Category: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd

Sweep Rounds Up Probation-Breaking Sex Offenders in Polk County

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd treated 14 registered sex offenders to his “Cross Bar Hotel” during a month-long Halloween initiative the sheriff’s office announced on Nov. 1. During October, the operation conducted by Polk County’s Special Victims Unit, Crime Suppression Teams, and the Florida Department of Corrections and Probation, aimed to make sure…


Central Florida Human Trafficking Sting Operation, Sheriff’s Office Arrest Disney Employee and School Teachers

Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested 160 people—including a police officer, a Disney employee, and school teachers—throughout central Florida as part of a seven-day multi-agency undercover prostitution investigation that began on Aug. 30, 2022. “The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and allows for the continued victimization of those who are being trafficked,” said Sheriff Grady Judd…


Polk County Prostitution Sting Nets Georgia Deputy Police Chief

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—A Georgia deputy police chief attending a polygraph training workshop in Orlando landed behind bars after Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said he was caught in a prostitution sting on Sept. 1. According to a Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Jason DiPrima, 49 of Kingston, Georgia, was arrested on Sept. 1 for…


Polk County Deputies Surprise Sheriff with Replica of First Patrol Car

WINTER HAVEN, Fla.—It was 1972 and a banner year for Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Two important things happened: he signed onto the Polk County Sheriff’s Department, and he married his high school sweetheart Marisa. After 50 years in the force, Judd so has his finger on the pulse of “his community” that he can…


85 Arrested, $12.8 Million in Drugs and 49 Guns Seized in Central Florida: Polk County Sheriff

WINTER HAVEN, Fla.–A multi-agency investigation resulted in the breakup on an international drug ring, with the arrest of 85 suspects and the seizure of firearms and $12.8 million worth of drugs, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced on Aug. 19. Judd said the drugs—including enough fentanyl to kill 96,000 people—were “smuggled in suitcases” using domestic…


Florida Firefighter Arrested on Multiple Counts of Possession of Child Porn

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.–A captain with the Polk County Fire Station was arrested on Aug. 7 on more than 25 counts of possession of child pornography at the fire station where he was on duty. At the time of his arrest, Brian Steger, 40, told deputies that he had set up an internet account in his…


Removal of Florida State Attorney About Neglect of Duty and Is Not Political, DeSantis Says

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—Gov. Ron DeSantis removed a Hillsborough County state attorney on Aug. 4 because he did not follow the rule of law. At a press conference on Aug. 5, Florida’s governor said he suspended Andrew Warren, who represented the 13th judicial circuit in Hillsborough County, on the basis of “neglect of duty.” The accusation…


DeSantis Signs Law Enforcement Bill to Recruit and Retain Officers

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis gave law enforcement across Florida a boost on Friday, when he signed into law a bill to help recruit and retain officers in the state. “While other parts of the country are mistreating, marginalizing, and defunding law enforcement, in Florida we continue to prioritize and appreciate our law…