A 30-year-old woman wanted in connection with an armed disturbance on Lakeside Hills Loop Road in Auburndale was tracked down and arrested by Polk County Sheriff’s deputies in the county’s Northwest District, roughly a day after she allegedly fled the scene before officers arrived. Janique Jasmine Chaney now faces charges of armed burglary, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated battery on a pregnant person.
The Auburndale Police Department responded to a residence in the Lakeside Hills Loop Road area around 7:12 p.m. on Wednesday after reports of an armed disturbance, according to 10 Tampa Bay. What began as a call about a disturbance turned into an aggravated battery investigation, per Auburndale police, and Chaney allegedly fled the scene before officers arrived. Auburndale police reported no life-threatening or serious injuries in connection with the incident.
Warrant Leads to Arrest a Day Later
Auburndale police issued an arrest warrant for Chaney following the investigation, and Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies located and arrested her on September 10 in the county’s Northwest District. The joint effort between Auburndale’s municipal police force and the countywide Sheriff’s Office reflects a jurisdictional handoff that isn’t unusual in Polk County, where the Sheriff’s Office serves a primary law enforcement territory spanning 2,010 square miles and covers roughly 65% of the county’s total population, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Auburndale itself is a much smaller municipality, with an estimated population of 21,369 as of 2025 spread across approximately 13.6 square miles within the Lakeland-Winter Haven metropolitan area, per Data Commons. The city’s population has grown notably since 2020, when the Census counted 15,616 residents.
Severe Penalties Under Florida Statutes
The charges Chaney faces carry significant statutory weight. Under Florida Statute ยง 784.045, battery against a victim known or who should have been known to be pregnant is classified as aggravated battery, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine, according to Florida criminal defense resources citing the statute. Notably, unlike standard aggravated battery, this charge does not require proof of serious bodily injury or weapon use…