A Lakeland Police Department detective found himself on the wrong side of the law this past week, as Polk County Sheriff's deputies arrested him for falsely reporting a crime. Michael Hayes, a 42-year-old officer and 12-year veteran with the department, faced a misdemeanor charge after deputies determined his claim of a shattered SUV window to stem from an act of vandalizing children was fabricated, according to WFLA News Channel 8.
The incident supposedly occurred on Yates Road in Lakeland, where Hayes reported three juveniles had thrown an object at his unmarked Chevrolet SUV, causing the back window to break. He claimed to have turned around in an attempt to locate the youths and, in the process, ran over a small sign — causing further damage to the vehicle. Hayes relayed the story to his supervisor who allegedly instructed him to report the incident to the sheriff’s office, a detail described in an article on The Ledger.
In a turn that led to his arrest, it was uncovered by investigators that a photograph existed of Hayes's SUV with the back window already shattered — a full day before the crime was reported. When confronted with this evidence, according to WFLA, Hayes confessed he believed his own child had broken the window with a baseball and that he had panicked and did not know what to do.
Hayes could not subsequently provide an adequate explanation for the alleged damages to his vehicle, and following his confession he was taken into custody. Following his arrest, Hayes was booked into the Polk County Jail, but he has since been released after posting a $1,000 bond, as FOX 13 Tampa Bay reports.
