A Florida Man wanted on a felony battery warrant tried hiding under a mattress when police came looking for him Saturday.
The mattress had one flaw as a hiding place: Police said there was a large lump sticking out of its center.
Winter Haven officers lifted it and found 24-year-old Serge Nombre underneath, according to the Winter Haven Public Safety Department. Nombre then began calling for his mother as officers ordered him to show his hands.
Mom came running. What followed turned an arrest on an outstanding warrant into three trips to the Polk County Jail.
Police Find Florida Man Under a Mattress
Officers went to a home on 5th Street SE in Winter Haven on Aug. 15 after receiving information that Nombre, who had an active felony battery warrant, might be inside.
Police encountered his mother, 53-year-old Mia Jones, at the home. Jones insisted her son was not there but consented to a search, according to the department.
In one bedroom, officers spotted a mattress lying on the floor with a large lump protruding from the middle. They lifted it and found Nombre concealed underneath.
When officers ordered him to show his hands, police said Nombre refused and began yelling for his mother.
Jones ran into the room and grabbed an officer from behind, according to police. A sergeant pushed her away, but Jones tried to grab the officer again, grabbed the sergeant’s hand, and swung her fist at the sergeant, police said.
The sergeant deployed her Taser. According to the department, Jones initially fought through the first deployment before a second gained compliance.
Officers handcuffed Jones and Nombre. Jones was then taken to Winter Haven Hospital for medical clearance.
Police said a clear plastic bag containing a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine was found concealed beneath Jones’ breast while she was being evaluated.
A Third Arrest Was Already Underway
There was another arrest unfolding before officers ever discovered the conspicuously lumpy mattress.
Police said 23-year-old Reynaldo Garcia was walking toward officers on the property as they approached the home. They recognized Garcia because he had recently been trespassed from the property, according to the department.
During a search, officers said they found a clear glass tube and a bag containing several small shards in Garcia’s front pocket. The substance tested positive for methamphetamine.
Garcia then volunteered an explanation, according to police. He said the items had been given to him “to hold because he had to take the fall for everyone else.”
Garcia was booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and trespassing.
Three People End Up in the Polk County Jail
Booking information sourced to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office identifies him as Serge Zaevion Nombre, 24, and shows he was booked Aug. 15 under booking number 2026-024950 on a felony battery, second or subsequent offense charge.
Winter Haven police likewise said Nombre was booked on his outstanding warrant.
Jones received the additional charges arising from the confrontation, according to the department: possession of methamphetamine, resisting officers with violence, battery on a law enforcement officer, assault on a law enforcement officer, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
That account is also consistent with Tampa Bay 28’s reporting, which identifies the suspect as Serge Nombre and attributes the five additional charges to Jones rather than Nombre.
The department’s post attracted plenty of congratulations for officers and the inevitable questions about the hiding strategy. One commenter summed up the latter simply: “I just don’t understand how they thought they were going to get away with this?”
Nombre, Jones, and Garcia are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.