News and Investigations

At approximately 12:45 am on Monday, February 3, 2020, PCSO deputies were notified  that a stolen vehicle from Plant City was possibly in the area of Bailey Road in Mulberry. The vehicle was a beige 2005 Chevrolet Malibu, stolen on February 1st from within the jurisdiction of the Plant City Police Department. 

Approximately 15 minutes later, deputies spotted the car turning off of SR 60, southbound onto Shady Hammock Drive. A PCSO patrol deputy initiated a traffic stop, but the car fled. Other deputies responded and assisted in pursuing the stolen car. During the pursuit, the car intentionally rammed a PCSO patrol car in an offset head-on collision. The deputy was not injured. As the stolen car continued to flee, the driver lost control and struck a telephone pole at a business on Coronet Road, breaking the pole, then crashed into a fence. 

The driver - 25-year-old Danny Doyle Davis, Jr. of Plant City - abandoned the stolen car and fled on foot but was quickly captured by two PCSO Deputy Sheriffs who ran after him.

A search of the stolen car yielded a glass pipe with residue in it that tested positive for Methamphetamine.

According to his affidavit, during an interview, Davis told deputies that he "stole the vehicle a few days ago from a guy named 'Darrell' in Plant City; came to Polk County tonight to sell methamphetamine with one of his friends to make money; knew law enforcement was attempting to stop him and the vehicle; saw the emergency lights and heard the siren; fled because he did not want to go back to prison; knew he hit Deputy Smith's patrol vehicle while he was trying to get away; knew he had been involved in a motor vehicle crash; ran on foot because he did not want to go to jail; heard Deputies telling him to stop; the pipe in the vehicle is his and he used it to smoke methamphetamine 45 minutes prior to being stopped; knows he does not have license." 

Deputies confirmed he has never been issued a driver's license, but he has been issued four traffic citations since 2017. 

Davis was booked into the Polk County Jail and charged with:
Aggravated battery on a LEO (F-1)
Grand theft of a motor vehicle (F-3)
Burglary of an unoccupied vehicle (F-3)
Possession of Meth (F-3)
Resisting arrest (M-1)
Trespassing (M-1)
Possession of drug paraphernalia (M-1)

Davis' criminal history includes 14 previous felonies, 11 previous misdemeanors, and two trips to state prison. His previous arrests were for battery on LEO, battery, fleeing to elude, resisting arrest, grand theft, fraud, burglary, petit theft, shoplifting, hit and run, no valid DL, possession of marijuana, and VOP.

“Here is yet another example of one of those 'low-level, non-violent offenders' whom certain legislators think should be let out of prison earlier than their sentence. In just 25 years, this young man has managed to rack up a long list of felonies and misdemeanors, and two trips to state prison. He has shown a blatant disregard for obeying the law, and for human life. People like him should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law for the crimes he commits, not released early so he can continue to prey upon law-abiding citizens and law enforcement officers.” Grady Judd, Sheriff