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Lakeland Man Accused Of Stalking Woman

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By RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 11, 2008

  Jeffrey Powell

A Lakeland man has been accused of stalking a woman at a Polk County nature trail, professing his love to her and then asking her to perform sex acts with him, authorities said.

When Jeffrey Chris Powell was arrested today, they found rope and a .22 caliber handgun in his truck, Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies say.

Powell, 57, of 7914 Sioux Lane, Lakeland, was charged with stalking and battery. He was booked at Polk County Jail.

Deputies say Powell approached a woman Nov. 3 as she was jogging on a path at the preserve, near U.S. 98 in north Lakeland. Powell asked the woman for directions.

Four days later, the same woman was riding a bicycle through the preserve and saw Powell there. Powell told her he loved her and asked her to perform sex acts with him, deputies say. Powell told her he had been at the park every day that week waiting for her to come back.

The woman, whose name was not released by the sheriff's office, tried to get in her vehicle and leave but Powell grabbed her and touched her several times against her will, Eleazer said.

Powell asked the woman if she could meet him again at the preserve at a later date. Deputies say the woman agreed because she was trying to buy time to get out of the situation and report Powell to the sheriff's office.

At 9 a.m. today, the woman returned to the preserve with undercover detectives nearby, Eleazer said. When Powell approached her, detectives arrested him.

"This brave young woman did exactly what we tell people to do when approached by people like Jeffrey Powell," Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "She got out of a dangerous situation and reported it to law enforcement. Thanks to her quick thinking, he won't be victimizing her or anyone else. We may never know what his intentions were, but at least we know that she is safe."

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