Sanford Police are asking the public for help finding a 52-year-old man wanted on a warrant accusing him of assaulting a law enforcement officer. Christopher Francis Ellenback is also wanted on warrants for resisting an officer without violence and disorderly intoxication, and investigators describe him as 5 feet 9 inches tall and roughly 150 pounds.
The department posted the appeal Friday evening as part of its weekly “Find 'Em Friday” campaign, according to the Sanford Police Department. Anyone with information on Ellenback's whereabouts is asked to call Sanford Police at 407-688-5199, or reach the Seminole County Sheriff's Office non-emergency dispatch line at 407-665-6650, which handles calls routed through the department's public notices, per the Sanford Police Department. Tipsters who prefer to stay anonymous can also contact Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
A Pattern of Similar Charges
Public arrest records show this is not the first time Sanford officers have booked Ellenback on comparable allegations. According to Arrests.org, Sanford Police arrested him on February 13, 2026, on charges of disorderly conduct or brawling, resisting an officer without violence, and simple assault on specified personnel, with his total bond set at $750. The same arrest aggregator's records show an even older case: Ellenback was booked in Hillsborough County back in 2008 on charges of felony battery on a victim over 65 years old and criminal mischief, pointing to a broader history of physical-aggression allegations across the state.
It remains unclear whether the current warrants stem directly from the February booking, such as a missed court date, or from a separate, more recent incident. The dossier of public records reviewed for this story does not specify the exact timeline or circumstances behind the alleged assault on the officer.
What the Charges Could Mean Legally
Under Florida Statute 784.07, assaulting a law enforcement officer bumps a standard assault charge from a second-degree misdemeanor up to a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to a year in county jail, a year of probation, and a $1,000 fine, according to the statute cited by Online Sunshine. Resisting an officer without violence, defined under Florida Statute 843.02 as non-violently obstructing or opposing an officer carrying out a legal duty, is also a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. Disorderly intoxication, meanwhile, is a second-degree misdemeanor under Section 856.011 of the Florida Statutes, carrying a maximum of 60 days in jail, six months of probation, and a $500 fine.
Cash Rewards for Tips
Central Florida Crimeline, a nonprofit serving six Central Florida counties including Seminole, offers anonymous tipsters cash rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to a felony arrest or the execution of an active felony warrant. The “Find 'Em Friday” format has become a routine tool for Sanford investigators looking to crowdsource leads on suspects who are hard to locate. Earlier this month, the department used the same campaign to seek public help finding 33-year-old Kristofer Emmett Yoder, who was wanted on evidence-tampering and drug paraphernalia warrants, as Hoodline previously reported. Back in April, the same weekly appeal featured 33-year-old Angel Herrera Morales, who had missed a court arraignment on an aggravated assault charge.
Sanford Police have not released additional details about when or where the alleged assault on the officer took place, or whether Ellenback has any known connection to the Sanford area beyond his prior arrest there. Anyone with information is urged to come forward through the contacts listed by the department.
