Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced a new approach to public communication by detailing a recent arrest involving an illegal alien who attempted to evade law enforcement after a traffic stop on Interstate 4.
Judd identified the suspect as Eggy Bilgan, a 33-year-old from Turkey, and said the case illustrates how community involvement can assist law enforcement even when deputies are unable to pursue a fleeing suspect.
“We’re doing press releases a new way on some cases. So check this out. This is Eggy Bilgan. He’s 33 and he’s from Turkey. He’s here illegally, and he was driving a 2023, Corvette,” Judd said.
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According to Judd, the incident began when a deputy attempted a traffic stop after observing reckless driving.
“We stopped him because he was driving reckless on Interstate four,” Judd said.
“He pulled over to the side of the road as the deputy got out of his vehicle and was approaching, he took off speeding in his 2023, white Corvette.”
Judd said the deputy did not pursue the vehicle due to department policy.
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“The deputy did not pursue him, because that’s against our policy on just traffic charges alone,” he said.
Despite the lack of pursuit, Judd credited local residents with helping deputies track the suspect.
“But guess what? Our community is the very best. They saw something and they said something,” Judd said.
According to Judd, witnesses reported the suspect’s movements after he exited the interstate.
“Our deputy determined that they went, that he got off on highway 27 went north to some of the home suites, and then another witness said, Hey, he not only parked his car here, but then he ran on foot to the stable Suites, which is next door,” Judd said.
Judd said the suspect again attempted to evade deputies.
“That’s right, he saw the deputy and ran again,” he said.
Hotel staff then provided additional information that helped deputies locate the suspect.
“The manager then told our deputy say, hey, he ran into room number 265, which, by the way, was under construction,” Judd said.
According to Judd, Bilgan attempted to hide inside the building structure to avoid arrest.
“So guess what? We found him when he jumped into this wall that was already open, but that wasn’t just enough, you know, he wouldn’t come out, and he ran down inside the insulation,” Judd said.
Deputies attempted to get the suspect to surrender before escalating.
“So we tried to call him out,” Judd said.
When that failed, deputies used pepper spray and took additional steps to remove him from the wall.
“Well, then we sprayed some pepper spray in there, and we had to bust another hole in the wall further down to get him out,” Judd said.
Bilgan was taken into custody and transported to the Polk County Jail.
Judd said Bilgan is being held on multiple charges and an immigration detainer.
“He’s illegally here from Turkey, and he is in the county jail on an ICE hold, as well as burglary of an occupied dwelling, driving on a suspended license and a litany of other charges,” Judd said.
Judd concluded by noting that the case reflects a new style of press release intended to keep the public informed while highlighting the role of community cooperation.
“This is a new way we’re going to try press releases for our community,” Judd said.
