AUBURNDALE — A knock on the door of a Hales Road home ended with a felony arrest on July 11, after Polk County deputies say 53-year-old Sean Verlan Mills pointed a gun at them while they tried to track down someone else with an outstanding warrant.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, deputies went to the residence looking for a person wanted on a separate warrant and did not locate that individual inside. Instead, they say a brief confrontation unfolded with Mills, who was taken into custody and, deputies report, had a firearm recovered from inside the home.
Sheriff Grady Judd publicly announced the arrest in a post on X, saying Mills faces multiple felony counts, including four counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and resisting arrest, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Judd's post says Mills has 29 prior arrests and 11 prior felony convictions, and that Mills told detectives he had recently been threatened but did not report that threat. The sheriff's post lists the incident date as July 11 and shows that the social media announcement was published July 15.
#ArrestedByThePolkCountySheriffsOffice - 53-year-old Sean Verlan Mills of Auburndale was arrested on July 11 after deputies say he pointed a firearm at them. PCSO recovered the weapon and booked Mills on multiple felony counts.
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) July 15, 2026
Deputies Say Contact Escalated After A Knock
In the version of events described in the sheriff's post, deputies knocked on the door, identified themselves, and heard a male voice inside ask, "Who is it?" before the encounter escalated, as reported by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. The post states that a weapon was produced during the exchange. Deputies did not find the person they were originally seeking on the warrant at the address, and officials say no deputies were reported injured.
What The Charges Could Mean
Under Florida law, pointing a firearm at a deputy can be prosecuted as aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, an offense that is reclassified for tougher penalties, according to Florida Statutes Chapter 784. Separately, state weapons statutes make it illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm, as outlined in Section 790.23.
Aggravated assault on an officer can carry heightened classifications and mandatory minimum sentences in some situations, and a felon-in-possession count alone can lead to several years in prison. How prosecutors group the charges and whether they seek any statutory enhancements will only become clear once formal charging documents are filed with the court.
The sheriff's post did not list booking information or a court date. Those details are typically filed with the Polk County Clerk of Court and can be searched in the clerk's online criminal records portal at Polk County Clerk. For now, Mills remains in the custody of the Polk County Sheriff's Office, according to the sheriff's announcement, and the case will move through the 10th Judicial Circuit for arraignment and any bond hearings. Members of the public and journalists can monitor official court records for new filings and future hearing dates.
