Man jailed after leaving boat in road — outside sheriff’s substation, Florida cops say

Boats are everywhere in Florida, but one motorist is accused of leaving his in an odd place — blocking the entrance to a sheriff’s office substation, investigators say.

The derelict craft was found just after 9 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 11, in the 4900 block of Thomas Nursery Road near Lake Wales, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Lake Wales is about 60 miles east of Tampa.

Investigators say the airboat was being towed when it fell from a trailer into the road and was “abandoned” by the driver.

The same substation serves Polk County Fire Rescue and it was a fire captain who alerted deputies to a boat blocking the entrance.

“The captain reported that the driver of a dark Ford F150 that had been hauling the boat appeared intoxicated before he drove away from the area,” the sheriff’s office says.

Investigators say the owner returned with another man to “retrieve the boat,” and a deputy noted he appeared agitated and was yelling, officials said.

An attempt to calm him had the opposite effect, the report states.

“At that time, (the suspect) became irate with the deputy, took an aggressive stance towards him, charged in his direction, pushed his chest out at the deputy with his fist balled up, began yelling in the deputy’s face, and ignored the deputy’s commands,” the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies arrested the man after observing he exhibited slurred speech, balance issues and had bloodshot eyes, officials said.

He was charged with DUI, assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence, officials said.

“One of (the suspect’s) breath samples showed him to be four times the legal limit. I’m not sure how he was walking, let alone driving,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in the release.

This story was originally published February 13, 2024 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Man jailed after leaving boat in road — outside sheriff’s substation, Florida cops say."