POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 19-year-old Frostproof man has been arrested and charged after confessing he fabricated a story about being attacked by white men posing as law enforcement in an attempt to convince his parents to let him move to Tampa.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd referred to the incident as the “Polk County Jussie Smollett” case, referencing the celebrity who filed a false police report in Chicago .

The incident began when David Cruz, 19, dialed 911 to report a ‘serious’ crime.

Cruz claimed he was stopped by “some white dudes… with a southern accent driving a pickup truck with red and blue lights who said they were cops.” Cruz reported that the men handcuffed him, beat him up, and cut him with a box cutter.

Judd stated that deputies immediately launched an “intensive invest

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