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A Florida sheriff is getting slammed by many on social media for a policy that’s raising eyebrows.

As Floridians try to escape Hurricane Irma, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd warned that his deputies would arrest people with outstanding warrants trying to enter evacuee shelters.

Judd later tweeted: “We cannot and we will not have innocent children in a shelter with sexual offenders & predators. Period.”

Sexual predators don’t necessarily have warrants. However, people with minor traffic offenses often do have active warrants. Judd’s dangerous policy drew sharp criticism.

Carrie Horstman, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s office, told the Daily Beast that law enforcement routinely checks IDs at shelters.

“While we are checking, if we see someone with an active warrant we have to place them under arrest,” she stated, adding that getting arrested at a Polk County hurricane shelter is not the fault of authorities.

Horstman remained unmoved by concerns that the policy endangers the lives of people with minor offenses.

“That is a risk a person would run,” she told The Daily Beast. “I think it is much safer to be in our jail than to expose yourself to a Category 5 storm.”

SOURCE:  The Daily Beast

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