News and Investigations

News & Investigations

News Releases and Public Information

Welcome to the Polk County Sheriff's Office News Room, where the Public Information Officers (PIO's) post all of the information that they release to the news media. PIO's act as liaisons between news media organizations and the Sheriff's Office. The PIO's routinely release timely and accurate information and Crime Stoppers bulletins, and respond to routine and "breaking news" media inquiries. News releases and Crime Stoppers information can be found on this page.

PCSO's full-time Public Information Officers are Brian Bruchey, Carrie Horstman, and Alicia Manautou. The Public Information Officers can be reached by sending an e-mail collectively at PIOs@polksheriff.org.

The recent news releases sent out by the PIOs can be found here, and archived releases (older than 2017) can be found here.

Aug 28, 2020

Operation Pop Top Results

Media Contact: Alicia Manautou, PIO

On Thursday, August 27, 2020, PCSO deputies, with the help of a volunteer Explorer*, conducted "Operation Pop Top" in the Lakeland and Mulberry areas, in an effort to combat the illegal sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors. 12 stores were checked, and 11 were in compliance.

Deputies arrested a 17-year-old store clerk for one count sale of alcohol to a minor, for selling the high school Explorer an alcoholic beverage at the Wawa Gas Station located at 5410 South Florida Avenue in Lakeland.

The following stores were in compliance:

Pipkin One Stop Shop, 1155 W Pipkin Rd, Lakeland
Marathon Gas Station, 933 W Pipkin Rd, Lakeland
7-Eleven, 4975 Florida Ave S, Lakeland
Vaghasia & Son Citgo, 5385 Florida Ave S, Lakeland
7-Eleven, 1101 Co Rd 540A, Lakeland
Sunoco Gas Station, 6915 S Carter Rd, Lakeland
RaceTrac, 6486 Florida Ave S, Lakeland
Marathon, 6808 Florida Ave S, Lakeland
7-Eleven, 7040 N Church Ave, Mulberry
Murphy’s, 6801 N Church Ave, Mulberry
Sunoco Gas Station, 1285 N Church Ave, Mulberry

*A high school Explorer is a teenager involved with the PCSO Explorer Post who volunteers to assist deputies doing compliance checks.