News and Investigations

On Tuesday, September 11, 2018, deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested 19-year-old Jose "Pepe" Serna and 16-year-old Mohammad "Mo" Ibrahim, both from the Frostproof area, for robbing and shooting at a man in Frostproof.

At about 8:30 p.m., deputies responded to the area of 11th Street East and Lemon Avenue in Frostproof for a reported armed robbery.

The victim, a 23-year-old from Frostproof told investigators that he was robbed by two people known to him as "Mo" and "Pepe," and even had both of their phone numbers.

The victim said that he had spoken with Ibrahim on the phone, and they arranged to get together and smoke marijuana. About twenty minutes later, Ibrahim arrived in his car to pick up the victim, and when he got into the back of the car, he saw Serna. The victim told detectives he got a "bad vibe" from Serna. 

According to the affidavit, as the car came to a stop at an intersection, Serna pointed a gun at the victim and demanded his money. He refused, and tried to get out of the car, but the door would not open. He eventually gave Serna his money, and they lowered the windows in the rear. The victim said he opened the back door from outside handle, pushed Serna's gun away, and ran. 

As the victim was running, he said he heard two shots, as well as one of the bullets going by him. He was uninjured.

Ibrahim and Serna were both arrested and charged with: 1st Degree Attempted Murder (F-1), Robbery with a Firearm (F-1), and Armed Kidnapping (F-1).

"This is the kind of thing-involvement with illegal drugs-that can get people hurt or killed. These two--one man and one boy, both still very young, made terrible decisions and are facing some very serious charges that will likely have a huge impact on the rest of their lives." - Grady Judd, Sheriff.

The investigation is ongoing.