LAKELAND, Fla. – A Thursday night search for a wanted man ended with two arrests after a Polk County Sheriff’s K-9 unit stepped in.
It happened on the evening of January 22. Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office were out looking for 37-year-old James Harris. Harris was wanted on charges, including burglary with assault and making written threats to kill or injure someone.
Deputies were leaving a house linked to Harris when they spotted two men walking down the street nearby. One of the men was wearing a mask.
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When the deputies started walking toward them, the two men tried to move away. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the men tried to create distance and broke several pedestrian traffic rules while doing so.
Deputies ordered the men to stop, but they kept going.
That changed when Deputy Oestreich issued a warning that she was about to release her K-9 partner. Both men stopped immediately.
The man in the mask took it off and originally told police his name was “Chris.” However, deputies recognized him as the man they were looking for. He eventually admitted he was James Harris. Police say they found a glass pipe and a bag of methamphetamine on him.
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The second man, 32-year-old Jeremy Gillyard, refused to give his full name to the officers, claiming he didn’t legally have to. Deputies identified him anyway. He was found carrying methamphetamine and a concealed knife.
Both men were taken to the Sheriff’s Processing Center.
- James Harris was booked on his active warrant. He faces several new charges, including possession of meth, providing a false ID, resisting an officer without violence, and wearing a mask in public.
- Jeremy Gillyard was charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of meth, and resisting without violence.
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