family to par- He began thinking about planting berries as ticipate. something he could do during his retirement “I had a feeling this would work,” Chapman years. said of his endeavor, but the results have been He did his homework, researching what astounding. varieties of berries grow best in the Sunshine “People have been coming here and thank- State. Then he started planting. ing me for doing this, and the kids love it too,” One year later, all of the plants are pro- he said. ducing berries. A lot of them. And next year Berry picking is a fun activity and requires should even be better. no special skills. And the blackberry plants Not only will the current plants be a lot big- on the farm have no thorns, ensuring easy, ger, Chapman said, but he plans on expanding pain-free picking. The Chapmans do not put the berry farm, making it almost twice as large chemical sprays on the fruit, so it is safe to eat as it is now. right from the plant. “This is really addicting,” he said as he The biggest problem is keeping up with de- thought about enlarging his budding berry em- mand. Almost all of the Chapmans’ farm busi- pire. ness has been by word-of-mouth and emails And judging by the cars parked on the front sent to subscribers of the Osceola County of the Chapman property, full of enthusiastic Grown Food group. berry pickers, he is going to need more plants. “They pretty much have been clearing out “It’s awesome,” said Patty Parsons, who all the ripe fruit daily,” Nancy Chapman said. was out picking berries with her daughter, Em- The blueberry crop is getting toward the News-Gazette Photo/Andrew Sullivan ily. Like many of the berry pickers, Parsons end of its cycle, but there were a lot of black- Donna Osborn, of Kissimmee, developed a method of searching for ripe blackberries said she used to drive outside the county to berries close to ripening late last week.