LAKELAND, Fla. –
Detectives for the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested three people for selling moonshine to undercover agents.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office received an anonymous tip Jan. 12, that Alton Trowell of Lakeland was offering moonshine for sale on his personal Facebook page.
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The next day, undercover detectives called the phone number on the Facebook page and reached Trowell's girlfriend, Christie Comkowycz, 31 of Lakeland. Comkowycz offered to sell 192-proof grain alcohol to the detective for $20 per pint, and negotiated to sell 12 pints for $240, according to authorities.
Detectives said she also asked the undercover officer, "Are you a cop? 'Cause I don't want to go to jail."
Comkowycz showed up at the arranged location with Dalton Ridlon, 20, a roommate. Officials said that once the illegal liquor was exchanged for money, detectives arrested Comkowycz and Ridlon.
Deputies said Comkowycz told them she was selling the moonshine to raise bond money for her boyfriend, Trowell, who had been arrested the night before on unrelated drug charges. Ridlon said he brought Comkowycz to protect from getting robbed.
During a search of their residence, officers said they seized a 5-gallon container of moonshine. The suspects told authories that they only sold the moonshine and did not make it. They told authorities that they got the moonshine from someone named Rick who works for Mizkan distillery in Lake Alfred.
Detectives contacted Rick who was identified as Richard Lott, 48, of Lake Wales and made arrangements to purchase 2 gallons of 192-proof grain alcohol. Deputies said they went to Lott's workplace, and with the assistance of the Lake Alfred Police Department, arrested him without incident.
Lott told detectives that he stole a 5-gallon jug of the alcohol from Mizkan before it was processed and reduced, knowing that it was dangerous to consume, in order to sell it. Detectives said he traded some of the alcohol to Comkowycz in exchange for methamphetamine.
All three suspects have previous arrest records and are in the Polk County Jail.