EUSTIS, Fla. — A man accused of smashing a concrete bench outside Bay Pharmacy Sunday told police his actions were politically motivated and related to the future of the Eustis Community Center, according to an arrest affidavit.
David Alan Neal, 56, of Eustis, was arrested for criminal mischief involving damage less than $200.
PHOTO: Marilyn M. Aciego/Inside Lake
Eustis police responded to the pharmacy, 2 E. Magnolia Ave., around 10:30 a.m. Sunday after a report that someone had taken a decorative bench from beside the business and smashed it in the road before leaving on foot.
Police found Neal in the north parking lot of Eustis City Hall, according to the affidavit. He “immediately” admitted damaging the bench “because of political motivation influencing the future of the Eustis Community Center,” the affidavit states.
The affidavit does not explain Neal’s position on the proposed sale of the community center or why he targeted the pharmacy.
The small concrete garden bench consisted of two legs and a flat top. Police said the top was smashed in the left lane of North Bay Street, near where the bench had stood beside the pharmacy. Officers moved the broken portion out of the roadway and took photographs.
Pharmacy owner George Warren told police the bench was worth approximately $150 and requested prosecution. He also asked that Neal be trespassed from the business, according to the affidavit.
Neal was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he is being held on $500 bond.
The arrest comes as residents oppose a possible sale of the Eustis Community Center property for a proposed waterfront development. A public gathering to preserve the center is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the community center, 601 Northshore Drive.
Related story: Proposed Eustis waterfront developers named in new lawsuit as residents fight community center sale – Inside Lake
