A 51-year-old Lakeland man was arrested Sunday after deputies say he assaulted a woman in the parking lot of a Checkers on U.S. 98 North and then battled authorities who attempted to arrest him. Witnesses informed authorities that the vehicle involved fled, but law enforcement eventually located it and said that the man was still abusing the woman as they approached. Authorities identified the suspect as Rey Caballero Alarcon, and additional units were dispatched to assist in securing him in a patrol car.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd’s office, deputies responded on July 19 to reports of a physical altercation in the parking lot along U.S. 98 North, and a witness assisted them in locating a vehicle that had left the scene. The sheriff’s office listed Caballero Alarcon’s charges on social media, including violating an injunction against the victim, resisting with violence (third-degree felony), battery on a law-enforcement officer (third-degree felony), resisting without violence (misdemeanor), corruption by threat (misdemeanor), violating probation, and battery with a previous conviction. Grady Judd, the Polk County Sheriff, has reported the information. According to the sheriff’s tweet, a deputy observed Rey Caballero Alarcon continuing to physically strike the female victim as he closed in on the vehicle. Deputies say the first officer who attempted to arrest Caballero Alarcon was met with resistance, threats, and spitting before backup arrived, and investigators believe the suspect had been drinking for the majority of the day. According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, additional deputies eventually helped restrain Caballero Alarcon and secure him in a patrol car.
The sheriff’s office identified Caballero Alarcon as a respondent in a protective order that prohibited him from contacting the victim. Florida Statute §741.31 states that a willful violation of an injunction for protection can result in either civil or criminal proceedings. Several of the charges listed in the sheriff’s post, such as resisting with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer, are third-degree felonies under state law, with penalties outlined in the state’s general sentencing statute (see Florida Statute 775.082 for sentencing ranges).
Following an arrest like this, prosecutors typically review the case to determine what formal charges to file and when to schedule an arraignment. An arrest does not constitute a conviction, and Caballero Alarcon is deemed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Domestic violence occurrences continue to account for a significant portion of violent crime reports in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s UCR Domestic Violence data. Investigators have asked anyone who witnessed the incident near the Checkers on U.S. 98 North to contact them.
Leave a Reply