POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 32-year-old off-duty detention deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office died late on the night of June 9 after the SUV he was riding in made a sudden dash for an exit on Interstate 4 and was hit by a truck.
Jonathan Morales Pabon was killed around 10:30 p.m. in Haines City. Investigators say he was riding in the reclined front passenger seat of a red Nissan Rogue driven by a 21-year-old woman from Lake Wales. The Nissan was heading east on the interstate. Just after passing under the U.S. Highway 27 overpass, the driver hit the brakes and swerved across multiple lanes to make a quick exit.
That sudden move put the SUV directly in the path of a Ford F350 traveling at highway speeds in the far right lane. The truck slammed into the Nissan. The force of the crash pushed Morales Pabon into the back of the SUV, where he suffered a fatal head injury.
The Nissan’s driver went to a local hospital with minor injuries, while the 38-year-old Orlando man driving the pickup truck was completely uninjured. The sheriff’s office Traffic Homicide Investigations Unit is currently handling the crash investigation.
Morales Pabon worked at the South County Jail in Frostproof. He lived in Davenport but was originally from New York City, where he earned an associate’s degree in HVAC from the Technical Career Institute. He brought solid experience to his local law enforcement role, having worked as a state corrections officer for the Florida Department of Corrections from 2018 until joining the sheriff’s office in March 2021.
“We are all grieving at the loss of this great young deputy who has well and faithfully served with our agency for the past five years, and was a public servant for several years prior to that,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. “He will be greatly missed. Please keep his family in your prayers.”
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