On January 6th, a Lake Wales woman reported that her cell phone was stolen by a known person.

The crime occurred on December 29th. She said that 37-year old Andrew Joseph McHaffie had asked to borrow her phone to call for an Uber ride, but when he left, he took the phone with him.

The victim made numerous unsuccessful attempts to get her phone back from McHaffie.

Then the victim began noticing unauthorized financial transactions totaling $275.

An arrest warrant was obtained for McHaffie, and on the morning of January 26th, deputies found him walking along State Road 60, near Story Road in Lake Wales.

Andrew Joseph McHaffie was #ArrestedByThePolkCountySheriffsOffice and taken to the Sheriff's Processing Center to be booked-in.

Due to four prior guilty convictions for theft, McHaffie's charges were enhanced to felonies. He was charged with: Felony Petit Theft (F3) and Criminal Use of Person Identification (F3).

McHaffie's prior criminal history consists of 33 arrests in Polk County, including arrests for burglary, grand theft of a motor vehicle, retail theft, and drug offenses.