#HMBlog: Stolen Polk County Swans found & returned to Polk county (probably against their will)
Pictured: Jordan Montoya (left) and Alfredo Casanova (right). Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office.
LAKELAND, Fla. - In a plot twist that could only happen in the Sunshine State, two black swans named "Sterling" and "Luna"—along with their unhatched little ones—have taken a detour from their luxurious lifestyle at the Highland Village Mobile Home Park to the glamorous streets of Cutler Bay, Miami.
Here's the scoop: Imagine this: Sterling and Luna, the Brad and Angelina of the bird world, chilling in their nest when suddenly, two clowns, Jordan Montoya and Alfredo Casanova, show up with nets and a bucket. They probably thought they were going fishing for goldfish or meth. Instead, they nabbed these feathered celebrities right from under the community's nose, leaving everyone in the park more devastated than watching the last episode of RAW on Netflix.
"Today is probably the best day of my life," said Property Manager, Lynda Eddlemon. "We got our swans back thanks to Polk County Sheriff, the media and the news and everything that went out there."
The heist was caught on camera, showing our would-be birdnappers taking a leisurely 30 minutes to commit their crime.
The swans, safe and sound, were located through a twist straight out of a telenovela. CJ Webber, a local swan enthusiast, got a surprise visit from one of the suspects who probably watched a FOX 13 report and thought, "Hey, I can be the hero here!" Instead of selling the swans on the black market, they decided to return them via Webber, who must've felt like he was in a bizarre episode of "Pawn Stars."
Webber also mentioned that the other three swans dropped off with Sterling and Luna were apparently stolen from a retirement center in Pompano Beach.
"They decided they wanted to return the swans, and they were remorseful for what they did so they decided to use me as a third party to get the swans back to the rightful owners," said Webber.
#HMBlog: Polk County woman accused of attacking man with garden hoe after plans to 'hang out' fell through
Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office
FROSTPROOF, Fla. – A Polk County woman took rejection way too personally after her plans to "hang out" got canceled—by attacking the guy with a garden hoe.
Authorities say 47-year-old Melanie Davis wasn’t thrilled when the victim called off their plans, so naturally, she did what any totally rational person would do: she showed up at his Frostproof home at 3 a.m. and started screaming at him from outside. Because nothing says "Let's talk this out" like a middle-of-the-night fence-climbing session.
According to investigators, Davis didn’t stop at yelling—she scaled the fence, barged through his door, and started swinging (literally, with her fists at first). Then, for reasons known only to her, she upgraded her attack weapon to a garden hoe, leaving the victim with a nasty cut on his arm. Gardening tools: not just for weeds anymore.
Charges:
Armed burglary with battery (because breaking and entering just wasn’t enough)
Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (yes, a hoe counts)
Simple battery (probably the least of his worries)
Criminal mischief (as if the rest wasn’t mischievous enough)
Fun Fact:
According to Polk County inmate records, Davis has been arrested 28 times in 28 years—keeping the drive alive.