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.

Apr 27, 2018

PCSO Vice Unit Arrests Four Men for Lewd Activities at County Parks

Media Contact: Carrie Horstman, PIO

On Thursday, April 26, 2018, the PCSO Undercover Vice Unit conducted an operation at Saddle Creek Park, Gator Creek Preserve, and Circle B Preserve in unincorporated Polk County, in response to complaints about lewd activity at the parks. Four suspects were arrested for lewd activity:

82-year-old Robert Lee Greene of Silver Lakes Drive East in Lakeland, grabbed an undercover male detective at one of the parks, exposed himself, and solicited the detective to perform a sex act. He was arrested and charged with one count indecent exposure (M-1), one count soliciting another for lewdness (M-1), and two counts battery (M-1). He was issued a trespass from all parks in the county. He remains in the Polk County Jail in lieu of $2,000 bond.

59-year-old Gene Smith, Jr., of Bradbury Road in Haines City, exposed himself to an undercover male detective at a park, and solicited him to perform a sex act. He was arrested and charged with one count indecent exposure (M-1), and one count soliciting another for lewdness (M-1). He was issued a trespass from all parks in the county. He was released from the Polk County Jail after posting $1,000 bond.

26-year-old Clint Stinson of Pleasant Place in Lakeland, solicited an undercover male detective at a park to perform a sex act. He was arrested and charged with one count soliciting another for lewdness (M-1). He was issued a trespass from all parks in the county. He was released from the Polk County Jail after posting $500 bond.

50-year-old James Thames of Citrus Hill Drive in Polk City, solicited an undercover male detective at a park to perform a sex act. He was arrested and charged with one count soliciting another for lewdness (M-1). He was issued a trespass from all parks in the county. He was released from the Polk County Jail after posting $500 bond.

"We will continue to conduct operations such as this one to get the message across to everyone that we will not tolerate this type of criminal activity at our parks. Believe it or not, two of the four suspects we arrested, mentioned that they knew we made arrests like this - yet they did it anyway." - Grady Judd, Sheriff