Florida Man Posted Sign So Police Wouldn’t Look For Him Here

A Lakeland man tried to continue running from the law through what some would call "unconventional means" and others would call "The worst idea in the history of ever."

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said on Saturday afternoon around 2:45 pm, deputies went looking for 41-year-old Johnny Yates - who was wanted for aggravated battery - at a home on West 10th Street. When they got there, they found a message posted on a whiteboard that said "Johnny Yates does NOT live here!"

Most would probably think "Oh good, the community is helping us out," but the deputies with the Polk County Sheriff's Office saw right through it. The sheriff's office said someone came out of the house and told the deputies that Yates was inside with a bunch of other people.

The deputies used a loudspeaker to command Yates to leave the home, but after about an hour of waiting, the deputies used smoke to get the rest of the occupants out of the house.

After still not seeing Yates, deputies used a K9 to search the house. The sheriff's office said the dog sniffed out Yates, who was "hiding in a modified chest of drawers.”

A criminal arrest affidavit said after his arrest, Yates told deputies he had eaten methamphetamine and "blue pills."

Deputies said Yates and four other people who did not cooperate were arrested in the incident.

Read more at WFLA

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