A 49-year-old Winter Haven man is facing felony charges after deputies say he shoved a restaurant employee and threw food on the ground during a dispute over an unpaid to-go order Monday evening. Polk County deputies responded to the restaurant at around 6:45 p.m. on November 2 after a report that a disgruntled customer had hit an employee.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd
, John Joseph Sarlo became verbally aggressive about his to-go food order and, per the employee’s account, grabbed a packaged container of food, pushed the employee, and struck the employee’s arm with his hand. The sheriff’s post states that Sarlo then entered an employee-only area and blocked the worker from taking the food package back.
Per the victim’s account relayed in the sheriff’s post, the employee chose not to serve Sarlo’s unpaid order, and a woman accompanying Sarlo was overheard telling him the food had not been paid for yet. Sarlo then allegedly threw the food on the ground before leaving the restaurant. The name of the restaurant was not disclosed in the sheriff’s account.
Sarlo Offers an Apology to Deputies
Sarlo was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on November 2 and told deputies he was sorry the incident happened and that he had been frustrated over the customer service, the sheriff’s post states. He now faces a charge of burglary with battery, a first-degree felony, along with petit theft, a second-degree misdemeanor.
Under Florida law, burglary generally involves entering a structure with intent to commit an offense, though the statute carries exceptions such as when a premises is open to the public, according to the Florida Legislature. The same statute lists committing an assault or battery during the offense as one circumstance that can elevate burglary to a first-degree felony — a classification detail that applies broadly under state law and is not a determination about Sarlo’s case specifically.
What Florida's Theft Statute Covers
The petit theft charge stems from a separate statute, which defines theft as knowingly obtaining or using another person’s property with intent to deprive them of it, per the Florida Legislature. The charges against Sarlo remain allegations at this stage, and the evidence reviewed does not include a case number or any court disposition.
The arrest adds to a short list of recent incidents PCSO has publicized involving disputes at Winter Haven establishments. In March, the sheriff’s office reported a fight at AJ Slammers Lounge in Winter Haven that led to the arrest of Robert Stanley Jean, III, on four charges, according to polksheriff.org. That earlier case involved a different set of circumstances, and the sheriff's office has not suggested the two incidents are connected.
