Three Haines City men face serious charges after deputies said they found a moonshine operation in their house.
Jacob Mayes, Joe Aaron and Ricky Barnes are all charged with making small amounts of moonshine and trying to sell it.
“Some call it white lightning. We call it a trip to the county jail,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
The main reason the potent potion is illegal? It mostly boils down to the money.
“Untaxed liquor is what it’s all about,” Judd said.
There are no taxes and no regulations. That means the liquor-filled mason jars deputies said they found inside the suspects' home could be dangerous in the wrong hands.
“Aside from being illegal, it can get you killed if they’ve not made it the right way,” Judd said.
It’s a scary thought for 14-year-old Matthew Roe and his family, who live down the street from one of the suspects.
“It’s so close to us and it’s shocking,” Roe said.
It’s shocking for this teenager, who has only heard of moonshine from watching old television shows. But Judd said this is no show. It’s the real deal.
With grain and sugar-based ingredients, moonshine could be as strong legal liquor.
That paired with federal and state laws that ban it is why the sheriff says the men won’t be serving moonshine at a bar. Instead, they’ll be behind bars.
Judd said it’s perfectly legal to make your own beer or wine. But not moonshine. The penalties for making the illegal liquor include several felonies and could result in some jail time.