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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.
Jul 9, 2026
Lakeland man arrested for exposing himself at Mulberry Walmart
Media Contact: Carrie Horstman, Media Relations Administrator
On July 8, 2026, the Polk County Sheriff's Office published a Crime Stoppers video on YouTube and Facebook seeking the public's help to identify an older adult white male suspect who exposed himself to a 5-year-old little girl at the Mulberry Walmart on July 6, 2026.
Here is the Crime Stoppers video: https://youtu.be/Ss3m4iKFxtU
Here is the redacted video of him exposing himself at Walmart: https://youtu.be/nGxqT7CBo9Y
On July 9, 2026, the Polk County Sheriff's Office received an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip with this information: 'The suspect is David Hicks who did the same thing in Toccoa, Georgia.'
Detectives looked at Hicks' photo and he looked exactly like the suspect seen in the surveillance video.
This afternoon around 1:00 p.m. detectives responded to Hicks' home, 2811 John David Place in Lakeland, and took him into custody.
Detectives learned the following about Hicks:
Hicks is the younger brother of Thomas Hicks, who was arrested during Operation Polk Around and Find out/Operation Child Protector VIII (news release: https://tinyurl.com/ys5scj4u). Thomas Hicks has been playing Santa Claus in Lakeland for years. He is still in the Polk County Jail with several felonies, including human trafficking.
David Hicks' (DOB 3/1/1964) criminal history is as follows:
1991 - arrested in Anderson, SC, for indecent exposure; fined
1992 - arrested in Toccoa, GA, for indecent exposure; no disposition
1996 - arrested in Escambia County, FL, for indecent exposure; sentenced to 3 months in jail
1998 - arrested in Toccoa, GA, for indecent exposure; nolle prosse
1998 - arrested twice in Toccoa, GA, for child molestation; one charge was nolle prosse, and one charge resulted in adjudication withheld, 5 years probation.
Hicks refused to speak with PCSO detectives this afternoon. So far, he is being charged with:
One count indecent exposure (F3)
One count lewd exhibition (F3)
One count exposure of sexual organs (F3)
Here is a video of him being taken to the Sheriff's Processing Center this afternoon: https://youtube.com/shorts/YNX-sRqbPlU?feature=share
If you believe you are a victim of David Hicks, or have witnessed him exposing himself, please contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 863-298-6200.
Sheriff Judd commented on this case this afternoon which is posted on the PCSO Facebook page as a live video @polkcountysheriff and the PCSO YouTube page as well @polksheriff.