News and Investigations

News & Investigations

News Releases and Public Information

Welcome to the Polk County Sheriff's Office News Room, where the Public Information Officers (PIO's) post all of the information that they release to the news media. PIO's act as liaisons between news media organizations and the Sheriff's Office. The PIO's routinely release timely and accurate information and Crime Stoppers bulletins, and respond to routine and "breaking news" media inquiries. News releases and Crime Stoppers information can be found on this page.

PCSO's full-time Public Information Officers are Carrie Horstman, Brian Bruchey, and Julianna Rivera. The Public Information Officers can be reached by sending an e-mail collectively at PIOs@polksheriff.org.

The recent news releases sent out by the PIOs can be found here, and archived releases (older than 2017) can be found here.

Feb 23, 2026

Mulberry man arrested for falsely reporting a drive-by shooting

Media Contact: Brian Bruchey

Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office responded to a reported drive-by shooting Sunday, February 22, 2026, at a residence on 2nd Avenue NW in Mulberry.

22-year old James Ansony Sosa-Pinto of Mulberry reported the shooting to various staff members after he showed up at a Lakeland Regional Health ER Sunday afternoon with a gunshot wound to his left leg.

Deputies went to Sosa-Pinto's home and found blood in his bedroom. They also found a spent casing and bullet in the room, and a impact mark on the floor.

Multiple vape cartridges containing THC resin were also recovered from the bedroom.

The wound on Sosa-Pinto's leg revealed that a bullet had entered on the thigh, and exited through the calf. Powder burns were located near the entry wound and were also present on Sosa-Pinto's left hand.

Evidence showed that Sosa-Pinto accidentally shot himself.

Confronted with the inconsistencies to his claim of a drive-by shooting, Sosa-Pinto backtracked and said that he never reported that he was the victim of a drive-by.

After being treated for his injury, James Ansony Sosa-Pinto was arrested and taken to the Sheriff's Processing Center where he was charged with: False Report of a Firearm Used in a Violent Manner (F2), Possession of Cannabis Resin (F3), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1).