The Orlando Sentinel reports:
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is threatening to jail wanted people seeking shelter due to Hurricane Irma. The sheriff, who is known for his outspoken comments, made the threat in a series of posts to Twitter.
“If you go to a shelter for #Irma and you have a warrant, we’ll gladly escort you to the safe and secure shelter called the Polk County Jail,” Judd tweeted to his nearly 66,000 followers on Twitter.
When checking IDs, if an officer sees that someone has a warrant, that person will be taken into custody, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Carrie Horstman said. Judd said in preparation for the hurricane, fugitives should turn themselves into the jail because “it’s a secure location,” Judd posted to Twitter.
More from Law Newz:
We reached out to Hortsman for clarification on whether the threatened jail time would include people wanted for non-violent crimes like parking tickets, traffic tickets and low-level drug offenses. She replied in the affirmative, and said, “We hope that people who realize they have warrants will turn themselves in.”
When questioned as to the safety of using Polk County jail as a de facto shelter for people with outstanding warrants, she said, “We’re well aware of what our facilities can and can’t handle. If there’s an issue regarding the safety of our inmates, we’ll consider moving them somewhere else, we’ll take care of it.”
Sheriff Grady Judd is well-known in his county for controversial statements and actions in the past. He’s urged residents to carry guns in the wake of mass shootings. He once cracked a joke about police shooting a suspect 68 times. And, in 2012, Grady was sued by a civil rights organization for “subjecting children held at the county’s adult jail to abuse, neglect and violence.”
If you go to a shelter for #Irma and you have a warrant, we’ll gladly escort you to the safe and secure shelter called the Polk County Jail https://t.co/Qj5GX9XQBi
— Polk County Sheriff (@PolkCoSheriff) September 6, 2017
Insanely badass to endanger the citizens you serve. I hope your tweet goes really viral and you get whatever benefit you were hoping for!
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) September 6, 2017
Of all the gross things that America has invented and mass-produced, Aspiring Celebrity Tough Guy Sheriffs have to be about the grossest.
— David Roth (@david_j_roth) September 6, 2017
So basically this guy is encouraging anyone with a warrant, which are issued for things such as outstanding parking tickets, to risk death?
— Alt Sarah H. Sanders (@AltUSPressSec) September 6, 2017
i actually don’t think you should have to die in a hurricane just because you have a warrant. just my take
— libby watson ? (@libbycwatson) September 6, 2017