On June 25, 2025, Justin Register, a 28-year-old deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, was arrested and charged with petit theft, a first-degree misdemeanor. Register resigned from his position on the same day. The Sheriff’s Office stated that termination proceedings would have been initiated had he not resigned.
The incident occurred during a traffic stop near Fort Meade, where Register arrested a driver for operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license. Deputies Joseph Leon and Vito Mineo, who arrived as backup, observed Register secure the driver’s wallet and phone in the trunk of his patrol vehicle. Deputy Leon later witnessed Register return to the trunk multiple times. When the driver’s daughter arrived to retrieve the driver’s property, Register handed her $82 from the wallet. The driver reported an additional $300 missing. A paystub found at the scene indicated the driver had recently cashed a $400 check.
Deputy Leon observed Register return to his patrol vehicle’s trunk, unzip a rifle bag, and produce folded cash, which he unfolded and presented, stating, “Oh, here it is!” Deputies Leon and Mineo reported the incident to their lieutenant, prompting an investigation.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is auditing all of Register’s prior arrests and traffic stops. The agency is collaborating with the 10th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office to review Register’s cases currently under prosecution.
The public is encouraged to provide information regarding Register’s conduct to the administrative investigation section at 863-298-6506.
Register had been employed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office since May 2018.
