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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

Traffic Stop in Winter Haven Leads to Arrest, 13 Iguanas Found Bound in Truck Bed

Staff Reporter - 0
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A routine traffic stop early Friday morning escalated into a wildlife investigation after Florida Highway Patrol troopers discovered more than a dozen live iguanas bound and being transported in a pickup truck. According to FHP Public...
Crime & Public Safety

Case Against Winter Haven Businessman Accused of Groping A Woman Could Be Moving Towards Trial

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A Winter Haven businessman is moving closer to trial in a battery case involving allegations a young woman was groped while working at a downtown Winter Haven establishment. James Franklin Knight has entered a not guilty plea in connection with...
Crime & Public Safety

Sheriff Grady Judd to Detail 266 Arrests in “Polk Around and Find Out” Undercover Operation Targeting Trafficking and Predators

Staff Reporter - 0
Sheriff Grady Judd will brief the media at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, Friday, May 1, 2026, at the PCSO Sheriff's Operations Center, 1891 Jim Keene Blvd in Winter Haven, about a multi-day joint-agency undercover investigation, "Polk Around and Find Out" that...
Polk County Sheriff's Office

“Operation Child Protector VIII”Nineteen Suspects Arrested During Undercover Investigation Focusing on Those Who Travel to Have Sex With Minors

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During a multi-day joint-agency undercover operation led by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office named “Operation Child Protector VIII” focusing on those who prey upon and travel to meet children for unlawful sexual activity, 19 suspects were arrested for a...
Polk County Sheriff's Office

Polk County Man Known for Playing Santa Arrested in Child Predator Sting According To PCSO Arrest Reports

Carl Fish - 0
A 68-year-old Polk County man known locally for portraying Santa Claus at community Christmas events was among 19 people arrested in Operation Child Protector VIII, a multi-agency undercover investigation targeting alleged child predators, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s...
Crime & Public Safety

PCSO Deputy Arrested Following His Inappropriate Communications With A Juvenile  Cadet Under His Supervision

Staff Reporter - 0
PCSO Press Release Detectives from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man who served as a deputy sheriff with the agency and who was assigned as an advisor for the PCSO’s cadet program. Skylar Lamar Bush, 29, was charged...
Crime & Public Safety

Winter Haven Woman with Four Felony Warrants Found Hiding Under Blanket, Arrested by PCSO K9 Unit

Staff Reporter - 0
On Tuesday, April 21st at around 8:30 pm, 36-year-old Holley Heart of Winter Haven was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. PCSO deputies were looking for Ms. Heart because she had four active felony warrants for her arrest: Failure to...
Crime & Public Safety

Suspected Burglar Captured on Camera, Faces Deportation After Arrest in Winter Haven

Staff Reporter - 0
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of committing multiple thefts and burglaries across the area, Sheriff Grady Judd announced. Cesar Antonio Hernandez, who officials say is in the United States illegally from Mexico, is currently being...
Lakeland

Lakeland Woman Dies Following Two-Vehicle Crash on Providence Road

Carl Fish - 0
A Lakeland woman has died following a two-vehicle crash that occurred Saturday morning in Lakeland. According to the Lakeland Police Department, officers responded at approximately 9:33 a.m. on April 18, 2026, to a crash at the intersection of Providence Road...
Crime & Public Safety

From Criminal Mischief to Missed Work Release: Winter Haven Man Arrested Again

Staff Reporter - 0
Almost one year ago, on April 20, 2025, Matthew Lynn Rhoton of Winter Haven (now 48 years old), got into some trouble by intentionally kicking and damaging the door of a car in a parking lot. The value of...
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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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