Polk County Sheriff’s Office volunteer arrested for selling drugs from marked vehicle, sheriff says

David Roberts, 69, faces drug trafficking, weapons charges

David Roberts. (Polk County Sheriff's Office)

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A volunteer with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office was arrested for selling his monthly prescription of Oxycodone pills from a marked vehicle, the sheriff said.

The sheriff’s office said David Roberts, 69, was arrested after deputies received a tip he was selling pills and carrying “large amounts of cash.”

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“He sells them. He sells them for $10 each. Well, we infiltrate him with an undercover detective and we find out that he’s been paid $10 apiece for these, so he’s making $900 a month, selling his prescription drugs on the street,” Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference Friday.

Judd said undercover detectives met up with Roberts, who was in a marked sheriff’s office vehicle, before allowing him to drive to the station and arresting him in the parking lot.

Deputies searched Roberts’ home where they found two guns — a rifle and a pistol — as well as marijuana. Judd said Roberts is a convicted felon and called the entire case an “epic system failure.”

The sheriff’s office said Roberts became a volunteer in October 2009.

He faces drug trafficking charges and weapons charges.


About the Author

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She is the author of the Central Florida Happenings newsletter that goes out every Thursday.

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