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News and Investigations
News & Investigations
News Releases and Public Information
Welcome to the Polk County Sheriff's Office News Room, where the Public Information Officers (PIO's) post all of the information that they release to the news media. PIO's act as liaisons between news media organizations and the Sheriff's Office. The PIO's routinely release timely and accurate information and Crime Stoppers bulletins, and respond to routine and "breaking news" media inquiries. News releases and Crime Stoppers information can be found on this page.
PCSO's full-time Public Information Officers are Carrie Horstman, Brian Bruchey, and Julianna Rivera. The Public Information Officers can be reached by sending an e-mail collectively at PIOs@polksheriff.org.
The recent news releases sent out by the PIOs can be found here, and archived releases (older than 2017) can be found here.
Apr 29, 2026
Lake County man with warrants arrested by PCSO for kidnapping and assault
Media Contact: Brian Bruchey
A Clermont man was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, after a 911 caller reported hearing screams from the back of a van.
The call was received by the PCSO's Emergency Communications Center at about 6:41 am. The caller provided a tag number for the white Ford van that was traveling on US 27 near Sand Mine Road in the Davenport area.
A PCSO deputy located the van at a fire station at 50945 US 27; a man was standing outside of the van while a woman could be heard screaming from within.
The man was identified as 44-year-old David Benjamin Ritchie of Clermont. Inside of the vehicle was a female adult relative of RItchie's.
The victim told the deputy that she willingly spent the night with Ritchie in the van, but when she woke up, he refused to take her home or let her out of the van, and he also threatened to give her a black eye.
David Ritchie was taken into custody and transported to the Sheriff's Processing Center where he was charged with: Kidnapping (F1) and Assault (M2).
Ritchie also had active arrest warrants out of Lake County for: Battery by Strangulation, Aggravated Battery on a Pregnant Woman, and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.