POLK COUNTY DEPUTY KILLED IN I-4 CRASH IN HAINES CITY
A Polk County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy died Monday night after the vehicle he was riding in was struck by a pickup truck on Interstate 4 in Haines City.
Jonathan Morales Pabon, 32, was a front-seat passenger in a red Nissan Rogue traveling eastbound on I-4 when the crash occurred around 10:30 p.m. The driver, a 21-year-old Lake Wales woman, braked suddenly after passing under the U.S. Highway 27 overpass, then crossed several lanes in an attempt to exit the interstate. The Nissan moved into the path of a Ford F-350 also traveling eastbound in the far right lane at highway speed. The impact caused Morales Pabon to slide into the rear of the SUV, where he struck his head, a fatal injury.
The driver of the Nissan suffered a minor injury and was taken to a local hospital. The driver of the Ford, a 38-year-old Orlando man, was not injured.
Morales Pabon was hired as a detention deputy in March 2021 and was assigned to the South County Jail in Frostproof. He lived in Davenport and was originally from New York. Before joining PCSO, he served with the Florida Department of Corrections from 2018 to 2021.
Sheriff Grady Judd said Morales Pabon “well and faithfully served” the agency for five years and was a public servant for several years before that. “He will be greatly missed. Please keep his family in your prayers,” Judd said.
The PCSO Traffic Homicide Investigations Unit is investigating the crash.
Source: Polk County Sheriff’s Office news release, June 10, 2026. polksheriff.org
