Polk County, FL

On Monday, August 8, 2022, an inmate in the Polk County Detention Center led the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to skeletal remains in a shallow grave west of Hatfield, Arkansas. The remains were found in a heavily wooded area along the Mountain Fork River. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office,...

As students got their syllabus and homework on the first day of school, drivers outside got their own kind of handouts.

The more than 120 schools in the Polk County School District are seeing higher enrollment numbers than ever. This year students can expect a few changes, including random security checks.

Come this new school year, students and parents of Lake Marion Creek Middle School will have access to a food pantry.

Erica shared her husband's 1936 Chevy Coupe. The couple take it to every car show. Recently, the staff at the Polk County Sheriff's Office surprised Sheriff Grady Judd with an exact replica of the first patrol car he ever drove.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida man is wanted in multiple cases of scratch-off lottery ticket thefts, in multiple cities. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office trying to identify the man, and police departments in Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Lake Wales are also trying to identify

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Polk County community is celebrating a big win after county commissioners put the stamp of approval on building sidewalks in their neighborhood. The Sidewalk Advisory Committee in Lakeland agreed that NW 1st street needs sidewalks. The Sidewalk Advisory Committee has a $2 million budget...

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Computer Crimes detectives arrested Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR) Captain Brian Steger (40 years old) for 25 counts of possession of child pornography – enhanced* (F2) and one count of promotion of child pornography (F2) after a tip was received by PCSO detectives and they responded to Polk county Fire Station #26 in Lake Wales to investigate. Steger resigned his employment in lieu of termination.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — The Polk County Sheriff's Office needs help identifying two men after they robbed multiple stores at gunpoint in central Florida on Sunday. According to deputies, the men entered the Family Dollar in Poinciana just after the store opened at 7 a.m. Surveillance video from...

Largemouth Bass — Bass fishing is good for Polk County area anglers. No real trophy size fish were reported this week, but the bite is steady. Strike Zone, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Around Polk County. 1 Around Lakeland, at Tenoroc,...

Law enforcement officials in Polk County remembered an egg-eating, size-defying and life-saving K-9 at a memorial fit for a hero Tuesday morning.

Enforcing “life begins with conception” requires surveillance of every pregnancy and a death investigation of every miscarriage. Tell us how you plan to do it in a press conference, Sheriff Judd. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd oversaw a 70 percent Polk County murder rate spike in 2020 —...

Over the last few weeks, Gov. Ron DeSantis has endorsed 29 Republican candidates in non-partisan school board races across Florida’s 67 counties. On Monday night, he added one more endorsement, and it was for a candidate in Polk County: Rick Nolte, who is challenging incumbent Polk School Board member Sarah Fortney.

Good morning, Tampa Bay. Here's what you need to know today. The east to southeast wind will continue but some drier air will be in place. Expect fewer storms Wednesday afternoon and evening. With more sunshine and fewer storms, temperatures will soar into the mid 90s in the afternoon. If...

More than 110,000 students and 13,000 employees returned to more than 150 Polk County public schools Wednesday morning for the first day of the 2022-2023 school year. Taylor Anderson, her daughter Alana Anderson, 7, and Alana’s aunt Breanna Smith stopped in front of a “Happy First Day, Lions!” sign at Philip O’Brien Elementary School for a quick photo.

A disgraced fire captain resigned amid an investigation that led to child pornography charges, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

The Lakeland Police Department has arrested a 24-year-old man on charges that he fatally shot his roommate July 2 at Big Oaks Apartments. LPD detectives arrested Thomas Anthony Rivera on Thursday and charged him with second-degree murder, the agency said in a news release. Rivera had been in custody since July 3 on charges of tampering with evidence and providing false information to law enforcement officers.