Polk County Sheriff’s Phone# 863-298-6200
If in an emergency Dial 911
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.
Feb 20, 2023
Polk County deputy arrested for DUI; his employment terminated
Media Contact: Scott Wilder, Director
At approximately 3:12 a.m. Saturday, February 18, 2023, Bartow Police responded to a single vehicle crash off the roadway of Highway 60 in Bartow near Main Street. They discovered 29-year-old James Peach of Polk County had been driving eastbound on Hwy 60 when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree on the shoulder of the road. He was driving his personal Chevrolet Silverado which sustained damage. Bartow officers determined that Peach appeared intoxicated, and he was placed under arrest for suspicion of DUI. Peach was uninjured.
Peach was taken to the PCSO Processing Center, where his blood alcohol concentration was determined to be .153 (over the legal limit of .08). Peach was hired in April of 2019 as a detention deputy and became a deputy sheriff in September of 2022. PCSO supervision accepted Peach's resignation during the booking process. Peach would have been fired had he not resigned. He posted a $500 bond and was released.
"In orientation I tell everyone you are held to a higher standard than the rest of the community and if you drink and drive you will be arrested and lose your job--that's exactly what happened." --Grady Judd, Sheriff