MULBERRY, Fla. — Around 9:50 p.m. on Sunday, November 15, 2020, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call in reference to a suicidal man who posted a Facebook live video with a shotgun to his head, threatening to kill himself. His family contacted law enforcement and PCSO deputies began searching for him.
Around 10:50 p.m., Southwest District deputies, with the help of a PCSO drone, located 33-year-old William Hogeland of Bartow sitting in his vehicle under a bridge on Nichols Road in Mulberry. According to Hogeland’s family, he argued with his wife that evening, then left their Bartow residence; he was drinking alcohol at the time; and he has been dealing with financial and marital issues, and depression. As they approached facing the windshield, they asked him to show his hands. He initially held up both hands, but then reached down and grabbed the shotgun and immediately fired at them through his windshield, striking 32-year-old Deputy Sheriff Joshua Chaves in the arm. All four of the deputies on-scene returned fire, striking him three times. They immediately rendered aid and summoned Polk County Fire Rescue, who transported him to a local hospital via trauma alert. He is in stable condition, and his injuries are non-life-threatening.
Deputy Chaves was also transported to a hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries to his arm, and released. Deputy Chaves was hired as a detention deputy in 2014, and became a patrol deputy in 2015. He’s assigned to the Southwest District.
Hogeland has been Baker Acted twice, once in May 2019 and once in May 2020. He is being provided with mental health treatment, and the investigation into pending charges is ongoing.
