While coincidences definitely happen, in law enforcement, it’s pretty rare for investigations to easily line officers up to arrest two completely unrelated perpetrators for the price of one — but that’s exactly what happened one day when the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) was investigating the sighting of a vehicle reported as stolen in a Publix’s parking lot.
In a post from Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on Facebook from January 12, 2025, he discusses the incident in detail. According to Judd, deputies had located the unoccupied blue Honda van that had been reported as stolen out of Osceola County parked in the Publix Plaza parking lot located at Griffin Road and Kathleen Road, just north of Lakeland.
While deputies were investigating the vehicle, a man was spotted walking swiftly nearby and appeared suspicious. Deputies approached the man, identified by Judd as Mr. Miller, and determined that he was not involved with the stolen vehicle; however, they did find that he had an active arrest warrant out of Hillsborough County for Violation of Probation in association with a DUI.
Deputies arrested Mr. Miller, transporting him to the Polk County Jail. Some investigators stayed behind to continue looking into the stolen car, shortly after receiving a call reporting a suspicious person wandering at the Publix Plaza. This prompted PCSO deputies to find and make contact with the suspect, described by Judd as Mr. Marquez.
During their interview with Mr. Marquez, investigators uncovered a weird coincidence — Mr. Marquez was listed as the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office’s prime suspect in the stolen blue Honda van investigation. Deputies searched Mr. Marquez only to discover he possessed a small baggie of cocaine and a key — a key that happened to belong to the stolen van.
PCSO arrested Mr. Marquez transported him to the Polk County Jail the same day as Mr. Miller, and promptly returned the stolen vehicle to its owner. When it comes to investigations and crime, deputies must love a good BOGO deal.