Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is threatening to jail wanted people seeking shelter due to Hurricane Irma.

The sheriff, who is known for his outspoken comments, made the threat in a series of posts to Twitter.

“If you go to a shelter for #Irma and you have a warrant, we'll gladly escort you to the safe and secure shelter called the Polk County Jail,” Judd tweeted to his nearly 66,000 followers on Twitter.

Judd also posted that officers would be at every shelter checking IDs and that sex offenders and sex predators would not be allowed inside.

When checking IDs, if an officer sees that someone has a warrant, that person will be taken into custody, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Carrie Horstman said.

Horstman added officers don't have a way of seeing what crime the warrant is for, so it’s possible those with non-violent misdemeanor offenses could be arrested.

“Officers are legally obligated to take a person into custody if they have a warrant,” she said.

Judd said in preparation for the hurricane, fugitives should turn themselves into the jail because “it’s a secure location.”

Horstman said the posts were made ahead of the storm to give people ample time to prepare.

“We cannot and we will not have innocent children in a shelter with sexual offenders and predators. Period,” Judd posted to his Twitter, @PolkCoSheriff.

Horstman said since there’s a possibility children will be in the shelters, sex offenders and sex predators are not allowed inside. She said they had a similar policy during the 2004 hurricane season. It’s unclear if any arrests were made at shelters due to warrants.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said Judd should “focus on preparing for Irma, not burnishing your Joe Arpaio-style 'tough cop' credentials with irresponsible tweets.”

Arpaio, a former sheriff in Arizona, was found guilty of criminal contempt after denying a court order to halt stopping immigrants because of suspicion they were in the country illegally. He was pardoned by President Donald Trump last month.

The nonprofit says most people with outstanding warrants are low-level offenders and pose no threat in a shelter.

Judd’s comments “send the message that these individuals must choose between facing a natural disaster without aid and shelter or going to jail over things like unpaid traffic tickets,” a statement from ACLU reads.

Asked if supported Judd’s actions, Gov. Rick Scott said, “I haven’t seen that. My expectation is that everyone needs to follow the evacuation orders and get to safety. I’d have to look at exactly what was said.’’

Horstman said undocumented immigrants will not be affected by the policy. She also said that the policy will help the county keep a log at the shelter, which she said is important during a natural disaster.

“We aren't sitting there looking for people to arrest,” she said “We are sitting there to keep people safe.”

But State Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith said the practice of checking IDs of evacuees seeking refuge unfairly targets undocumented immigrants.

“The message has already been received by the 18,000 undocumented persons in Polk County,” Smith said. “This is not the message we need to be sending out with a disaster upon us.”

Smith added that if anyone in Polk County felt threatened to go to shelters in Polk County, “they can absolutely come to Orange County and Orlando.”

When asked about Judd’s statements, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was not familiar with them, but she said no one should be turned away from shelters.

“I hope that we’re a compassionate state and that we take in anyone” who needs to evacuate, Bondi said.

Smith said Bondi can do more than “hope.”

“She can demand it …. She needs to make that clear,” Smith said.

Some Twitter users accused Judd of discouraging people from going to shelters, which could lead to injuries or death.

The Sheriff’s Office says the effort will allow residents to feel the shelters are safe and spur more turnout, Horstman said.

“We hope it actually leads to more people turning themselves in,” she said.

Staff writer Gray Rohrer contributed to this report.

chayes@orlandosentinel.com, 407-420-5493 or follow Christal on Twitter: @journo_christal