No Leads Yet on the Pair's Identity
As of the post, there is no indication of the couple's identities, and the department has not said whether anyone has been arrested in connection with the incident. Officers are relying on tips from the public to move the case forward, pointing residents toward Heartland Crime Stoppers as an outlet for anonymous information.
Heartland Crime Stoppers takes tips on crimes across Polk, Highlands, and Hardee counties, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Tipsters can call 1-888-400-TIPS (8477), dial **TIPS from a cell phone, submit information through the organization's website, or use the free P3 Tips app. Anyone who comes forward is promised anonymity, and if their tip leads to an arrest, they could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $3,000, per the sheriff's office.
Not the First Time Diners Have Skipped Out on the Hungry Crab
This isn't the first dine-and-dash headache for the Hungry Crab's address on 3rd Street SW. Back on December 26, 2024, an Auburndale man named Shane Wiley allegedly ran up a $209.04 tab at the Hungry Crab at 1551 3rd St. SW over the course of five hours before telling a hostess he'd already paid and fleeing on foot, according to The Daily Ridge. Wiley was arrested at his Auburndale residence in connection with that case.
That wasn't even Wiley's only brush with the law that month — just twelve days earlier, he allegedly skipped out on a $285.50 bill at The Harborside Restaurant, also in Winter Haven, the outlet reported. He ended up arrested twice in less than two weeks, once by the Polk County Sheriff's Office and again by Winter Haven police, for defrauding an innkeeper.
For now, the identities of the man and woman involved remain unknown, and investigators are counting on someone in the community to recognize them. Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to Heartland Crime Stoppers through any of its anonymous tip channels.
