A 29-year-old Polk County deputy has been arrested after another cadet exposed his "obsessive" communications with a 16-year-old girl in the agency's youth program. Skylar Lamar Bush

NEWS BRIEF

BARTOW, FL — A 29-year-old Polk County deputy has been arrested after another cadet exposed his "obsessive" communications with a 16-year-old girl in the agency's youth program. Skylar Lamar Bush, who served as a cadet advisor, allegedly sent messages claiming he was in love with the minor and wanted her to have his children. Bush resigned following the discovery and now faces multiple felony charges, including tampering with evidence for instructing the victim to delete their conversation history.

Former PCSO Cadet Advisor Arrested for Inappropriate Relationship with Juvenile

By Ciara Perez, Senior Multimedia Correspondent

iSkyNews.com (ISN) – Published April 28th, 2026

POLK COUNTY, FL – A position of mentorship turned into a criminal investigation this week after a Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested for allegedly grooming a 16-year-old cadet under his supervision.

Skylar Lamar Bush, 29, was taken into custody on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Bush, who had been with the agency since August 2022, served as an advisor for the PCSO’s cadet program—a role designed to mentor young people interested in law enforcement careers.

The alarm was raised on Monday when another cadet in the program reported witnessing inappropriate communications between Bush and the victim. PCSO detectives immediately launched an investigation and interviewed the 16-year-old, who described Bush’s messages as "weird."

According to investigators, the communications revealed a disturbing level of obsession. In the messages, Bush reportedly told the teenager that he was falling in love with her and that he wanted her to have his children.

When confronted by detectives, Bush admitted to being “emotionally entangled” with the minor. He also confessed to deleting his text messages and instructing the victim to do the same in an attempt to hide the evidence.

Bush resigned from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office following his interview. Officials noted that had he not resigned, he would have been immediately terminated.

His charges include:

Authority Figure Engaging in a Romantic Relationship with a Student (2nd Degree Felony)

Tampering with Physical Evidence (3rd Degree Felony)

Unlawful Use of a 2-Way Communication Device (3rd Degree Felony)

"A Gross Obsession"

Sheriff Grady Judd expressed his disgust with the former deputy’s actions while praising the cadet who had the courage to speak up.

“This 29-year-old demonstrated a gross obsession, and he attempted to groom her. At this point in this investigation, there is no evidence that there was any physical contact... but my detectives are still investigating. If he’s done this to someone before, we want to know about it. I commend the cadet who stepped forward with the information before the inappropriate communications escalated.” — Sheriff Grady Judd

The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with additional information regarding Skylar Bush to contact the PCSO at 863-298-6200.

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