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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 Meghan Petty. 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.
On Tuesday, May 8, 2018, PCSO deputies and the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force, Orlando and Tampa Offices, arrested 39-year-old Krystle Lee Anderson, who had an Orange County warrant for failure to appear (original charges: armed kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a LEO, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and false imprisonment), after finding her hiding in a tote inside a Winter Haven home.
48-year-old John Robert Carr, Jr., who is Anderson's boyfriend, was hiding Anderson when the task force and deputies arrived at his home, located at 107-B Lake Elizabeth Drive in Winter Haven. He was also arrested for resisting arrest.
According to the affidavit, in 2015, Anderson went into a Burger King in Orange County, where she held the people inside hostage with a firearm (which was later discovered to be a BB gun) until she was involved in a shooting with an Ocoee Police Officer, during which she was injured and lost both of her legs. She was charged with the aforementioned charges, and had a court appearance, for which she did not appear. Subsequently, the failure to appear warrant was issued.
The task force received information that she was at the Winter Haven residence with her boyfriend, and relayed it to PCSO. When deputies and agents arrived, Carr told them she wasn't there, however, he was observed through one of the windows putting a person into a plastic tote in one of the bedrooms. Anderson ended up surrendering to the deputies and agents without incident, and was transported to the Polk County Jail. Carr was also arrested for resisting arrest. Further charges are pending.
For any inquiries related to the 2015 warrant, please contact the Orange County Sheriff's Office or the Ocoee Police Department.