Polk County Sheriff’s Office Press Release
On Tuesday, May 26, 2020, PCSO deputies arrested 38-year-old Adrian Dinkel of Lakeland, charging him with one count battery on victim 65 years old or older (F3), trespassing on posted construction site (F3), petit theft (M1), and illegal dumping. Dinkel was illegally dumping debris in a privately owned dumpster, and when confronted by the business owner (victim), Dinkel battered the victim. Dinkel is the head baseball coach at Southeastern University. Please refer all inquiries about his employment to the school.
The following is an excerpt from the affidavit, and is self-explanatory. The victim’s name and address have been redacted.
On 5/26/20, at 2130 hours, deputies responded to the incident location in Lakeland and made contact with the 72-year-old victim, who advised he got into an altercation with a subject, later identified as Adrian Dinkel (suspect), which turned physical once the victim attempted to take a picture of Adrian’s license tag.
The victim advised he owns the above listed property, which is an active radio/cell tower and construction site for Verizon. The victim stated he was at the site until 1600 hours today (5/26/20). On the property is an open-top dumpster that is used for construction debris. The victim stated there was no carpet in the dumpster when he left at 1600 hours. The victim stated he returned to the site at approximately 1931 hours to retrieve an item for a customer, which he had forgotten earlier. When he arrived, he observed a black Ford F150 backed up to the dumpster. The victim advised Adrian was standing at the back of the dumpster, with a young male child in the truck bed with a push broom in his hands. The victim stated he confronted Adrian and asked if he knew he was trespassing and dumping illegally. The victim advised Adrian stated yes, but still proceeded to throw trash into the dumpster. The victim asked what items he threw into the dumpster, to include the rolled up carpet which was not present at 1600 hours prior to the victim leaving. Adrian denied throwing the carpet in the dumpster and stated he only threw away “two pieces of trash”. The victim stated he turned to Adrian’s eight year old son and asked “What did your dad throw in the dumpster?” The victim stated, at this point the altercation became more heated and Adrian began to point his finger in his face, telling him to stop talking to his son. The victim stated he took out his cellphone in an attempt to begin videoing the incident and take a picture of the license tag. Before the victim could bring his cellphone up, Adrian struck the victim in the hands against his will, knocking the phone to the ground. Adrian then proceeded to pick up the phone, depriving the victim of its use, and threw it into the woods behind the dumpster. The victim stated Adrian took his son out of the truck bed, put him in the front cab, and fled the scene at a high rate of speed.
The victim provided a sworn recorded statement attesting to the above information.
I then made contact with the victim’s wife, who also provided a sworn recorded statement attesting to the above information. The victim’s wife advised she stayed inside the vehicle and locked the doors when initially arriving back at the incident location. She stated she immediately began to record the incident from her cellphone. She stated she could not hear what was being said, but advised it appeared very heated by everyone’s body language. She stated once Adrian hit her husband and knocked the phone from his hands, she called 911 emergency services.
Click here to see the cellphone video captured by the victim’s wife.
The incident location is approximately 182 feet from the roadway. There is a chain with lock connected to two steel posts on either side of the driveway and a “NO TRESPASSING” sign posted to the right of the chain. There is also construction equipment and a “No Trespassing” sign adjacent to the dumpster.
I responded to Adrian’s listed address in Lakeland, and made contact with him. Adrian stated he knew why I was there and was expecting law enforcement to respond. I read Adrian his Miranda Warnings from my agency issued card, which he advised he understood his rights. During a Post-Miranda interview, Adrian confessed to all accounts of the incident. He advised he knew he was trespassing and illegally dumping and that he hit the victim, knocking the phone from his hands and throwing it into the woods. When asked why, Adrian stated he was just overcome with anger for the way the victim was questioning his son.
Given the above information, Adrian Dinkel is charged with Battery on a Person 65 or Older, Trespassing on a Posted Construction Site, Petit Theft, and Violation of Florida Litter Law.
Adrian was taken into custody and transported to Polk County Jail without incident.
