LAKELAND, Fla. – A late-night patrol in Duff Park ended with the arrest of an 18-year-old Lakeland woman early Saturday morning following a physical struggle with Polk County Sheriff’s deputies.
The incident began at approximately 1:51 a.m. on March 21, 2026, when a PCSO sergeant and a deputy spotted a woman inside the park grounds north of Lakeland. Because the park was closed to the public at that hour, the officers approached the individual to question why she was on the property.
According to authorities, the woman, later identified as Alaijah Shantel Joseph, became immediately irate and refused to cooperate with the deputies. During the encounter, Joseph used her cell phone to call friends, asking them to come to the park…