POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Sunday afternoon service in Davenport was interrupted when a local man allegedly refused to leave a church and subsequently engaged in a physical struggle with deputies.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call at approximately 2:35 p.m. on February 8 at a church located on US 27.
Witnesses at the scene reported that a man was creating a disturbance by shouting and ignoring requests to exit the building. Before deputies arrived, the man fled the scene in a red Dodge Dart.
READ: Polk County Street Racing Near Davenport Leads To 2 Arrests, ICE Hold Placed On Driver
Deputies quickly located the vehicle at a RaceTrac gas station at the intersection of US 27 and Dunson Road, where they conducted a traffic stop.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the driver was uncooperative during the encounter. As deputies attempted to remove him from the vehicle, the man allegedly pushed a deputy and tried to flee on foot. He was apprehended a short distance away and taken into custody without further incident.
The suspect has been identified as 36-year-old Joshy Uell Rodriguez Valentin of Davenport. Following his arrest, he was transported to the Sheriff’s Processing Center for formal charging.
Rodriguez Valentin faces a total of eight counts, including:
- Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer (3rd-degree felony)
- Resisting with Violence (Two counts; 3rd-degree felony)
- Resisting without Violence (Three counts; 1st-degree misdemeanor)
- Disturbing a Religious Assembly (1st-degree misdemeanor)
- Disorderly Conduct (2nd-degree misdemeanor)
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