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.

May 29, 2019

Former school bus attendant re-arrested on additional abuse charges

Media Contact: Carrie Horstman, PIO

On May 29, 2019, PCSO Special Victims Unit detectives arrested 43-year-old Juanita Tappin of Lakeland and charged her with one new count of child abuse (F-3) and one new count of abuse of disabled adult (F-3), after a review of 30 days' worth of bus video that showed she abused two other victims, a special needs child and an adult. The review of the previous bus video also revealed other incidents of abuse on previously identified victims, showing an ongoing course of criminal conduct.

According to the affidavit, Tappin was previously arrested on May 9, 2019, for 6 felony counts of abuse on disabled adults and special needs children on the school bus where she worked as an attendant. Tappin was seen abusing the victims on bus video from May 7, 2019.

After her arrest, detectives reviewed the school bus video for the previous 30 days. The video clearly depicts Tappin striking two of the previously identified victims on several other occasions during the month of April 2019.

A review of the video also revealed two additional victims not previously identified. One of those victims is a disabled adult - Tappin struck him on the face with her hand. Another victim is a special needs child - Tappin struck him in the head with a plastic bottle and the metal end of a seatbelt.

Most of the bus riders are non-verbal and unable to speak about the abuse.

Per Florida State Statute 119, we are not releasing the bus video, as it would identify the victims of this type of abuse.

"We were hoping that we wouldn't see any more abuse when we went back and reviewed a month's worth of bus video, but we knew in our guts that we probably would. There are no words to describe how sickened we are to see this woman prey upon these helpless, most innocent of victims." - Grady Judd, Sheriff

Tappin is being booked into the Polk County Jail on the above-mentioned charges, where she will be held until a first appearance hearing on Thursday, May 30, 2019.

According to Polk County Public Schools, Tappin was suspended without pay on May 15, 2019 and she will be terminated at the June 18, 2019, school board meeting.

Click here to read the previous news release.