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📍 Crime & Public Safety — Polk County, Florida

Stay informed with the latest crime news, public safety alerts, arrests, court updates, traffic incidents, and emergency response coverage across Polk County, Florida. Daily Ridge delivers accurate, timely reporting from local law enforcement agencies and first responders, helping residents of Lakeland, Winter Haven, Lake Wales, Bartow, Auburndale, and surrounding communities stay aware of issues impacting public safety..

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Crime & Public Safety

Winter Haven Man Takes Golf Cart Worth $10,000 After Cutting Off Ankle Monitor

Staff Reporter - 0
On June 14, 2026 at approximately 6:41 p.m., Winter Haven officers were alerted by the Department of Juvenile Justice that an ankle monitor had been cut off and was pinging in the area of 11th St NE and Country Lane NE. Officers...
HCPD

Haines City Police Investigating Shooting – One Person Critically Injured

Carl Fish - 0
HAINES CITY, Fla. — Haines City Police are investigating an early morning shooting near Harbor Court Apartments off Peninsular Drive that left one man hospitalized with a gunshot wound. According to Haines City Police Department Public Information Officer Brooke Hart,...
Polk County Sheriff's Office

Motorcyclist Arrested After Allegedly Reaching Speeds Over 140 MPH on Interstate 4

Allison - 0
A 22-year-old motorcyclist was arrested after allegedly fleeing from law enforcement while traveling at speeds exceeding 140 miles per hour on Interstate 4, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. The rider, identified as Ethan McAuley-Mendez, was first spotted by...
Polk County Sheriff's Office

Employee Of Well Known Criminal Defense Law Firm Charged With Grand Theft, Forgery & Scheme To Defraud

Carl Fish - 0
A former employee of a well known Bartow law firm is facing multiple felony charges after State Attorney’s Office investigators alleged she diverted client payments, created false records, and concealed missing funds over a period of several years. Natalie Escamilla,...
HCPD

Haines City Police Officer Arrested, Accused of Using Dead Man’s Identity to Rack Up $10,000 in Charges

Carl Fish - 0
Fraud detectives from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, following an investigation into identity theft from a deceased person and unauthorized credit card charges totaling thousands of dollars.  24-year-old Jeffrey Ziegler is accused of...
Polk County Sheriff's Office

Middle School Student Faces Multiple Felony Charges After Bomb Threats at School

Allison - 0
The following info and photo has been released by PCSO: The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested a 14-year-old middle school student from Lakeland Highlands Middle School after he was positively identified as the suspect who made multiple bomb threats...
Crime & Public Safety

Fentanyl Dealer Indicted for Murder Following Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigation

Staff Reporter - 0
A fentanyl dealer arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has been indicted for the murder of a man who fatally overdosed on the fentanyl last year. According to the PCSO’s Organized Crime Unit, 39-year-old William Benjamin Newton, Jr. of...
Polk County Sheriff's Office

Lakeland Restaurant Server Already On Probation Now Accused of Fraud Against Customers

Carl Fish - 0
A Lakeland restaurant server is facing multiple felony charges after Polk County investigators say she used a customer’s debit card information to make nearly $900 in unauthorized purchases after serving the victim at a local restaurant. According to an affidavit...
Crime & Public Safety

Fishing Pole Theft Investigation Leads to Double Arrest

Staff Reporter - 0
A burglar in Winter Haven was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff's Office Monday evening, May 18, 2026, and another went to jail on unrelated charges. PCSO deputies responded to a home on Trinity Circle NW in Winter Haven after...
Polk County Sheriff's Office

Dundee Man Pleads Guilty And Will Spend 3 Years In Prison For Road Rage Incident

Carl Fish - 0
A road rage incident along Lake Hatchineha Road between Haines City and Poinciana that investigators say ended with gunfire into another vehicle has now resulted in a prison sentence, with the suspect’s own 911 call and dash camera footage...
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Winter Haven News

Alert Neighbor Calls Police While Juvenile Burglarizing Vehicles In Neighborhood 

Allison - 0
On August 25, 2026 at approximately 1:45 a.m., Winter Haven officers responded to a residence on Salisbury Dr. in Winter Haven where a neighbor was...
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