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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - A retired Polk County Sheriff's Office deputy was arrested over the weekend after fleeing from deputies with an unrestrained child in the front seat of his car, according to officials.
The sheriff's office said the suspect was identified as Robert Gray, 49, and was arrested on multiple charges, including fleeing to elude, negligent child abuse and reckless driving.
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What we know:
Deputies said they first received reports of a suspicious man in a McDonald's drive-thru, located at 6890 Cypress Gardens Boulevard in Winter Haven. This happened just after 5:15 p.m. on Sunday evening.
The caller told officials that the man was in a black Chevy Tahoe, and that the man had come through the drive-thru lane twice, appearing to be impaired, making rude comments and had several open beer cans in the vehicle. PCSO said the caller also told them there was a very young child who was unrestrained in the front seat of the vehicle.
That's when a nearby Polk County deputy responded to the McDonald's. Authorities said the deputy started approaching the Chevy Tahoe in the parking lot, and the suspect drove off.
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Pictured: Robert Gray. Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office.
While driving off, deputies said
the driver ran a stop sign and a red light as well as speeding, which was when the deputy lost sight of the SUV. However, PCSO said the vehicle was found a short time later unoccupied at a business off of Cypress Gardens Boulevard.
Dig deeper:
Gray, who is a retired PCSO deputy and chief pilot, was identified as the suspect. He lives within a mile of where the Tahoe was abandoned, according to deputies.
Officials said deputies responded to Gray's home, but he refused to come out at first. But, PCSO said he eventually surrendered peacefully and was arrested.
The child who was in the Tahoe during the incident was not injured and deputies notified the Florida Department of Children and Families about what happened.
What they're saying:
"The staff at McDonald’s did the right thing by reporting the suspect’s unusual behavior," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "He was not only making inappropriate comments to employees, but they feared the child might be endangered; they saw several empty beer cans in the vehicle, and they were worried the suspect could be intoxicated."
The Source: The information in this story was released by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.