POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A bizarre late-night encounter in the Oxford Manor neighborhood led to the arrest of a Lakeland man early Saturday morning. Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) responded to a call just after midnight regarding an unknown individual on the back porch of a residence.
The homeowner reported finding a man standing outside his sliding glass door. In a unique display of Floridian hospitality, the resident reportedly brandished a firearm in what the PCSO called a “Polk County sign bearing the message, ‘You best be moving along.”
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“We don’t know the caliber of the sign, but it got the point across, and the man fled,” said PCSO.
Deputies located the individual, who was identified as 42-year-old Clayton Chaulker Springer of Lakeland. When questioned about his presence at the victim’s home, Springer offered a series of shifting explanations. Deputies say his initial stories ranged from claiming he was there to meet someone to the unlikely assertion that he was canvassing the neighborhood to sell carports in the dead of night.
However, Springer eventually settled on a far more outlandish narrative. He claimed that his friends had orchestrated a prank, instructing him to go to the back porch, disrobe, and await the arrival of a swinging couple who would join him.
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Authorities confirmed that Springer appeared to be under the influence of narcotics at the time, which may account for the implausible nature of his tale.
A records check revealed that Springer has a prior history involving burglary, loitering & prowling, and drug possession.
Clayton Springer was subsequently arrested and now faces charges of Trespassing an Occupied Residence and Loitering & Prowling.
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