EAGLE LAKE, Florida – A 37-year-old Winter Haven man faces three felony and four misdemeanor charges after a early-morning crash into a concrete barrier at a construction site in Eagle Lake, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies said an Eagle Lake DUI hit-and-run investigation ended with a drone finding him hiding in a wooded area.
A deputy responded at about 1:04 a.m. Wednesday, November 4, to a reported crash at US 17 and State Road 540. He found a gray 2020 Ford F150 abandoned after it hit the barrier on the construction site, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The truck was registered to 37-year-old Curtis Russell Hill, and deputies found his wallet inside. Several construction workers saw the crash and told deputies they watched Hill run from the scene.
A Polk County Sheriff’s Office drone found Hill trying to hide in a wooded area nearby. Deputies caught him soon after.
Deputies said they found an open container of beer and some methamphetamine inside the truck.
Hill told deputies he ran because he was scared and was looking for his phone, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Charges
Deputies took Hill to the Sheriff’s Processing Center. He faces these charges:
- Trespassing on a posted construction site, a third-degree felony
- Possession of methamphetamine, a third-degree felony
- DUI with property damage, a first-degree misdemeanor
- DUI, a second-degree misdemeanor
- Resisting without violence, a first-degree misdemeanor
- Possession of drug paraphernalia, a first-degree misdemeanor
- Leaving the scene of a crash, a second-degree misdemeanor
Hill, who lives in Winter Haven, is accused of the crimes. The charges are not proof of guilt.