News and Investigations

A Winter Haven man was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Sunday evening, September 28, 2025, after he fled from deputies while having an unrestrained child in his front seat.

At approximately 5:18 pm on Sunday, the Emergency Communications Center received a call from the McDonald’s at 6890 Cypress Gardens Boulevard in Winter Haven about a suspicious man in a black Chevy Tahoe at the drive-thru. The caller reported that the man had come through the drive-thru lane twice, appeared to be impaired, was making rude comments to them, and had several open beer cans in the vehicle. A very young, unrestrained child was also in the front seat of the vehicle.

A PCSO deputy who happened to be at the 7-11 across the street heard the information on his radio, and drove over to the restaurant. When the driver of the Tahoe saw the deputy approaching his vehicle on foot, he began to drive away from the scene.

While fleeing, the Tahoe ran a stop sign and a red light, and sped away at a high-rate of speed, and the deputy lost sight of the SUV.

The vehicle was found a short time later, unoccupied at a business at 6930 Cypress Gardens Boulevard.

The suspect was identified as 49-year old Robert Gray, who resides within a mile of where the Tahoe was abandoned. Gray is a retired PCSO deputy and chief pilot.

Click here to view Sheriff Judd’s comments.

Deputies responded to Gray’s residence, but he refused to exit the residence.

Eventually, Gray surrendered peacefully, and he was arrested without incident.

“The staff at McDonald’s did the right thing by reporting the suspect’s unusual behavior. He was not only making inappropriate comments to employees, but they feared the child might be endangered; they saw several empty beer cans in the vehicle, and they were worried the suspect could be intoxicated.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

Robert Gray was booked-in at the Sheriff’s Processing Center and charged with: Fleeing to Elude (F3), Negligent Child Abuse (F3), and Reckless Driving (M2).

The child was not injured, and deputies notified the Florida Department of Children and Families regarding the matter.