LAKELAND, Fla. – A convicted sex offender is back behind bars after Polk County deputies say he violated his probation by visiting an elementary school and having contact with a minor.
Orlando Lebron Cruz, 36, was arrested Tuesday evening, January 13, at a home on Perch Place in Lakeland. Deputies took him into custody without incident around 7:24 p.m.
The arrest stems from a warrant issued earlier that day outlining multiple violations of the terms of his release. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Lebron Cruz broke curfew, had unauthorized contact with a child under the age of 18, and visited an elementary school grounds—actions strictly prohibited under his sex offender probation.
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Lebron Cruz has a significant criminal history involving minors. On January 11, 2010, he was sentenced to 15 years in Florida State Prison for Attempted Sexual Battery and Attempted Molestation of a Victim Under 12. Following that sentence, he was ordered to serve an additional 15 years on sex offender probation.
He had been out of prison for less than two years at the time of his latest arrest, having been released on March 23, 2024, according to investigators.
Lebron Cruz was booked into the Sheriff’s Processing Center on the warrant. He now faces charges for Violation of Probation related to his original counts of Attempted Sexual Battery and Attempted Molestation.
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