LAKELAND, Fla. — A Polk County domestic-violence investigation led detectives to an allegation far outside the scope of the original call: a mother and her adult biological son had allegedly been involved in a sexual relationship for roughly four years.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested Christina Clemens, 46, and her son, Shane Clemens, 22, on incest charges after investigators said both described a sexual relationship that began after Shane turned 18. Christina also faces a rarely seen charge of living in open adultery because investigators say she was legally married while the alleged relationship was occurring.
The criminal allegations emerged from an Aug. 21, 2026 domestic-violence investigation involving Shane. According to reporting based on the arrest affidavits and statements from Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, deputies initially responded after an altercation in which Shane was accused of pushing a woman during an argument over her phone. Deputies reported seeing injuries to the woman’s palms, and investigators said Shane later acknowledged pushing her.
The incest and adultery allegations remain accusations. Neither Christina Clemens nor Shane Clemens has been convicted of those offenses, and both are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
WordPress categories: Crime & Courts; Crime; U.S.
A Domestic-Violence Call Opened a Separate Investigation
The case began Aug. 21, when Polk County deputies responded to a domestic incident involving Shane. The original investigation concerned an allegation that he had battered a woman during an argument. Shane was arrested in connection with that incident.
During the investigation, however, Shane allegedly made an unsolicited statement to law enforcement about having a sexual relationship with his mother. Reporting attributed to the sheriff’s office says he told investigators the relationship had begun when he was 18 and had continued for approximately four years.
That disclosure prompted detectives to open a separate investigation into whether Florida’s incest statute had been violated.
Detectives Interviewed Shane Again in Jail
Investigators interviewed Shane again on Aug. 25 at the Central County Jail. According to the arrest affidavit as summarized by local reporting, he gave detectives additional information about the alleged relationship and said sexual encounters had occurred at the Lakeland residence where he and Christina lived.
Detectives also examined records to establish the family relationship. According to the affidavit, investigators reviewed Shane’s birth certificate and confirmed that Christina Clemens is his biological mother.
That fact is legally significant because Florida’s incest law applies to sexual intercourse between people related by what the statute calls lineal consanguinity — direct blood relatives in a parent-child or grandparent-grandchild line — as well as certain other close relatives.
Jail Call Became Part of the Evidence
Investigators also monitored a jail telephone call between Shane and Christina while the investigation was underway.
According to the affidavit, Christina allegedly asked Shane whether he wanted to “stop doing what we do.” Detectives also alleged that the conversation included discussion of deleting evidence from Shane’s phone.
The publicly available reporting reviewed by Newsleash does not establish what specific files or messages investigators believed were on the phone, whether anything was actually deleted, or whether any separate evidence-tampering charge has been filed. For that reason, Newsleash is reporting the discussion only as an allegation described in the arrest-affidavit account.
Christina Interviewed on Aug. 27
Detectives interviewed Christina on Aug. 27. According to the affidavit, she was advised of her Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators.
Authorities allege Christina admitted that she and Shane had engaged in sexual intercourse on approximately 100 occasions and described additional sexual activity between them. Sheriff Grady Judd later discussed the alleged admission publicly during a briefing about the case.
The allegation that the relationship occurred repeatedly over a period of years is central to both the incest investigation and the additional adultery count filed against Christina.
Both Face Incest Charges
Florida Statute 826.04 makes it a crime for a person to knowingly marry or have sexual intercourse with a person related by lineal consanguinity, or with a brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece.
Under the statute, incest is a third-degree felony. Florida’s general penalty statute provides that a third-degree felony is ordinarily punishable by up to five years in prison. A court may also impose a fine of up to $5,000, subject to other sentencing provisions and the circumstances of the individual case.
Both Christina and Shane are accused of violating that statute. The charges are based on law-enforcement allegations and have not resulted in convictions.
Christina Also Faces Florida’s Rarely Used Adultery Law
Christina faces an additional charge under Florida Statute 798.01, titled Living in open adultery.
The statute states that a person who lives in an open state of adultery commits a second-degree misdemeanor. It also provides that when either participant is married, both people living in that open adulterous relationship may fall within the law’s wording.
According to the arrest-affidavit account, Christina had been legally married to her husband for approximately 10 years while the alleged relationship with Shane was occurring.
A second-degree misdemeanor in Florida can carry up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500, although an actual sentence depends on the court and the circumstances of a conviction.
The adultery statute is unusually old. The statutory history published by the Florida Legislature traces the provision to legislation enacted in 1874. Despite its age, the provision remains in Florida’s 2026 criminal code.
How Unusual Is an Adultery Arrest?
Local outlet Eye In The Sky News reported that a person familiar with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said they had never seen an adultery charge during 27 years with the agency.
That statement does not establish how often the law has been used statewide, but it illustrates how uncommon the charge is in modern day-to-day policing compared with more routinely enforced criminal statutes.
The adultery allegation is separate from the felony incest count. Even if the adultery count were later dropped or dismissed, that would not by itself dispose of the incest charge, which arises under a different statute and requires different elements.
Christina’s Husband Was Interviewed
Investigators also spoke with Christina’s husband, according to reporting on the sheriff’s briefing.
He reportedly told detectives he was unaware of the alleged sexual relationship. He did, however, describe becoming suspicious because Christina and Shane would sometimes lock themselves inside the master bedroom.
The husband has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the alleged relationship.
What Investigators Say About the Timeline
Based on the arrest-affidavit accounts reviewed by Newsleash, the investigation developed across several days:
- Aug. 21, 2026: Deputies respond to a domestic-violence complaint involving Shane. During the resulting investigation, he allegedly discloses the sexual relationship with his mother.
- Aug. 25: Detectives interview Shane again at the Central County Jail and obtain additional details about the alleged relationship.
- During the investigation: Detectives monitor a jail call between Shane and Christina in which investigators say the two discuss their relationship and possible deletion of material from Shane’s phone.
- Aug. 27: Detectives interview Christina after advising her of her rights. Investigators say she admits the relationship and describes repeated sexual encounters.
- Sept. 15: The case receives wider public attention after Sheriff Grady Judd discusses it publicly and local outlets report details from the arrest affidavits.
Original Domestic-Battery Case Remains Separate
Shane’s original Aug. 21 arrest involved a domestic-battery allegation separate from the incest case.
Booking information reported from Polk County records shows Shane was booked that day on a domestic-violence battery charge. The later incest allegation grew out of statements and evidence developed during that investigation.
The existence of multiple allegations should not be read as a conviction on any of them. Each charge must be supported independently in court.
What Remains Unclear
Several important questions are not answered by the public information currently available.
Authorities have not publicly detailed what digital evidence, if any, was recovered from Shane’s phone; whether investigators obtained additional search warrants; whether messages or photographs were preserved; or whether prosecutors intend to file any charge related to the alleged discussion about deleting evidence.
The public reporting also does not establish whether either defendant has entered a plea to the incest charges or whether defense attorneys have filed substantive challenges to the allegations.
Newsleash will update the case if court filings, charging documents or statements from the defendants or their attorneys provide additional information.
Why the Relationship Being Between Adults Does Not Eliminate the Incest Charge
A central point in this case is that Shane was allegedly an adult when the sexual relationship began.
Florida’s incest statute does not make the offense dependent on one participant being a minor. Instead, the law focuses on the prohibited degree of biological relationship and the conduct described in the statute. A parent and biological child fall within the statute’s lineal-consanguinity provision even when both are adults.
The allegation therefore differs legally from child-sex-abuse cases, which can involve separate statutes based on the victim’s age. No information reviewed by Newsleash alleges that the sexual relationship at issue began before Shane reached adulthood.
Presumption of Innocence
Arrest affidavits describe the facts investigators say support probable cause. They are not findings of guilt.
Christina Clemens and Shane Clemens are presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors prove the filed charges beyond a reasonable doubt or the defendants enter guilty pleas.
Newsleash will continue monitoring the Polk County cases for arraignments, plea filings, motions, additional charges and any eventual disposition.
Case Summary
Defendants: Christina Clemens, 46; Shane Clemens, 22
Relationship: Biological mother and adult son
Location: Lakeland, Polk County, Florida
Initial investigation: Aug. 21, 2026
Christina interview/arrest development: Aug. 27, 2026
Primary felony allegation: Incest under Florida Statute 826.04
Additional allegation against Christina: Living in open adultery under Florida Statute 798.01
Incest classification: Third-degree felony
Open-adultery classification: Second-degree misdemeanor
Investigating agency: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Status: Criminal cases pending; allegations not proven
