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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 Carrie Horstman, Brian Bruchey, and Julianna Rivera. 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.
Jan 28, 2026
Lake Wales man arrested for stealing a phone and money from victim he knew
Media Contact: Brian Bruchey
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.