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Suspect in Hard Rock jackpot ambush was arrested 1 month prior for falling asleep in Taco Bell drive-thru

By FOX 13 News Staff
Published  August 16, 2024 7:25am EDT
Lakeland
FOX 13 News

Grady Judd addresses suspect in Hard Rock robbery

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd spoke on the arrest of a Lakeland man for robbing and shooting a couple following their jackpot win at a Hard Rock casino. The man had been previously arrested in Polk County.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. - One of the two suspects arrested for ambushing, robbing and shooting a couple after they hit a jackpot at a Tampa casino made headlines a month earlier for his arrest in Polk County.

READ: Riverview couple urges vigilance after being ambushed following jackpot win at Hard Rock Casino

Marcus Jenkins and Tristan Wright were arrested after authorities say they followed a Riverview couple home to rob and shoot them after they won big at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. 

Doorbell camera footage showed the harrowing moment Val Delacruz and Kim Chambliss were ambushed by the two suspects after a dream night at the casino turned into a nightmare. 

Ring doorbell camera footage caught Marcus Jenkins and Tristin Wright standing over Delacruz

READ: Couple followed home from Hard Rock Casino, ambushed, shot after hitting jackpot

One of those two suspects, though, Jenkins, made headlines for an unusual arrest in Polk County just a month prior. 

Marcus Jenkins' mugshot after his July arrest (left) and his mugshot after his August arrest (right)

Jenkins was arrested on July 6 after Polk County deputies found him asleep behind the wheel of a car at a Taco Bell drive-thru in Lakeland. Deputies said he smelled of alcohol and found cannabis and more than 28 grams of fentanyl in the car. 

READ: Lakeland man's trip to Taco Bell lands him in jail

He was charged with a plethora of charges, including trafficking in fentanyl, resisting arrest, DUI, and others. He posted $25,000 bond, though. 

Ring doorbell camera footage caught 

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd addressed the situation on Thursday at a press conference. 

"He needs to be sent to prison for the rest of his life, but he had a right to bond, [and] he posted a bond," Judd said. "Quite frankly, if I had my way, everybody that had a criminal history such as this that had a bond would wear an ankle monitor.

Val Delacruz and Kim Chambliss

"If he had an ankle monitor on, I doubt that he'd have hung out at the Hard Rock, and followed someone home, and shot them." 

Sheriff Judd said Jenkins has 53 previous felony charges and 18 previous misdemeanor charges and has been to state prison five times.

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