Jack Krauss, of Polk City, was arrested on April 1, 2025, after he forcibly detained multiple TECO employees on his property during a dispute over utility poles.
At approximately 10:00 AM, officers responded to a reported disturbance at 19316 Commonwealth Avenue North, where they made contact with Krauss. He informed deputies that TECO employees were on his property conducting work, but when Krauss discovered they were removing poles instead of leaving them, he became agitated.
Krauss became upset when he realized the employees were following TECO’s new policy of not leaving poles on customers’ properties. He proceeded to block the only entry/exit gate of the property with his truck, preventing the employees from leaving. Krauss then locked the gate and verbally threatened the employees, stating they were not allowed to leave with “his TECO poles.” The employees were unable to leave as Krauss unlawfully restrained them by blocking their exit.
Krauss was arrested and charged with four counts of false imprisonment for unlawfully detaining the employees against their will. He was transported to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office Processing Center without incident.
Disclaimer:
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The details in this post are sourced from official arrest affidavits and public records.
Probably got a screw (or two) loose.