Polk City Woman Found Guilty in 2022 Murder of Polk County Deputy
POLK CITY, FL – A Polk County jury delivered a guilty verdict Wednesday in the case of Natalee Williams, finding her responsible for the 2022 death of polk county Sheriff’s Deputy Blane Lane. Williams, 34, was convicted of second-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, among other charges, stemming from a shooting in Polk City that claimed the life of the 28-year-old deputy.
Deputy Lane was responding to a disturbance at a residence in the Foxtown South community on Oct. 3, 2022, when he encountered Williams. Authorities say Williams opened fire on Lane, striking him twice before she was apprehended. He was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, but succumbed to his injuries.
“This suspect’s outrageous criminal actions were the cause of my deputy being killed in the line of duty, and the jury appropriately found her guilty as charged,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement following the verdict. “her family can visit her in prison, but Blane’s family has to visit his grave in a cemetery and can only have a one-sided conversation with him. We will never forget Deputy Blane Lane, and his family remains in our prayers.”
Williams initially faced 13 felony charges, including three counts each of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, posession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and resisting arrest, and also two counts of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine.
A search of the residence following the shooting revealed three firearms – a.22-caliber rifle,a 12-gauge shotgun,and a .410 shotgun – displayed on a wall rack. Two men who were also at the residence with Williams were arrested and charged with firearms violations.
Deputy Lane had been with the Polk County sheriff’s Office for just over two years at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife and daughter. The case garnered significant attention in the central Florida community, prompting an outpouring of support for law enforcement and the Lane family.