LAKELAND, Fla. – A Friday night in Lakeland ended with a set of handcuffs for 54-year-old Deanna Kay Parks, an elementary school teacher now facing a felony charge after a messy dispute with an ex-boyfriend allegedly turned into a late-night hit-and-run.
Detectives with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office picked up the Valleyview Elementary teacher on May 1, 2026. The arrest stems from an incident that went down roughly a week earlier, just after midnight on April 26.
According to investigators, Parks targeted a vehicle parked near Yarborough Lane—a car belonging to the woman currently dating her former boyfriend.
When the victim walked out to her car the next morning, she found it twenty feet from where she had parked it. The rear bumper was smashed, and both sides of the vehicle were covered in fresh scratches.
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Sheriff Grady Judd blasted the educator’s conduct.
“Elementary teachers should never behave this way,” Judd said. “Miss Parks earned herself a detention at the Polk County Jail, and she needs to relearn, ‘Keep your hands off of other people’s property.’”
The investigation moved quickly once detectives looked at the digital and physical trail. Around the same time the car was being vandalized, Parks reportedly sent a text message to her ex-boyfriend that was described as both rude and profane.
When deputies showed up at Parks’ home, they found her black 2025 Jeep sitting there with damage that perfectly matched the victim’s car, including telltale paint transfer. Location data also placed her Jeep in the immediate area at the time of the crime.
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Things got more complicated during the interview. Parks initially told detectives there was no damage to her Jeep and denied being involved in any accidents. However, when investigators pointed directly to the marks on her front bumper, she changed her story, claiming she had been in a minor “fender bender” a few weeks prior.
Parks has been charged with third-degree felony criminal mischief.
While she has been processed into the county jail, her future in the classroom remains up in the air. Officials with Polk County Public Schools confirmed that while she is still technically an employee, the district is actively reviewing the incident.
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