Witnesses rush to help deputy being attacked by man accused of killing, burying girlfriend

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is praising the actions of a group of citizens who saw one of his deputies struggling to detain a murder suspect and came to help.

According to the sheriff’s office, 37-year-old Jason Robinson’s mother called Saturday evening to report that her son told her he’d killed his girlfriend.

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A Polk County deputy responded to the couple’s RV on US 98 North near Keen Road to check on the girlfriend, but only found Robinson there.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, as the deputy attempted to place Robinson in handcuffs, he attacked the deputy, removing his radio and taser while choking him. That’s when two bystanders who witnessed the struggle intervened to help the deputy get Robinson into handcuffs.

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Once Robinson was secure, other deputies arrived to continue the search for his girlfriend. They eventually found her buried underneath a pallet next to the RV, prompting a homicide investigation.

“I can’t express my gratitude enough to the two witnesses who jumped in to aid my deputy during a violent fight with a very violent man,” Sheriff Judd said. “Had they not gotten involved, this could have been much worse than it already is.”

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Robinson faces a long list of charges including first-degree murder and battery on a law enforcement officer.

Deputies say he has a lengthy prior criminal history to include more than a dozen arrests in Florida alone. According to the sheriff’s office, he also has extensive criminal records in multiple other states including Illinois, Delaware, Mississippi, and North Carolina.

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