LAKELAND, Fla. – A 59-year-old Lakeland man with a rap sheet spanning 16 prior felony convictions is back behind bars after a string of high-value commercial burglaries came to an abrupt end this week.
Randy Thomas Whitfield was apprehended by Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives on February 23, 2026, caught as he reportedly carried stolen equipment from his apartment to his truck.
The investigation kicked into high gear earlier this month following a February 9 break-in at a lawn care business on Combee Road South. In that single heist, nearly $14,000 worth of Echo weed eaters, blowers, and trimmers vanished overnight…