Facebook Reports Local From The Bench Child-Porn Suspect To The Boardroom B1 B10 Herald-THE Advocate HARDEE COUNTY’S HOMETOWN COVERAGE 119th Year • No. 35 • 2 Sections www.TheHeraldAdvocate.com 93¢ Plus 7¢ Sales Tax Thursday, July 25, 2019 Arrest Made In Crash Killing Firefighter By JENNIFER McCONKEY cense while causing injury or death, Rescue firefighter and an active mem- Instead, the GMC began to rotate, Of The Herald-Advocate both felonies; and DUI with property ber of the National Guard. He had also colliding with a barbed-wire fence and Nearly a year and a half after a sin- damages, a misdemeanor. served with the U.S. Marine Corps. then the base of a large concrete utility gle-vehicle crash took the life of a Serrano Robles had been driving a He was the first person to die on pole. After impact, the pickup over- Hardee County firefighter, an arrest has 2013 GMC Sierra pickup truck at 4:45 Hardee County roadways in 2018. turned and started to burn, the trooper been made in the case. a.m. on Feb. 18, 2018, when he al- The FHP said the wreck occurred on said. Jose Abelardo Serrano Robles, 31, legedly lost control of the vehicle while State Road 64 near County Road 663 “Speaking with the firefighters after of 3029 Hickory Court, Zolfo Springs, going around a curve, according to a re- in Ona as the pair were traveling east. the wreck was one of the hardest things was booked into the Hardee County port from the Florida Highway Patrol. Serrano Robles drove off the roadway I have ever done,” said Fire-Rescue Jail on Saturday on charges of driving His passenger, Francisco Javier at a curve, and attempted to brake and Chief Joseph Walker after the crash. under the influence causing death and Figueroa, 28, of Wauchula, died. to steer back onto the pavement, ac- Walker also said of Figueroa: “This driving with a suspended or revoked li- Figueroa was a Hardee County Fire cording to Tpr. P. Miller. See ARREST A2 Serrano Robles Sheriff SCHOOL SPRUCE-UP School Cuts Seeking Deeper Than Shooting Anticipated By TOM STAIK Of The Herald-Advocate ‘It appears that The largest government Tallahassee has agency in Hardee County is Suspect struggling to make ends meet. an agenda, what- Revenue for the The School ever that might be.’ By JENNIFER McCONKEY District of Hardee County is — Paul Samuels Of The Herald-Advocate expected to plummet more than The Hardee County Sher- $2 million in the upcoming iff’s Office is currently investi- year due a drop in funding The School Board is sched- gating a shooting which from Tallahassee. uled to meet again this coming reportedly took place early Fri- “There is a lot to be con- Monday at 5:05 p.m. for public day morning and left a Bowl- cerned about,” said Paul hearings to set a tentative mill- ing Green man injured. Samuels, chairman of the age rate and hold a public hear- The HCSO was originally School Board. ing on its proposed alerted to the alleged shooting Samuels was one of three $60,234,727 spending plan. by an Emergency Room nurse members of the five-member at AdventHealth Wauchula, panel to attend the first phase ‘Our Hands Are Tied’ whose call came in at 12:44 of budget meetings for the From a revenue perspective, a.m. 2019-20 school year on Mon- the School Board’s setting of The nurse reported a patient day morning. the local school tax rate is a with a gunshot wound in his Teresa Crawford and Garry mere formality. abdomen, according to HCSO McWhorter also were present. “Our hands are tied,” records. Absent were Vice Chair- Samuels told The Herald-Ad- The victim was able to give woman Mildred Smith and vocate by phone on Tuesday a statement concerning what PHOTO BY JENNIFER MCCONKEY member Mark Gilliard. morning. had happened, Makayla The Media Center at Hardee Senior High School will have a fresh new look to wel- Finance Director Greg Har- The actual tax rate — set to Chancey, public information come students come Aug. 12. The updates were made possible by a $5,000 grant relson, in a report to the board, decrease by .141 mills to 6.178 officer for the Sheriff’s Office, the school received to cover new furniture and paint. Part of the grant requirements, noted the funding shortfalls — is mandated by the state of said. however, included the use of volunteers to help with completion, so several stu- have forced school administra- Florida through a complicated The 42-year-old-victim and dents, including (pictured, from left) Jorren Bryan and Gage Camacho, offered their tion to slash spending by 4.6 system of calculations under another person were reportedly time and energy to paint over the summer. Others in the community have also been percent in order to balance the the Florida Education Finance fishing east of Bowling Green volunteering their time and money to help get everyone ready for the new school budget. Act enacted in 1973. when an unknown male ap- year. For information about school-supply giveaways and other free back-to-school The cuts equate to nearly $3 Officials in Tallahassee proached them and shot the events, see A2. million. See CUTS A4 victim, according to the ac- count given the HCSO. An investigation is being BLOW OUT THOSE CANDLES! conducted on the shooter’s identity and the reason for the Armed Robber shooting, the HCSO says. As of Tuesday afternoon it was unknown if the shooting Gets 15 Years See SHOOTING A2 By CYNTHIA KRAHL agreement with prosecutor Of The Herald-Advocate Hannah Potter, and the case A robber who pistol whipped came to a final conclusion. WEATHER a couple in the driveway of a Circuit Judge Michael E. DATE HIGH LOW RAIN Wauchula home has been hit Raiden accepted Watson’s 07/16 92 72 0.00 with a lengthy prison term. change of plea from “not 07/17 96 71 1.54 Michael Eugene Watson, 38, guilty” to “no contest,” and im- 07/18 95 70 0.00 posed the prison time for the 07/19 96 71 0.01 of 309 Walnut St., Saybrook, 07/20 94 72 0.00 Ill., was sentenced to 15 years felony crimes of robbery with 07/21 92 71 0.11 in Florida State Prison last a weapon and aggravated bat- 07/22 93 70 0.01 week at what was instead sup- tery with a deadly weapon. Rainfall to 07/22/2019 - 24.48 posed to be the start of his jury Raiden granted Watson 617 Same period last year - 28.47 trial in Hardee Circuit Court. days of credit toward that hefty Ten Year Average - 49.17 Source: Univ. of Fla. Ona Research Center It was the second time his term for the time he already 2017 case was set for a jury had spent in the Hardee County trial which ended up canceled. Jail since his Nov. 6, 2017, ar- INDEX This time, however, Watson rest by the Wauchula Police Classifieds . .B8 and defense attorney Karen Department. Courthouse Report . .A3 Meeks entered into a plea The judge also assessed $970 Crime Blotter . .A3 in fines, fees and court costs. Entertainment . .A8 According to WPD reports Fort Meade Times . .A6 filed at the time of the attack, it Hardee Living . .B4 was about 12:24 a.m. when a Information Roundup . .B9 woman and her male passenger PHOTO BY MICHAEL KELLY Obituaries . .B3 pulled up to a residence in Smokey Bear will be turning 75 on Aug. 9, but has no plans on retiring as there is Puzzles . .A5 River Chase, in the northeast still plenty of work to do. His wildfire prevention crusade is the longest running pub- Save The Date . .A2 section of the city. lic-service campaign in U.S. history. Smokey’s message is as relevant today as it Solunar Forecast . .B9 The woman told authorities a was in 1944, according to representatives of the Florida Forest Service. In the past man immediately approached five years, the service’s wildland firefighters responded to 294 wildfires in Hardee the driver’s side window of her County that burned 5,235 acres. Everyone is invited to Smokey’s official birthday car and stuck a gun to her head. party, at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte on Aug. 3 from 2 to 5 p.m. Hardee “Give me your (expletive) County commissioners passed a proclamation last week congratulating Smokey money or I’ll blow both your Bear on his approaching birthday. Pictured (from left) are Ignacio Rodriquez, Watson See ROBBER A2 Smokey, commission Chairman Mike Thompson and Randy Coldiron. A2 The Herald-Advocate, July 25, 2019 THE Get Ready For School Herald-Advocate SAVE HARDEE COUNTY’S HOMETOWN COVERAGE At These Community Events MICHAEL R. KELLY Co-Publisher and Editor By JENNIFER McCONKEY host a Back-to-School Bash at also while supplies last. Of The Herald-Advocate 3920 Murray Road from 11 Two more events will take THE JAMES R. KELLY School will be starting up in a.m. to 3 p.m., with games, a place the following weekend, Co-Publisher just a few weeks, and several water slide and food. Atten- on Aug. 10. CYNTHIA M. KRAHL community groups are work- dees are asked to wear shorts First United Methodist DATE Managing Editor ing to help families have fun and a T-shirt instead of bathing Church of Wauchula is hosting and save money on back-to- suits.