LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A 22-year-old Polk County detention deputy was killed in a crash while off-duty on Wednesday in Lake County, according to a sheriff's office news release.
The Florida Highway Patrol is currently investigating how Drake Perry was killed during the crash that happened south of Groveland.
Perry joined the Polk County Sheriff's Office in December 2022, the agency said in a statement. He was duel was dual-certified in law enforcement and was described as an "outstanding student" and deputy.
"We are all grieving at the loss of this young deputy who was just starting out in his career. Deputy Perry was an outstanding cadet in the academy, and his classmates and coworkers remember him as always smiling, always positive, and a team player who was always helping others," Sheriff Grady Judd said in the statement.
"He was a natural-born leader and aspired to be on the SWAT team. He will be greatly missed. Please keep his family in your prayers.”
Perry lived in Ocoee and had graduated from Olympia High School in Orlando. He attended the Polk State College Kenneth C. Thompson Institute for Public Safety (KCTIPS) in Winter Haven, according to the news release.
The sheriff's office said he was the class commander for both academies and recognized as a “Top Gun” for being the most proficient shooter in his class.
