Latest news with #PolkCounty
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘You done messed up': Wanted man who challenged Polk deputies on Facebook to catch him arrested by Lakeland police
POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The Lakeland Police Department said it arrested a man after he taunted the Polk County Sheriff's Office on Facebook over warrants and bragged that he couldn't be caught. Aaron Johnson, who police said had several felony warrants, commented on Sheriff Grady Judd's 'Fishing with Judd' event: 'Y'all too busy fishing, that's why y'all didn't catch me when I left my grandma's house today! Should've waited a bit longer. Y'all accepted da challenge right? #GradyCan'tFindMe #ComeAgainGrady' The sheriff's office responded to the comment with: 'Spoken like a real man. Way to take responsibility for your actions. No worries – we will find you. Bet.' 'Who the blank is the Polk County Sheriff's Office': Officer arrested after battering security guard: PCSO The Lakeland Police Department said it ended 'that little game.' 'Our officers and detectives tracked him down and personally delivered him to the deputies at the Polk County Jail,' the police department posted on Facebook. 'What Aaron didn't know is— that we got their backs!' 'You done messed up A-aron! You forgot all the agencies here in Polk work together…………thanks LakelandPD for the find. #GotEm #TeamworkMakesTheDreamwork #PlayStupidGamesWinStupidPrizes #AaronRanButWeCaughtHimAnyway' the Polk County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. 'Nice try, Aaron. Maybe next time… but probably not,' Lakeland police officers added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man wanted for unlicensed contracting in Deltona arrested in Polk County
A man who the Volusia Sheriff's Office said took money for a kitchen remodel but didn't do the work ― and didn't have the required licensing ― has been arrested in Polk County, according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office. Argelys Virgilio Zambrano Andrade, 37, was wanted by the Volusia Sheriff's Office for theft and unlicensed contracting. Zambrano took $14,950 in down payments from a Deltona customer to remodel a kitchen. "VSO detectives learned Zambrano immediately cashed the victim's checks but never applied for any permits and does not possess the required licensing," according to the sheriff's office. "Zambrano, of 'ZL Renovations LLC' in Orlando, is charged with Contractor Fraud, Unregistered Contractor, and Fraud Impersonating during a State of Emergency." Officials notified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an immigration detainer. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Unlicensed Volusia contractor arrested for $15K theft, officials say
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd names obstacles in detaining migrants under Trump's immigration policies
A Florida sheriff said law enforcement is "waiting at go" to assist the Trump administration with immigration enforcement, but worries about the lack of detention capacity. Fox News Digital spoke with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on the current status of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. "We heard President Trump loud and clear when he said start with the worst first, and let's get these illegal aliens out of the country," Judd said. However, the sheriff pointed to a significant bottleneck: the lack of federal capacity to detain migrants, and that, despite arrests, "they're turned [migrants] back into the street" due to ICE's limited resources. Judd pointed to the lack of holding facilities and the complications arising from federal rules, which generally prevent local jails from holding migrants for more than 48 hours after their release from local custody unless the jails have Intergovernmental Service Agreements (IGSAs) that allow for longer detention under federal authority. "You see, county jails can hold them [migrants] short term if we have accompanying criminal charges, but we can't hold them long term," he said. "We're more than willing to do that with the federal government once the federal government recognizes that we're helping them — they're not helping us." WATCH: The need for additional detention space and resources came as the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) became the first in the nation to train and deploy troopers under the federal 287(g) agreement, which authorizes designated state officers to enforce immigration law in partnership with federal agents. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the initiative is already delivering results and believes it could serve as a blueprint for other states seeking to take immigration enforcement into their own hands. Judd called for federal executive action, saying, "The president is the only one that can break this logjam." The Sunshine State, he said, is prepared to execute practical solutions, such as setting up temporary "soft side housing" for detainees, modeled after hurricane emergency shelters. "We're eager to make it happen. We're sitting on go," he said, while criticizing the lack of support. "The federal government doesn't have the infrastructure to hold them, nor are they willing to pay when we offer the infrastructure." Judd defended ICE personnel, acknowledging their efforts despite what he describes as inherited limitations from the previous Biden administration. "But they are limited," he said. "They're severely limited because they're operating with the resources that the Biden administration left them with. And the Biden administration wasn't into deporting people. They were into importing people." The sheriff said stricter detention policies will serve as a deterrent for migrants. "We've got to stop the game playing, and only the federal government can do it," he said. Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment.
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Cocky fugitive's social media challenge to sheriff backfires in spectacular fashion
A wanted Florida man has been arrested after a series of social media posts taunting the Polk County Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Grady Judd for not being able to catch him. The Polk County Sheriff's Office and Lakeland Police Department shared a series of Facebook posts by 29-year-old Aaron Donta Johnson, who was a wanted man for violating a pretrial release condition. "Ya'll too busy fishing dats why yall didn't catch me when I left my grandmas house today," Johnson said in one post to Judd's department. "Should've waited a bit longer. Yall accepted da challenge right. #GradyCan't FindMe #ComeAgainGrady." The posts, laden with poor grammar and bad spelling, appeared to be a dig towards Judd and his department for being too late to the scene. But that did not stop Judd and his team from responding to Johnson and taking on the challenge. "Spoken like a true man. Way to take responsibility for your actions," the sheriff's office wrote. "No worries – we will find you. Bet." As the posts continued, Johnson told the sheriff's office, "I done out ran yall several time. #ComeTryAgainGrady." "Challenge accepted," the sheriff's office wrote. In the final post shared by the sheriff's office, Johnson responded, "OK! I'll give you and ya crew a head start. Ya'll couldn't catch me on foot or in da car last time. Maybe you gonna need that horse or ya helicopter! #level up #ImGoneGrady." Also accepting the challenge, unbeknownst to Johnson, was the Lakeland Police Department, after he bragged about not being caught despite having multiple felony warrants issued against him. Johnson was ultimately captured by the Lakeland Police Department, who transported him to the Polk County Jail. "What Aaron didn't know is – that we got their backs," Lakeland Police wrote on social media. "When Aaron Johnson jumped on Facebook and challenged the Polk County Sheriff's Office, bragging he couldn't be caught despite having multiple felony warrants, our LPD officers said, 'Challenge accepted. "Today, that little game ended," the police department continued. "Our officers and detectives tracked him down and personally delivered him to the Deputies at the Polk County Jail. Nice Try, Aaron. Maybe next time…but probably not." Judd has become known for his no-nonsense tactics when it comes to stopping crime in Polk County. He's also become infamous for making examples of criminals – Johnson was no different. "You done messed up A-aron!" the Polk County Sheriff's Office said, referring to a hilarious and popular bit on the sketch comedy show, "Key & Peele." "You forgot all the agencies here in Polk work LakelandPD for the find. #GotEm #TeamworkMakesTheDreamwork #PlayStupidGamesWinStupidPrizes #AaronRanButWeCaughtHimAnyway." Johnson has been in and out of the Polk County Jail several times since at least 2015, on charges including drug possession, driving on a suspended license, domestic assault, burglary, and written threat to kill or injure another person, according to jail records. He now faces several charges, including violation of pretrial release conditions.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Fox News
Fugitive ex-deputy vanishes before trial in deadly sports car crash
An arrest warrant has been issued for an ex-deputy in Polk County, Florida, who failed to appear for his April trial after being charged with two counts of manslaughter in 2022. In the early morning hours of April 12, 2022, Joshua Roelofs allegedly killed Kris Koroly, 44, and Ricky Gongora, 44, in a high-speed DUI crash on the Courtney Campbell Causeway in the Tampa, Florida, area. A third person was left permanently disabled after the wreck. According to the Tampa Bay Times, he was scheduled to appear in court in April of this year to either plead guilty to DUI manslaughter charges or ask the state for a trial. Initially, he was released from jail on a $19,000 bond. However, he was a no-show for that court date and has not been seen since. The Times reported Roelofs was a Polk County Sheriff's deputy for about five years until he was fired in 2015 for allegedly filing inaccurate time records so he could receive extra pay. Just before the 2022 crash, dashcam video from inside the Nissan GT-R sports car Roelofs was driving reportedly caught him driving erratically and swerving in and out of lanes before crashing into an SUV carrying Koroly, Gongora and two other people. One of the surviving passengers sustained a severe brain injury in the crash and was in a coma for four months. He reportedly "struggles to walk, has seizures, needs constant assistance and has a reduced mental capacity," the Tampa Bay Times reported. Roelofs has ties to Ohio and Michigan. Fox News Digital reached out to his attorneys, Deborah Barra and Glen Lansky, who withdrew as his counsel when he failed to appear in court. The U.S. Marshals Service did not return a comment request.
