A Lakeland man faces a new charge after literally dropping in on law enforcement yesterday afternoon. Around 4:15 p.m. on Friday, June 26, Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at a home on Dante Street in Lakeland. They were looking for 37-year-old Andrew Martinez, who was wanted on a felony Polk County warrant for retail theft.
The situation took an unexpected turn when deputies walked up to the front door to make contact with whoever was inside. Suddenly, Martinez fell through the ceiling directly over the front porch and crashed onto the ground.
Despite the fall, Martinez quickly scrambled to his feet and tried to flee the scene on foot. Deputies immediately gave chase. One of the pursuing deputies was working with his K9 partner, Reno. The deputy yelled out a warning to Martinez, telling him that if he kept running, K9 Reno would be released.
Martinez looked back, saw the police dog, and stopped running. He jumped to the ground and surrendered to the deputies on the spot. Martinez was arrested on his outstanding retail theft warrant. Because of the brief foot chase, deputies also charged him with an additional count of resisting an officer without violence.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
