A Kissimmee man who went to a Polk County Sheriff’s Office station to recover a firearm seized during a traffic stop was brought back into custody when deputies uncovered an active felony warrant for his arrest.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the incident began when deputies stopped 21-year-old Tommy Hernandez of Osceola County because his vehicle’s lights were weak and his license plate was unreadable.
According to Judd, Hernandez quickly exited his vehicle and confronted deputies after being pulled over.
“We said, ‘Hey dude, calm down, chill out, it’s no big deal, have a seat in your car,'” Judd said. “He would not do that. We asked him to identify himself, but he declined. “He got in our face, refused to cooperate with the investigation, and was arrested.”
After the arrest, deputies discovered a.32-caliber Glock handgun inside the vehicle. Because Hernandez was not a convicted criminal and legitimately owned the firearm, deputies moved it to property storage for safekeeping rather than leaving it in the vehicle during the tow process.
After bailing out of jail, Hernandez contacted investigators to arrange the return of his handgun. Deputies told him to come to the agency’s Ridge District station and complete property release form.
Before Hernandez arrived at the station, investigators completed a regular background and warrant check. The investigation showed that Hernandez had an active felony warrant out of adjacent Orange County for uttering counterfeit bank bills.
When Hernandez came at the Ridge District station, hoping to get his firearm, officers arrested him for the outstanding Orange County felony warrant and returned him to jail.
“If he’d have just been nice in the first place, he’d have never had any interaction with us other than get your tag and your light fixed—no arrest, no tickets,” Judd replied.
Leave a Reply