LAKELAND, Fla. — “Have you ever seen a cranker colony?” Sheriff Grady Judd asked in a video posted to YouTube on Friday. Revealing a group of 11 mugshots, he said: “Now you have.” 

The ‘cranker colony,’ according to Judd, was a group of people who were all living together and all contributed to “devastating” a house belonging to a veteran from Polk County. He says eleven people were arrested in connection to a robbery on the property. The victim’s mother’s car, a lawn mower and golf cart were also stolen, and Judd says they were later sold.

Most of the people accused were living in a nearby property — the “colony” — with “numerous environmental and health hazards,” including sewage leaking from their motorhomes. 

Two of them were found living on the victim’s property in Lakeland in a shed, where they were “stealing electricity” from his property, Judd said.

The victim was in North Dakota for military service, along with his mother, when the crime happened.

Judd said when officers came to check on the property, they found two of the suspects, Brindy Matos and Anthony Maddox in the shed.

When they tried to apprehend Maddox, Judd said, “He ran… took us a while to catch him.” However, “his girlfriend (Matos) couldn’t run so well. She was seven months pregnant.” 

Maddox was apprehended by a K-9 team. Judd said he was hiding in a garage behind shelves. 

He also pointed out a man named Michael Stone who was arrested in the operation. 

“His mama named him Stone,” Judd said. “That’s an appropriate name, because he’s a stoner.” 

Stone was charged with violating Florida litter law at the neighboring property, and several other charges including possession of meth, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Judd displayed pictures of the ransacked property, saying: “They devastated the house. They gutted the house. They took everything out of the house. Then they were stealing electricity.” 

He described the group: “They all live together in a colony, and they started pilfering this house.” 

 In a press release, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said it had recovered more than $50,000 in property that was stolen and sold.

Those arrested were charged as follows:

At the original victim’s residence:

• Burglary 
• Possession of meth
• Possession of marijuana over 20 grams
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

• Burglary
• Trespassing 
• 2 counts resisting arrest
• Warrant arrest other jurisdiction 

At the neighboring residence:

• Violating Florida litter law 
• Possession of meth 
• Possession of marijuana over 20 grams 
• Operating unpermitted landfill 
• 3 counts creating a public nuisance 
• Possession of drug paraphernalia 

• Violating Florida litter law [at the neighboring property] 
• Operating unpermitted landfill 
• 3 counts creating a public nuisance (
• Possession of meth
• Burglary 
• Felony petit theft 
• Possession of marijuana 
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

• Violating Florida litter law
• Operating unpermitted landfill 
• 3 counts creating a public nuisance 

• 2 counts violating Florida litter law 
• Possession of meth 
• Operating unpermitted landfill 
• 3 counts creating a public nuisance 
• Keeping public nuisance structure for drug use 
• Possession of drug paraphernalia 

• Violating Florida litter law 
• Possession of meth
• 2 counts operating unpermitted landfill 
• 3 counts creating a public nuisance
• Keeping public nuisance structure for drug use 
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

• Possession of meth 
• Violation of probation 
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Maintaining a vehicle for drug use 

• Possession of controlled substance
• Possession of prescription drug without prescription
• Possession of marijuana
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Maintaining a vehicle for drug use (M1)

• Possession of meth
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

• Possession of meth 
• Possession of prescription drug without prescription 
• Possession of drug paraphernalia