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 Brian Bruchey, Carrie Horstman, and Meghan Petty. 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.

Jun 12, 2025

Winter Haven man arrested for making up a story about a robbery

Media Contact: Brian Bruchey, PIO

A robbery was reported to the Polk County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at around 6:35 am.

36-year old Marc Edwin Rodney of Winter Haven said that a known man robbed him at gunpoint during a poker game.

Deputies soon located and detained that man for questioning, but he gave a different version of the incident, saying that Rodney lost money gambling. The man also said that Mr. Rodney had pushed him earlier in the evening when he pointed out that Rodney wasn't doing so well with his losses. The man was not in possession of a firearm.

Detectives located a witness who was at the poker game. He also said that Mr. Rodney lost money during the night, and even threatened to call law enforcement and claim that he was robbed.

And there was one other person who provided inconsistent information-- Marc Edwin Rodney himself. When detectives interviewed him again, he provided details that conflicted his previous statements, and then several other details he gave were proven to be false.

Marc Edwin Rodney was arrested and taken to the Polk County Jail and charged with Providing a False Report of a Felony, Giving False Information to a LEO, and Battery. Interestingly, he's been charged with providing false information to law enforcement on at least two other occasions.