LAKELAND, Fla. – What began as a trespassing call at a local Pizza Hut on Thursday evening quickly escalated, leading to the discovery of an outstanding warrant for a man wanted in another county for an unusual charge: Failure to Appear for Illegal Possession of Alligator Meat.
The incident occurred on Thursday at approximately 9:41 p.m., when a Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputy responded to the Pizza Hut located at 6858 South Florida Avenue in Lakeland. Management at the restaurant had requested that a man be trespassed from the property.
The responding deputy made contact with 51-year-old Dung Van Nguyen of Lakeland and informed him that he needed to leave the premises. Nguyen reportedly responded by telling the deputy to leave him alone.
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The deputy gave Nguyen a second opportunity to comply before resorting to an arrest, but Nguyen chose to stay.
Upon informing Nguyen he was being arrested for trespassing, the suspect allegedly refused to provide identification.
Despite this lack of cooperation, the deputy successfully identified Nguyen and, in the process, discovered he was wanted in Leon County on an outstanding warrant for Failure to Appear for Illegal Possession of Alligator Meat.
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Nguyen was subsequently taken to the Sheriff’s Processing Center on the outstanding Leon County warrant. He faces additional charges in Polk County for Trespassing and Resisting an officer.
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