Homeless man arrested for carjacking

A homeless Key West man was arrested for carjacking after he forced a woman to give him a ride to a bar.

The victim told Deputy Dave Campbell she was in her car near the 104.8 mile marker of the highway at 10 a.m. Sunday when a man she did not know opened her car door and demanded a ride. She told him to go away, but he got into the back seat of her car still demanding a ride. He told her he wanted to go to a bar down the street. She said he began to talk to her about sexual things he had done with women and she became afraid. She said he grabbed her dog and she was afraid he would hurt the dog. She said she drove the man – later identified as Richard Poljak – to the Caribbean Club, which was just down the street.

The victim said Poljak got out of the car when they reached the bar and threw a $5 bill at her, as if paying for the ride. She drove away from the area and called the Sheriff’s Office for help.

Poljak was found still at the bar. He was charged with carjacking and false imprisonment. His wallet was found in the back seat of the victim’s car.