'America's Most Wanted' suspect caught in Florida after daughters turn him in
Sheriff Grady Judd: 'He's the worst of the worst'
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd joins Good Day Orlando to share some insight into the arrest of Davie Albarran, a suspect featured on FOX's "America's Most Wanted" who was wanted on a warrant for sexual battery on a child under 12 and lewd conduct with a child under 12.
POLK COUNTY, Fla. - A man featured on FOX's America's Most Wanted has been captured after stepping foot inside Polk County, Sheriff Grady Judd announced Monday.
Davie Albarran, who had a warrant for his arrest in Osceola County for sexual battery on a child under 12 and lewd conduct with a child under 12, was taken into custody in Lakeland on Sunday night, Judd said. The 51-year-old was featured in 2022 on the revived FOX show.
Albarran's adult daughters were the two who shared tips to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, which ultimately led to his arrest.
"We normally don't give up who the tipsters are, but since they've outed themselves, then we don't mind confirming that," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during an interview on Good Day Orlando on Tuesday.
One of Albarran's daughters created a social media post with claims of what her father allegedly did to her back in December 2022.
"Please share and paint the city with his face. My father Davie Albarran is a pedo, he's on the run and the cops are looking for him," she said.
Photo: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Sheriff Marcos Lopez said at the time that other victims came forward with similar stories.
"Well, he made a mistake," Judd said. "(America's Most Wanted) ran him all over the nation and he came to Lakeland. When he came to Lakeland, we received confidential information. They said, ‘Hey, we know where this dude is.’ So we snuck around Sunday night just before midnight in a backyard in Country Haven Drive. Well, it might have been Country Haven Drive, but it was no ‘haven’ for him."
Judd said a Polk County Sheriff's Office team led by Deputy Lee and K9 Kreed helped take Albarran into custody – who at the time of his capture allegedly told deputies that his name was Jose.
"Out of all the places in the world he could have gone, Lakeland was the wrong one," Judd said.
Judd added that Albarran has also failed to pay child support in an unrelated case out of Orange County.
Photo: Polk County Sheriff's Office
"Anytime you sexually batter a child under 12 years of age and there's two warrants for two different events, it doesn't get any worse than that," Judd said on Good Day Orlando. "He's a pedophile. He's a child molester. He's the worst of the worst, and I applaud his adult daughters for working with us to capture him."
Albarran will be transferred back to Osceola County in the next few days where he'll stand trial.