Florida woman facing 13 felony charges after shooting death of 21-year-old Polk County deputy
Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office
POLK COUNTY, Fla. - A Polk County woman has been charged with 13 felonies after 21-year-old Blane Lane was shot and killed in the line of duty while officers attempted to serve a warrant on the woman, deputies said.
Cheryl Lynn Williams, 46, faces the following charges after Deputy Lane was killed by gunfire from a fellow deputy's gun:
- Second degree murder of a law enforcement officer
- Three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer
- Three counts possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
- Three counts resisting arrest
- Two counts possession of ammunition by a convicted felon
- Possession of methamphetamine
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, four deputies were serving Williams with a failure to appear on a felony meth warrant, after receiving a Heartland Crime Stoppers tip shortly after 2 a.m. on October 4 that she was at that location.
Three deputies entered the home while Deputy Lane stayed outside the trailer in a tactical position.
When inside the trailer, deputies said Williams reportedly pointed a gun at them. Shots were fired and Williams went down. Deputy Lane reported he had been shot in his arm. The sheriff's office said Deputy Lane was shot in the left arm and a round entered his chest. He was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center where he died.
Photo of Deputy Blane Lane. Credit: Polk County Sheriff's Office
After a search of Williams' home who lives with two other felons, deputies said they found firearms displayed on a gun rack attached to the wall in the hallway.
Deputies also arrested 72-year-old Donald Mathis and 55-year-old Joseph Larry Albritton Jr. for three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, five counts of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. Albritton was also charged with a violation of probation. Mathis was charged with possession of meth and possession of paraphernalia.