Interim Lakeland police chief under investigation

Submitted by Tammie Fields, Weekend Anchor/Reporter

Friday, January 31st, 2014, 8:48pm

Lakeland, Florida -- While Lakeland Police Chief Lisa Womack has resigned from her position with the department, 10 News has learned her temporary replacement is the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation.

Retired Lakeland Police Officer Jimmy Mock says he can't believe that the person chosen to replace her on an interim basis is Assistant Police Chief Larry Giddens.

"It's almost like they traded one bad apple for another," Mock says.

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Submitted by Taylor Katz, Web Producer, 10 News In Your Neighborhood

Friday, January 31st, 2014, 7:36pm

Clearwater, Florida-- Cell phone users everywhere should be cautious of a new scam that could jack up their phone bills for simply answering the phone, or returning a missed call.

The Better Business Bureau has received several reports of what they're calling "Ring and Runs", or "The One Ring Scam" from wireless customers nationwide.

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Submitted by Eric Glasser, Anchor/Reporter

Friday, January 31st, 2014, 6:47pm

Lakeland, FL -- The State Attorney's Office 20-page report suggests Chief Lisa Womack abused her authority to gain favoritism for her husband's nephew, Rhett Hughes.

READ: Summary of SAO report on Lakeland Police Chief Lisa Womack (pdf)

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Submitted by Kristin Weber, Web Producer, 10News In Your Neighborhood

Friday, January 31st, 2014, 12:57am

Lakeland, Florida -- Lakeland's police chief has been placed on administrative leave less than a week after announcing her resignation.

City Manager Doug Thomas announced Thursday he has placed Chief Womack on administrative leave after reviewing the results of a State Attorney's Office investigation documenting Womack allegedly violated rules in the hiring practices used for a Public Safety Aide (PSA) position in order to benefit her nephew.

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Submitted by WTSP Web Staff

Thursday, January 30th, 2014, 11:28pm

Lakeland, Florida-- Imagine you're told you have three-to-six months to live, but thanks to the generosity of others, it's been over a year-and-a-half and counting.

John Ciempa, a 66-year-old resident of Lakeland, suffers from a rare bone marrow disorder, and was told he needed a bone marrow match to survive.

In may of 2012, a match was delivered, and now John graciously gets to meet the man who saved his life, 31-year-old Christopher Howard, a New York firefighter.

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Submitted by WTSP Web Staff

Wednesday, January 29th, 2014, 10:46pm

Brooklyn, New York -- A Bay area man came face to face for the first time with a firefighter who saved his life from miles away.

66-year old John Ciempa from Lakeland was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and needed a bone marrow transplant.

His life was saved by a donation made by Christopher Howard, a New York City firefighter.

The two met for the first time earlier today at the FDNY Brooklyn headquarters.

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Submitted by Kristin Weber, Web Producer, 10News In Your Neighborhood

Wednesday, January 29th, 2014, 2:10pm

Lake Wales, Florida -- Dealing with thieves is all in a day's work at any law enforcement agency, so it's understandable that sometimes they may get the itch to poke fun at those that think they can get away with their crimes -- especially in this day and age of technology.

And that's just what the Polk County Sheriff's Office did in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.

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