POLK COUNTY -- Deputies arrested a student at a law enforcement academy for punching another man in the face, damaging his car and threatening him.
Brandon Jacob, 19, of Winter Haven punched a man in the face at the ball field in Polk City on Sept. 20, investigators said. Jackson then went to the man's home in the middle of the night and threw a garbage can at his car, damaging it, according to his arrest affidavit.
Jackson has been a student at the Kenneth C. Thompson Institute of Public Safety law enforcement academy in Winter Haven since Sept. 14. He was not being sponsored by a law enforcement agency.
Jackson called the victim for the next week and threatened to "go berserk" on him if he reported the crimes, authorities said, because he was enrolled in the police academy and did not want that "screwed up." Jackson also is accused of using his status at the police academy to intimidate the victim into not reporting what happened.
Jackson was arrested Tuesday and charged with battery, tampering with a witness and criminal mischief. He posted bond and was released from jail on Wednesday. His status at the academy is under review.
