Escaped Polk County Inmate Captured

LAKELAND, FL — A 45-year-old Polk County inmate is back in custody after allegedly taking off in a stolen truck from his work detail Thursday afternoon.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Joseph Flanagin had last been seen around 3:30 p.m. Nov. 17. Flanagin was at the county’s vehicle maintenance facility at 2490 Bob Phillips Road in Bartow at the time. Deputies say he got into a 2004 Ford pickup truck “clearly marked as the property of Polk County,” and drove off into the Lakeland area.

The truck was found on Marc Lane in Lakeland Thursday night, but the search for Flanagin continued. Deputies say Flanagin was located in the north Lakeland area near Kathleen Road and was brought back into custody. He now faces escape and grand theft auto charges.

Flanagin was originally arrested on Sept. 22 on a violation of probation charge related to petty theft. It was his third conviction, the sheriff’s office said. Flanagin had served 66 days of a 300-day sentence in the county jail at the time of his escape, according to the sheriff's office.

Photo courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office