Lakeland woman Donna Stark beaten, robbed twice on her way to church

LAKELAND, Fla. - Polk County deputies have taken several suspects into custody in connection with two robberies of a 68-year-old woman.

"I just saw this big black mask, a ski mask he was wearing," said Donna Stark.  "It was horrible!"

Stark was robbed at gunpoint at her front door on June 10.

She was attacked in the same way again on July 1. 

In both robberies, Stark was confronted at her home as she was leaving to go to church. 

In both attacks, she was beat over the head with a gun.

"Very hard, he slammed me with the gun," Stark said.

Stark manages several rental properties, and believes she was targeted by robbers hoping to steal rent money she'd collected from tenants.

The woman saw her attackers face the first time she was robbed, and deputies believe surveillance cameras at a Lakeland Target store also caught a glimpse. 

A man was caught on camera leaving the store just after the first robbery. 

Deputies say the man used Stark's credit cards, charging thousands of dollars.

Stark says she's ready to face her attackers, and told deputies she wanted a few minutes with the suspects to talk about the crime.  Even though she says she's ready to forgive, she' s not as willing to forget.

"I'm not gonna let some punk move me out of my home," Stark said. "I'm gonna put him in jail!"