A $300 electric scooter theft off a Mulberry porch turned into a felony gun and drug bust after Polk County deputies say they caught the suspect trying to stash a handgun beneath a discarded mattress near a hotel dumpster. Deputies arrested 31-year-old Mulberry resident Robert Lee Williams, a convicted felon barred from owning or carrying firearms, following a burglary call at a home on North Grady Avenue.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded around 9 a.m. Friday to the residential burglary report, where investigators say Williams had entered a screened porch and taken an electric scooter worth roughly $300. Deputies located him nearby outside a hotel, where investigators say they watched him try to hide an object beneath a mattress next to a dumpster. That object turned out to be a Ruger .22 caliber handgun, according to reporting from the Tampa Free Press.
Because Williams is a convicted felon, possessing that firearm alone carries serious legal weight. A search of Williams turned up methamphetamine, MDMA pills, a digital scale, a smoking device and multiple syringes, per the same account. Williams reportedly directed deputies to the location of the hidden stolen scooter and admitted to committing the burglary and theft.
Charges Carry Mandatory Minimums Under Florida Law
Williams was transported to the sheriff's processing center and booked on a lengthy list of charges: occupied burglary of a residence, a second-degree felony; two counts of tampering with evidence, third-degree felonies; grand theft from a dwelling, a third-degree felony; armed trafficking of MDMA; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, a second-degree felony; possession of methamphetamine, a third-degree felony; possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, a second-degree felony; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a first-degree misdemeanor.
Under Florida Statute 790.23, it is a second-degree felony for a convicted felon to own, possess or control any firearm or ammunition, punishable by up to 15 years in state prison, according to Online Sunshine. The armed MDMA trafficking count adds another layer of exposure: under Florida Statute 893.135, trafficking in MDMA is triggered at 10 grams or more by aggregate pill weight and carries a mandatory minimum of three years in prison and a $50,000 fine for quantities between 10 and 200 grams, per Aaron Delgado & Associates.
The burglary charge itself was elevated because the porch Williams allegedly entered was attached to an occupied home. Florida Statute 810.02 classifies burglary of an occupied structure or dwelling as a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years, compared with third-degree felony treatment for unoccupied structures, according to Law Firm Ocala. Separately, grand theft from a dwelling under Florida Statute 812.014 covers property taken directly from a residence or its curtilage and is classified as a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, per Pumphrey Law.
Firearm Enhancement Adds To Sentencing Exposure
Florida's 10-20-Life statute, FS 775.087, imposes mandatory minimum prison terms and sentence enhancements whenever a firearm is possessed or carried during the commission of underlying felonies like burglary or drug trafficking, according to Law Firm Ocala. That means the combination of charges against Williams — burglary, drug trafficking and firearm possession — could trigger compounding mandatory minimums if he is convicted.
Mulberry, where the arrest took place, is a small southwestern Polk County community within the Lakeland–Winter Haven metro area. The city has an estimated 2026 population of 4,701, reflecting 18.7% growth since the 2020 U.S. Census, according to World Population Review.
Part Of A Pattern Of Polk County Firearm Busts
The case fits a recurring pattern in Polk County, where Sheriff Grady Judd's office has repeatedly publicized arrests of felons caught with hidden firearms. In a June arrest in K-Ville, deputies said a 54-year-old Lakeland man tried to dispose of a handgun near a dumpster before detectives recovered the weapon alongside illegal drugs.
In mid-July, the sheriff's office reported the arrest of an Auburndale felon with 11 prior felony convictions on charges including possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and tampering with physical evidence. And in a case reported August 3, deputies said a Lake Wales man faced 14 charges, including armed burglary, evidence tampering and methamphetamine possession, after recovering a handgun hidden beneath bedroom furniture.
Williams' case remains in the early stages of prosecution, and the charges against him represent allegations rather than proven guilt. It is not yet known when he is scheduled to appear in court.
