‘Alarming' power bill leads to discovery of Lakeland ‘cranker colony,' Judd says
On Sunday, detectives were contacted by the house owner, a U.S. Air Force member currently serving in North Dakota.
NTSB lists Sunshine Skyway Bridge among 68 bridges with 'unknown levels of risk of collapse'
The man contacted police after noticing an unusual spike in his electricity bill and requested that they check on his property in South Lakeland.
At the scene, deputies said they found Brindy Matos, 39, living in a shed on the vacant property.
Inside the shed detectives also located several of the victim's things that Matos had stolen from the main house as well as her own drugs and paraphernalia.
Another suspect fled the scene upon deputies' arrival. He was later identified as Matos' boyfriend, Anthony Maddox, Jr., 31.
Trump suggests paying overtime to astronauts back from space
Detectives said upon searching the victim's property, they discovered that all of the locked buildings on the property had been broken into.
A 2007 black Toyota Cruiser belonging to the victim's mother was also missing along with a John Deere riding lawn mower and a golf cart.
An investigation led detectives to a nearby property that was littered with raw sewage and solid waste as well as numerous other environmental and health hazards.
Detectives said they detained five more people who they charged with environmental crimes and several of them also had drugs and paraphernalia in their possession.
Detectives were also able to locate Maddox on the property hiding in a garage behind some shelves.
Acting head of FEMA says his parents in Pinellas County received denial letter
Several of the suspects were identified as being involved in the theft and selling of the vehicles and household items belonging to the active duty member and they, along with Maddox, were detained by Polk County deputies.
'If you've never ever seen a cranker colony, now you have. That's right, a group of crankers all live together, and guess what they were doing? They were breaking into a house, oh they weren't just breaking into a house. They devastated the house. They gutted the house,' said Sheriff Grady Judd.
For context, 'crank' is a slang term for street methamphetamine.
The suspects and their charges are as follows:
Brindy Matos, 39, charged with burglary, possession of meth, possession of marijuana over 20 grams, and possession of drug paraphernalia
Anthony Maddox, Jr., 31, was charged with burglary, trespassing, resisting arrest, and he had an outstanding warrant in Hernando County.
Dana Pereira, 47, was charged with violating Florida litter law, possession of meth, possession of marijuana over 20 grams, operating an unpermitted landfill, creating a public nuisance, and possession of paraphernalia
Michael Stone, 37, was charged with violating Florida litter law, operating an unpermitted landfill, creating a public nuisance, possession of meth, burglary, felony petit theft, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia
Jonathan Smith, 21, was charged with Violating Florida litter law, operating an unpermitted landfill, and 3 counts of creating a public nuisance
Beverly Reese, 44, was charged with violating Florida litter law, possession of meth, operating an unpermitted landfill, creating a public nuisance, keeping a public nuisance structure for drug use, and possession of drug paraphernalia
Dwayne Harris, 36, was charged with violating Florida litter law, possession of meth, operating an unpermitted landfill, creating a public nuisance, keeping a public nuisance structure for drug use, and possession of drug paraphernalia
Austin Sirah, 33, was charged with possession of meth, violation of probation, possession of drug paraphernalia, and maintaining a vehicle for drug use
Angela Keene, 53, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of a prescription drug without a prescription, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and maintaining a vehicle for drug use
Troy Bumkens, 41, was charged with possession of meth and possession of drug paraphernalia
Kayla Strickland, 25, was charged with possession of meth, possession of prescription drug without prescription, and possession of drug paraphernalia
The Air Force member returned to Polk County to assist with reclaiming and identifying his stolen property which valued over $50,000 in assets.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wyoming airman accused of manslaughter after fatal shooting
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A second airman in a month at a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming stands accused of involuntary manslaughter for a shooting death. F.E. Warren Air Force Base Airman First Class Jadan Orr, 20, remained jailed on Monday after he allegedly shot a man in a Cheyenne apartment early Saturday, according to police and sheriff's officials. Orr and several friends had been drinking at the apartment for most of the night when Orr and two others went into another room and Orr began handling an AK-47 rifle, according to a Cheyenne Police Department statement. Orr allegedly fired the weapon through a wall, hitting the 23-year-old in the torso. Police arrived to find several people outside trying to help the man, who died at the scene, the statement added. Orr was charged with involuntary manslaughter, according to Laramie County Circuit Court. He did not have an attorney on file to comment on his behalf. Neither Cheyenne police nor the Laramie County coroner had publicly identified the victim as of Monday. Police referred questions about the victim's identity to Coroner Rebecca Reid, who did not immediately return a phone message. Officials at the base just outside Cheyenne announced on Aug. 12 that an airman had been arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter, obstructing justice and making a false statement in connection with the July 20 shooting death of another airman. The victim was identified as Brayden Lovan, 21, of the 90th Security Forces Squadron, 90th Missile Wing. The shooting led the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command to suspend use of Sig Sauer's M18 handgun. The weapon has been the subject of lawsuits in which plaintiffs allege the gun is susceptible to firing without the trigger being pulled. Other military branches have continued to use the gun. Unlike in the latest case, the airman stood accused in military, as opposed to civilian, court. The Air Force had not yet released the identity of the accused airman and other details of the earlier shooting, saying Monday it was still under investigation.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
2nd Wyoming airman in a month is accused of manslaughter after a fatal shooting
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A second airman in a month at a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming stands accused of involuntary manslaughter for a shooting death. F.E. Warren Air Force Base Airman First Class Jadan Orr, 20, remained jailed on Monday after he allegedly shot a man in a Cheyenne apartment early Saturday, according to police and sheriff's officials. Orr and several friends had been drinking at the apartment for most of the night when Orr and two others went into another room and Orr began handling an AK-47 rifle, according to a Cheyenne Police Department statement. Orr allegedly fired the weapon through a wall, hitting the 23-year-old in the torso. Police arrived to find several people outside trying to help the man, who died at the scene, the statement added. Orr was charged with involuntary manslaughter, according to Laramie County Circuit Court. He did not have an attorney on file to comment on his behalf. Neither Cheyenne police nor the Laramie County coroner had publicly identified the victim as of Monday. Police referred questions about the victim's identity to Coroner Rebecca Reid, who did not immediately return a phone message. Officials at the base just outside Cheyenne announced on Aug. 12 that an airman had been arrested on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter, obstructing justice and making a false statement in connection with the July 20 shooting death of another airman. The victim was identified as Brayden Lovan, 21, of the 90th Security Forces Squadron, 90th Missile Wing. The shooting led the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command to suspend use of Sig Sauer's M18 handgun. The weapon has been the subject of lawsuits in which plaintiffs allege the gun is susceptible to firing without the trigger being pulled. Other military branches have continued to use the gun. Unlike in the latest case, the airman stood accused in military, as opposed to civilian, court. The Air Force had not yet released the identity of the accused airman and other details of the earlier shooting, saying Monday it was still under investigation.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
St. Pete man charged after harvesting goliath grouper
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — A St. Petersburg man was charged after illegally harvesting a goliath grouper, according to an arrest affidavit from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Malcom Woods, 63, 'willfully harvested and kept' a goliath grouper he caught in the waters off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Sunday. Have you seen me? FWC asking for help documenting rare, shimmering snake Goliath groupers were overfished throughout the 20th century and suffered large population losses as a result. Harvesting the fish was prohibited in 1990, but the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission began allowing limited recreational harvesting in 2022. Harvesting is only allowed from March 1 to May 31, and anglers have to hope to get one of the 200 permits available each year. Woman bitten by alligator while hiking in Florida Even if you do get a permit, which are only awarded through a random lottery, you're limited to only one fish, which has to be between 24 and 36 inches. In Woods' case, he was fishing in the off-season, did not have a permit and caught a fish that was too small to be harvested. He was charged with two misdemeanors: possession of a goliath grouper and possession of a goliath grouper during closed season. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
