MULBERRY, July 10 — A 62-year-old man is in custody today after a Crime Stoppers video posted on social media led to a tip that identified him within 24 hours. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested David Hicks on July 10, following an anonymous tip that came in on July 9. The case began on July 6, when deputies responded to a report of indecent exposure at a Walmart in Mulberry.
Investigators gathered what evidence they could, but the suspect had left the scene before law enforcement arrived. The sheriff’s office needed the public’s eyes.
On July 8, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office published a Crime Stoppers video on social media. The video asked for help identifying the man seen in surveillance footage from the Walmart. The approach is not new for PCSO — the department has used social media to amplify Crime Stoppers tips in other cases, and officials say it consistently speeds up identifications.
The video worked fast. The next day, July 9, an anonymous tip came in through Crime Stoppers.
The tip named David Hicks as the suspect. It also noted that Hicks had a similar prior incident in Toccoa, Georgia. That extra detail gave investigators a lead they could follow quickly.
Arrest came on July 10. The sheriff’s office credits community engagement with making the identification happen so quickly. In plain terms, the video turned thousands of social media users into potential witnesses, and one of them had the key piece of information.
Think of it like this: a wanted poster used to sit on a bulletin board at the post office, waiting for someone to walk past and recognize a face. Now that poster lives on a phone screen, and it can reach someone in another state who knows the suspect’s name and history.
The practical upshot is that cases that once took weeks can now crack in days. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has leaned into this method for a reason. Social media gives investigators a direct line to the community, and the community, in turn, has a direct way to respond anonymously.
The system works because it lowers the barrier for someone to share what they know. No names, no court appearances, no fear of retaliation — just a tip and a reward.
For Hicks, the arrest means he now faces charges related to the July 6 incident at the Walmart in Mulberry. The tip about the prior incident in Toccoa, Georgia, will likely factor into how prosecutors handle the case. That kind of cross-state information sharing is another benefit of the digital approach — a tip can carry details that a local records check might miss.
The sheriff’s office has not released additional details about the arrest or the charges. What is clear is that the timeline moved fast: incident on July 6, video on July 8, tip on July 9, arrest on July 10. Four days from crime to custody.
How social media changed the tip line
Crime Stoppers programs have existed for decades, built on the idea that someone in the community knows something. The old model relied on phone calls and newspaper ads. A tip might come in days or weeks after a crime, if at all.
Social media changed that calculus. A video posted on a sheriff’s office Facebook page or Twitter feed reaches people who might never see a local news broadcast.
It can be shared, reshared, and land in front of someone who knows the suspect personally. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has used this playbook before. In earlier cases, the department posted surveillance footage or suspect sketches on social media and asked for help.
Tips came in within hours. The department says community engagement is the key variable — the more people who see the request, the faster the tip arrives.
For the Walmart incident, the video likely showed enough detail for someone who knew Hicks to recognize him. The tip that came in on July 9 did more than name him — it connected him to a similar incident in Georgia. That gave investigators a reason to move quickly.
What happens next
Hicks is in custody as of July 10. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office will handle the booking and initial court proceedings. The case will move through the state court system, with prosecutors deciding on charges based on the evidence from the July 6 incident and the information from the Georgia prior.
The anonymous tipster who provided Hicks’ name will be eligible for a reward through Crime Stoppers. The program offers cash payouts for tips that lead to arrests, and the anonymity protects the tipster from any involvement in the case beyond that initial call or message.
For the community in Mulberry, the arrest closes a short but unsettling chapter. Indecent exposure incidents in public places like Walmart create concern among shoppers and employees. A quick identification and arrest sends a signal that law enforcement is paying attention and that the public’s help matters.
The sheriff’s office has not said whether it plans to release more information about the case or the arrest. But the pattern is clear: when a Crime Stoppers video goes up on social media, the clock starts ticking for the suspect.
In this case, it took one day for the tip to come in, and one more day for the handcuffs to go on.
