Winter Haven, Fla.(970 WFLA) - Police say a man just out of jail on cocaine charges landed back behind bars just two days later, accused now of carjacking a former co-worker at knife point Thursday.
Police say that Tommy Allen Harwell, 31, encountered the 57-year-old woman at the Northgate shopping plaza on 6th Street Northwest at about 5:45 p.m. and told her that he had locked his keys inside his car. She agreed to give him a ride to a nearby motel where Harwell said he had a spare car key, according to a news release from Winter Haven Police.
She knew Harwell because they had worked together at Winter Haven Hospital early this year.
At the motel, Harwell went into the office, got back into the car, pointed a "sharp kitchen knife" at the woman's throat, and yelled at her to get out of the car, the release said. Harwell drove the car away on Highway 17. Officers found him and arrested him Friday, according to the news release.
Harwell has a criminal history that includes a recent arrest on May 29 of this year. He was released on Wednesday just after midnight.
Photo of Tommy Allen Harwell courtesy of the Polk County Jail