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Polk County deputy accused of signing victim’s name in official report: ‘Unethical and criminal’

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Published  March 24, 2025 3:11pm EDT
Polk County
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • A Polk County deputy has resigned after being arrested on accusations he falsified an official document.
    • Jake Germak, 21, had been employed by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for 11 months.
    • He was charged with forgery, uttering a false instrument, using the ID of another person without consent and public servant altering official document.

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd vows to hold a now-former deputy responsible after he says the deputy falsified an official document. 

The backstory:

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Jake Germak, 21, who had been employed as a trainee and deputy sheriff for less than 11 months, investigated a theft complaint on March 17, 2025, but failed to get the victim to sign a document as required.

Later that night, investigators said Germak tried to call and text the victim. In the first text, Germak informed the victim that he needed her to fill out a form that had to be included in the report, according to PCSO. 

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Investigators said in Germak’s second text to the victim, he told her that he "got it handled."

Dig deeper:

On March 18, when detectives began the follow-up investigation of the theft, they said they contacted the victim who mentioned the text messages from Germak. Detectives said that she also spoke with Germak after receiving the texts, and he had mentioned to her that she had signed the documents, which she knew she did not do.

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Detectives got the document that Germak had turned in with his report, and the victim’s signature did not match her signatures on other official documents, according to PCSO. 

When detectives confronted Germak about the discrepancy, they said he admitted to signing the victim’s name to the document. 

Jake Germak mugshot courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

 Jake Germak mugshot courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff's Office. 

Germak was arrested by the agency on March 20, 2025. 

He was charged with forgery, uttering a false instrument, using the ID of another person without consent and public servant altering official document. 

Germak resigned at the time of his arrest. PCSO said if he didn't resign, he would have been fired.

The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Polk County Sheriff's Office. 

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