WINTER HAVEN, FL — On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, two suspects were arrested early Tuesday morning after a stolen vehicle was discovered abandoned at a construction area along Highway 17 at Cypress Gardens Boulevard, according to the Winter Haven Police Department.
Officers responded at approximately 3:24 a.m. after a Polk County deputy reported finding a 2011 silver Hyundai Sonata in the intersection and seeing two females running from the vehicle. The suspects, identified as 19-year-old Kayla Mary-Ann Krause and 18-year-old Zahira Layrue Shaw, were observed running through the AdventHealth Fieldhouse parking lot.
Winter Haven officers located the pair in the parking lot, detaining Krause first while Shaw continued to flee. Shaw was later spotted by another officer entering the lot and was subsequently detained.
According to police, both suspects were wearing masks and refused to cooperate with officers, declining to identify themselves or explain why they were running. The deputy who initially observed them positively identified both individuals as the ones who fled from the vehicle.
The investigation revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen from the Briarcrest Apartments on Avenue K SE. The owner told officers the car was last seen parked at approximately 8:00 p.m. on March 23 and was discovered missing around 2:45 a.m. the following morning. The victim later identified the vehicle at the scene and noted damage to the ignition column. A screwdriver found inside the car did not belong to the owner.
Further investigation determined the suspects had been in the Briarcrest area when Shaw located the vehicle, used a phone charger to start it, and damaged the steering column to operate it. She then picked up Krause before driving away. When they encountered law enforcement at the intersection, they abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.
Both suspects were transported to the Polk County Sheriff’s Processing Center and charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of burglary tools, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, knowingly providing false information to law enforcement, wearing a mask or hood on public property, criminal mischief causing between $200 and $1,000 in damage, and two counts of resisting arrest without violence. Shaw also faces an additional charge of driving without a valid license.
Police Chief Vance Monroe stated that coordination between agencies and quick response by officers led to the suspects’ arrest.
Authorities noted that the Hyundai Sonata model involved has been associated with a known software defect that can allow the vehicle to be started using a phone charger. Owners are advised to contact a dealer for a software update intended to fix the issue.
SOURCE: WINTER HAVEN POLICE DEPARTMENT
