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Days After Charges Dismissed, Sheriff Rearrested Man for Murder in Central Florida

Just days after charges were dismissed by the State Attorney’s office, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd rearrested a man for murder in Central Florida.




Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested 32-year-old Robert CrucetaPimentel on December 11, 2024, for the following charges: felony murder (2nd Degree), conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of cannabis with intent to sell, possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, maintaining a vehicle for drug use/sales, tampering with physical evidence (x2), providing false information to a law enforcement officer during an investigation, and unlawful use of two-way communication device.

According to local law enforcement, the charges stem from a December 2023 botched robbery that resulted in the self-defense shooting of 33-year-old Harold Omar Sepulveda-Cruz (Cruz) of Davenport at the Tropicana Resort Motel near I-4 and US 27. Cruz died as a result of the shooting.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Cruceta conspired with Cruz to stage a robbery during a marijuana transaction in his, Cruceta‘s, vehicle. When Cruz threatened the victim in the car with Cruceta, the victim shot and killed Cruz in self-defense.

Cruceta was originally arrested on the above charges on December 20, 2023. He was held in the Polk County Jail on no bond until he was released on December 8, 2024 after the State Attorney’s Office dismissed – temporarily, according to the Sheriff’s office – the charges against Cruceta.

The Sheriff’s Office was able to quickly locate a key witness after the case was temporarily dropped, allowing the State Attorney’s Office to re-file all the charges against Cruceta.

Subsequent to Mr. Cruceta‘s release from the Polk County Jail on December 8, 2024, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office stated that “Mr. Cruceta‘s lawyer, Mr. Ralph R. Maiolino III, Esq. of the law firm Smith & Eulo PLLC, released a snarky and braggadocios statement / news release about his client that included false and exaggerated claims to the West Orlando News, which they posted on December 9, 2024.”

“I would like to thank lawyer Ralph R. Maiolino of the law firm Smith & Eulo PLLC for brining to my attention that the murder charge against his client, Mr. Cruceta, had been temporarily dropped,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “This allowed us to quickly locate a needed witness, which enabled the State Attorney’s Office to re-file murder and other charges against his client. I thank the State Attorney’s Office professional team for their persistent and hard work in this case.”




The Sheriff’s office also released surveillance video that recorded the robbery and Central Florida shooting:

Local law enforcement said the video “clearly shows Mr. Cruceta searching the back seat area of his car, taking the deceased man’s cell phone, identification, and other items, and throwing them over a high fence, attempting to get rid of evidence, including evidence that he knew the deceased man personally. He would later lie to detectives, saying that he did not know the man.”

Attorney & Counselor Ralph R. Maiolino III, Esq. responded to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd’s action in the ongoing murder case by providing the following statement:

“The re-arrest of Robert Cruceta-Pimentel is a disgrace and an abuse of power by the Sheriff’s Office. We were set to go to trial Monday in this matter, if the State could prove this case, why did they not elect to do so in a public jury trial? Why is only just now, a year after the arrest, and once the State had dropped the case 3 days before trial due to lack of proof, has the Sheriff been able to magically locate key local witnesses seemingly out of thin-air?

“This entire case has been a miscarriage of justice from its inception—when Grady Judd first decided to go to the media, trash my client, and taunt his family about Robert missing Christmas, all before charges were even filed by the State. His deputies purposely have no body cameras, which allows for the constitutional abuses we have proven to have been inflicted on my client in this case, to happen with frightening ease.

“Grady Judd operates his agency as if he has unchecked, absolute power, and he has long-ruled Polk County as though his very words are some divine decree.

“We intend, foremost, to prove my client’s innocence in this case beyond any reasonable doubt. Our hope is that by doing that, as the great Rep. John Lewis said, we can “make some Good Trouble”, and show the people that they deserve better, that they do not need to be afraid to speak truth to power, to stand up for themselves, and to defend their rights—even against those who claim to wield unlimited authority.”

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