Polk Sheriff Grady Judd bids nostalgic farewell to 'Haunted Jail Tour'

Final year of haunted jail tour in Polk County

Carla Bayron reports

BARTOW, Fla. - It's sad news for fans of the Haunted Jail Tour in Polk County. This will be the attraction's final year as the building off of North Broadway in downtown Bartow will be torn down.

The "old, old Polk County Jail," as Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd calls it, is where he started his career back in 1972 when he was just 18 years old.

"When I came to work, we only had the old, old jail, and then they expanded so they built up to the new old jail and tore the wall down and blended it together to one large area," said Judd.

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It's a look back into a different world.

"The population it would hold is about 350 people, but as you can see, it was real bars back in the day," said Judd. "Paul Beasley Johnson murdered Deputy Theron Burnham in 1981 and then escaped from this facility. He was recaptured and put in this solitary cell. Johnson eventually died on death row."

Built in 1962, the jail closed in 2000 and was used as storage. In 2010, the jail was repurposed as a haunted attraction to raise money for the United Way.

"This year the theme is Reign of Fear," said PCSO Capt. Marco Avila, who works in the security division in the South County Jail. "We've changed the tour. It's a lot longer this year and a lot more detailed, so there's a lot of little things you'll see, but you'll hear so a couple of extra screams or frights."

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For the last 14 years, the Haunted Jail Tour has provided scares and thrills for Polk County residents. The jail will be demolished, because the court downtown needs more building space.

"We have to go forward in life, and we have to progress," said the sheriff, who believes it's sad to see the building go, but they will be taking out mementos and donating them to the Polk County Museum.

"It is a part of history. Some for positive. Some for negative," said Judd. "If you're in jail here, you're probably glad to see it go, however, if you're a victim and the bad guys locked up, it represents you being able to sleep peacefully at night because this jail existed."

This weekend is the last time you can enjoy the tour before it's gone forever. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 10 and under. The sheriff said he hopes to figure out some way to do a different haunted tour in the future.

If you're interested in another festive event, there will be free trick-or-treating with Judd on Saturday afternoon at Polk State College in Lakeland.

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