Deputies respond to home invasion, discover a marijuana grow house

Winter Haven, Florida - Just after 4:00 a.m., Polk County Sheriff's patrol deputies responded to 4312 Shadow Wood Trail to a home invasion. The caller was a female who stated men with guns were in her home. The caller then disconnected.

When deputies arrived on-scene, they located the two victims, Virgilio De La Paz, and Barbara Rodriguez, in a closet. De La Paz was handcuffed and bleeding from a head wound. The victims told deputies that two men came into their home, pistol-whipped the male victim, and forced them both into a closet.

As deputies searched the home for the suspects, they located a sophisticated marijuana grow operation set up in two rooms in the house. Approximately 100 mature marijuana plants were removed from the home by narcotics detectives and will be destroyed.

De La Paz and Rodriguez are the only two people who live in this home. De La Paz and Rodriguez are still being interviewed by Narcotics detectives at this time. They will both be booked into the Polk County Jail today and will be charged with Cultivation of Cannabis, Maintaining a Dwelling for Drug Use, and Trafficking in Cannabis.

The home invasion suspects are described as one light-skinned and one dark-skinned Hispanic male, both of whom spoke Spanish, both of whom were wearing masks covering their faces, and both of whom were armed with black semi-automatic handguns. They fled the scene prior to the deputies' arrival.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 1-800-226-0344 or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a CASH REWARD, contact Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS.