Florida Sheriff Faces Backlash After Vowing to Arrest Criminals Seeking Shelter from Hurricane Irma

A Florida sheriff is under fire from social media after he took to the police department’s Twitter on Wednesday stating he would arrest those with open warrants who seek shelter from Hurricane Irma.

Even with the Category 5 hurricane projected to strike the state, Sheriff Grady Judd is looking to keep criminals on high alert after tweeting out multiple warnings on the Twitter account of the Polk County Sheriff’s Department, writing those with active warrants would still be taken to jail.

“If you go to a shelter for [Irma] and you have a warrant, we’ll gladly escort you to the safe and secure shelter called the Polk County Jail,” he wrote. The post was in reply to an earlier tweet stating “LEOs will be at every shelter checking IDs.”

However, the tweets sparked criticism as many on social media and residents of the county stated that there could be arrest warrants out for offenses as nominal as parking tickets and the actions were risking the lives of hundreds.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida responded to the policy made by Judd, writing that he was endangering lives, including those of first responders who would be saving those who stay out in the storm.

The Washington Times reports that Judd has a history of news-making comments, including urging constituents to carry firearms and stating how he would “lock up” Apple CEO Tim Cook if his company did not cooperate with unlocking the iPhones of two suspects in a murder investigation.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department told the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday that “officers are legally obligated to take a person into custody if they have a warrant,” adding that the effort will allow residents to feel shelters are safe.

“We hope it actually leads to more people turning themselves in,” she said.

Photo credit: Twitter/ @deathandtaxes