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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 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.
Jul 23, 2019
Operation Pop Top results - Summer 2019
Media Contact: Carrie Horstman, PIO
Between May and July 2019, PCSO deputies, with the help of a volunteer Explorer* conducted several "Operation Pop Top" investigations throughout Polk County in an effort to combat the illegal sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors.
Dozens of stores were checked, and a large percentage of the clerks working at those stores complied with the law. Some clerks, however, were arrested for sale of alcohol or tobacco to a minor:
On May 9, 2019, Deputies arrested 48-year-old Jodi Cummings of Lakeland for one count sale of alcohol to a minor, for selling the high school Explorer an alcoholic beverage at the Mobil station located at 3230 US Hwy 98 North in Lakeland, where Cummings works.
On May 14, 2019, Deputies arrested 18-year-old Adrian Padilla of Haines City for one count sale of alcohol to a minor, for selling the high school Explorer an alcoholic beverage at the Racetrac located at 32886 US Hwy 27 in Haines City, where Padilla works.
On May 14, 2019, Deputies arrested 28-year-old Brandi Wright of Haines City for one count sale of alcohol to a minor, for selling the high school Explorer an alcoholic beverage at the Citgo located at 302 East Main Street in Dundee, where Wright works.
On July 19, 2019, Deputies arrested 40-year-old Brenda Myers of Winter Haven for one count sale of alcohol to a minor, for selling the high school Explorer an alcoholic beverage at the Mobil located at 1509 Havendale Blvd in Winter Haven, where Myers works.
On July 19, 2019, Deputies arrested 38-year-old Tiffany Nicholas of Haines City for one count sale of alcohol to a minor, for selling the high school Explorer an alcoholic beverage at the Citgo located at 5775 East Johnson Ave in Haines City, where Nicholas works.
*A high school Explorer is a teenager involved with the PCSO Explorer Post who volunteers to assist deputies doing compliance checks.