Polk County Deputy Arrested After Falsifying Victim's Signature on Official Report
- iSkyNews.com
- Mar 24
- 2 min read
Polk County Deputy Arrested After Falsifying Victim's Signature on Official Report
Polk County, FL — According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), a rookie Polk County deputy is facing serious charges after investigators say he forged a victim’s signature on an official document tied to a theft case he was working.
21-year-old Jake Germak, who had been with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for less than a year, was arrested on Thursday, March 20. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Germak signed the victim’s name on a required form instead of getting her actual signature—and then turned it in as part of his official report.
The incident began on March 17, when Germak responded to a theft complaint. After failing to get the necessary signature from the victim, he sent her a text later that evening asking her to fill out the form. In a follow-up message, he simply told her, “got it handled.”
The next day, when detectives followed up on the case, they spoke with the victim, who mentioned the odd text messages and said she never signed anything. In fact, she said Germak had told her that she had already signed the form—which she knew wasn’t true.
Detectives pulled the document and compared the signature to her real one. It didn’t match. When they questioned Germak, he admitted to forging her name.
Germak was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail.
He faces four felony charges:
Forgery
Uttering a False Instrument
Use of ID Without Consent
Public Servant Altering an Official Document
He resigned during the investigation. Sheriff Grady Judd made it clear that if he hadn’t resigned, he would’ve been fired.
“Public servants must be held to a higher standard, and dishonesty will not be tolerated,” said Sheriff Judd. “Germak’s conduct was unethical and criminal, and we are making sure he will be held responsible.”
Germak was hired by PCSO on April 29, 2024.
The investigation is ongoing.
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Keywords:Polk County deputy arrested, Jake Germak forgery, falsified police report, Polk County Sheriff's Office news, Florida law enforcement misconduct, forged victim signature, Grady Judd statement, public servant arrested, theft case investigation, Florida deputy charges
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