A Lakeland police dog helped officers locate 22-year-old Armani Spriggs in a backyard shed after a resident reported seeing two people trying car door handles early Tuesday. Officers found Spriggs with a backpack containing a handgun and other property, according to the account.
A report from lakelandgazette.info says officers were called to a residential neighborhood at 12:47 a.m. on October 27. A caller reported seeing two people walking together in a neighbor’s backyard and pulling on vehicle door handles. The pair had left by the time officers arrived, and officers searched the surrounding area.
Search Leads Officers to a Shed
During the search, K9 Oli alerted his handler to a shed in a neighboring backyard. Officers found Spriggs hiding inside, the report says. The second person described by the caller was not found.
The report says Spriggs had a backpack containing a handgun, two vape pens, cologne, a coin change purse, cash, headphones and a flashlight. He also had a mask and a glove in his pocket.
Suspect Admits to Several Burglaries
According to the report, Spriggs admitted to several burglaries and said he obtained the property found in his backpack during them. He was on probation and had a 6 p.m. curfew at the time of his arrest, the account says.
Spriggs faces two counts of armed burglary, as well as charges of possessing burglary tools, grand theft of a firearm, using a weapon during a felony, attempted burglary to a conveyance and violating probation. The account does not establish whether the case has advanced beyond the arrest. The Polk County Clerk’s records portals provide access to court records.
Checking the case status
The available account does not establish Spriggs’s current case status or confirm which charges appear in the court docket. The Polk County Clerk says its records portals provide access to case dockets, filed documents, court dates, fines and party information, where readers can look for updates.
Most Victims Recovered Their Property
The report says Lakeland police found most of the burglary victims and returned their property. It does not identify the second person or say whether that person was later located.
LakelandPD also highlighted the arrest on Facebook, with the title “K9 Oli NOSE where you're hiding!” The post credited the K9 unit’s search with leading officers to Spriggs.
