A 30-year-old Lake Wales woman was booked into the Polk County Sheriff's Processing Center Sunday evening on attempted murder charges after she allegedly tried to run down her ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend outside a Lakeland residence, then fled the scene after her car struck a parked vehicle. Taylor Renee Alderman now faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and leaving the scene of a crash involving injury.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office
, the incident began just after 3 p.m. on October 18 outside a Lakeland residence, where Alderman had arrived in a 2012 Ford Fusion to deliver property belonging to her ex-girlfriend. Deputies say that while there, she reportedly yelled racial slurs at her ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend before making a U-turn and accelerating toward him.
The man jumped out of the way, but the Ford still struck his hand, leaving him with lacerations, deputies say. Alderman's car then collided with a parked vehicle, a crash forceful enough to knock her bumper off, before she fled the scene in her Ford, according to the sheriff's office.
Witness Accounts Clash With Alderman's Denials
Witnesses at the scene told deputies that Alderman intentionally tried to hit the victim and struck the parked vehicle, per the sheriff's office. Alderman, for her part, denied hitting the victim with her car and denied crashing into another vehicle, the same account states.
Detectives also reported that Alderman has a prior criminal history that includes grand theft, resisting, trespassing, violation of probation, and drug possession, according to the sheriff's office.
What Alderman Is Facing Under Florida Law
Attempted first-degree premeditated murder is classified as a first-degree felony in Florida, carrying a potential life sentence upon conviction, according to GMP Criminal Defense. To prove that charge, prosecutors must establish an overt act beyond mere preparation along with a conscious, deliberate intent to kill, as outlined by Pumphrey Law.
The aggravated battery with a deadly weapon charge is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, 15 years of probation, and a $15,000 fine under Florida Statute 784.045, per Online Sunshine. Motor vehicles are frequently categorized as deadly weapons under Florida battery statutes when driven intentionally toward individuals. Leaving the scene of a crash involving injury is a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine under Florida Statute 316.027, which mandates that drivers involved in injury collisions stop and render reasonable assistance, according to the same source.
Florida Statute 775.085 also allows for penalty enhancements when a crime is shown to be motivated by racial prejudice, potentially elevating a first-degree felony to a life felony, Online Sunshine notes. Applying that enhancement would require prosecutors to show that racial bias caused the crime.
A Similar Polk County Case
This is not the first time Polk County authorities have pursued attempted murder charges in a vehicle-based domestic incident. In April 2025, the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested an Auburndale woman on similar charges after she allegedly used her vehicle to assault her estranged husband's female companion.
Statewide, hit-and-run crashes are far from rare. Florida recorded 92,381 hit-and-run crashes in 2025, resulting in 180 fatalities and more than 238,000 overall crash injuries, according to data compiled by Swope, Rodante P.A. Those collisions account for roughly one-quarter of all motor vehicle crashes in the state.
