POLK CITY, Fla. — As the Polk County Sheriff's Office mourns the loss of one of its young deputies, the community he grew up in is also remembering him for the upstanding scholar he was.
Deputy Blane Lane attended Scott Lake Elementary in Lakeland. The school posted an elementary school picture of the late deputy that showed what he wanted to be when he grew up.
His answer: To become a Polk County sheriff. His aspiration in life was cut short when he was shot in the arm while serving a felony warrant in Polk City, in which the round ended up in his chest. Lane was 21.
"Our hearts are broken to hear of the passing of Deputy Lane," the elementary school said in a Facebook post. "Deputy Lane was an outstanding student at Scott Lake Elementary where as young as fifth grade, he had aspirations of becoming a PCSO Deputy."
"This is very difficult," Sheriff Grady Judd said when talking about Lane's death. "This is like losing one of your kids."
The young deputy lived in Fort Meade and entered the police academy in September 2020 before graduating and becoming a detention deputy in May 2021. He was sworn in as a deputy with the sheriff's office in January 2022 and was assigned to the Northwest District Patrol team.
He leaves behind a 3-year-old child.
A funeral with full law enforcement honors will take place next week. More information will be released later.