News and Investigations

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Lakeland man on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, after a Door Dash food delivery driver reported seeing the man hitting a 16-year old boy on David Street in Lakeland.

47-year old Jarrett Garrett McCabe was booked-into the Polk County Jail with a charge of simple battery (M1).

During an interview with a PCSO detective, McCabe said that he was told by a neighbor that two boys had jumped McCabe’s son on November 6th. 

The investigation determined that McCabe’s son had a fight with the one of the boys a few weeks ago, and the other boy on Monday, and the boy hadn’t been jumped in either incident.

On Tuesday, McCabe went to the bus stop and waited to see if the boys were going to fight his son again, but when he saw the boys get off the bus, he confronted them instead. McCabe said he slapped one of the boys in the face with an open hand.
According to the witness, McCabe punched the boy in the face and twice in the stomach.

“It’s understandable that a dad would be upset about his son getting jumped, but waiting at a bus stop to beat-up a kid is not the kind of example you want to be setting for your child. Based on this and his criminal history, he clearly has anger-management issues.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.

The victim was the child who fought with McCabe’s son a few weeks ago. The boy who was with the victim when McCabe confronted them was the boy who fought with McCabe’s son on Monday. 

Following the fight on Monday, the boy and his mother spoke with McCabe and the boy apologized to him for fighting with his son. 

Jarrett McCabe’s criminal history includes prior convictions for 2nd Degree Murder, Aggravated Assault with a Weapon, and Shooting/Throwing Deadly Missile into Building or Vehicle (served six years and eleven months in Florida state prison).