The hurricane striking Puerto Rico
The hurricane striking Puerto RicoReuters

"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."

So says Sheriff Grady Judd of Florida's Polk Country. A long string of messages posted on Sheriff Judd's Twitter account said that anyone with outstanding warrants, in addition to sex offenders, would be sent to jail should they seek shelter from Hurricane Irma.

The first tweet said that "if you go to a shelter for Irma, be advised: sworn aw enforcement officers will be at every shelter, checking IDs. Sex offenders/predators will not be allowed," the first tweet reads.

"If you have a warrant, turn yourself in to the jail -- it's a secure shelter."

The tweets, coming as the massive Category 5 Hurricane Irma headed towards the Florida coast, set off severe criticism. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) slammed Judd, saying that the tweets "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.”

The ACLU advised him to "focus on preparing for Irma, not burnishing your Joe Arpaio-style 'tough cop' credentials with irresponsible tweets.”

Judd dismissed the blowback, tweeting that “We cannot and we will not have innocent children in a shelter with sexual offenders and predators. Period."