POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Deputies in Polk County are searching for a suspect that stole an idling car and dumped it in a Poinciana lake on Sunday.
According to investigators, at around 8:50 pm, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a vehicle sinking in Lake Cherry Hill in the Poinciana area of Marigold Avenue and Sheldrake Road.
The PCSO Marine Unit and Underwater Search and Recovery Team (USART) responded to the scene, and they were able to locate the vehicle approximately 100 feet from shore and in approximately 9 feet of water using side-scan sonar.
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Divers discovered three of the four windows and the trunk were open, and the vehicle was unoccupied.
The vehicle, a red 2018 Toyota Corolla, had been reported stolen from the nearby Dollar General store at around the same time that deputies were notified of the car being in the water.
The suspect of the theft was described as a black male wearing a hooded sweatshirt and dark sweatpants with a stripe down the side.
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The investigation revealed that the owner of the Toyota had left his car running while he was inside the store. He was cited for leaving a vehicle idling unattended and for illegally parking in a handicapped parking space.
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