Cops enforcing eviction faced with bomb threat and message to ‘stay away’
A man residing in a rental home in Vero Beach, Florida, was facing an eviction. The circumstances surrounding his eviction are unknown. We don’t know if this is another casualty of the ongoing pandemic where people couldn’t afford to pay their rent due to loss of income – or if the homeowner decided it was time to take advantage of the inflated real estate market and sell the home out from under their renter.
Neighbors say that the man renting the house at the corner of 8th Street and 46th Avenue held a yard scene recently in an effort to sell off some of his belongings.
But on Wednesday, September 1, approximately eight Indian River County Sheriff’s Office’s vehicles had the home surrounded – with one vehicle being used to block off access to 46th Avenue entirely – after deputies arrived at the home to serve their eviction notice. When those deputies arrived at the house, they were confronted by what appeared to be a home-made bomb taped to a post on the front porch of the residence.
The bomb looked real enough, complete with wires attached and a warning message that read:
“PLEASE !!! Donot aprouch (sic) this house. I wish only to talk to Ch.12 TV. Donot tough anything. I know you are only doing your jobs. You have family! STAY BACK! Channel 12 only.”
The house with the bomb on the front porch and resulting police activity was within walking distance of nearby Glendale Elementary School.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office sent a bomb technician to the scene to investigate the black box and determined that the bomb was fake.
After a brief standoff with the renter, deputies managed to get the man to the home’s front door, took him into custody, and transported him to the Emergency Room at nearby Cleveland Clinic. As a result, the man was “Baker Acted” and taken to Cleveland Clinic Indian River County for evaluation.
The Baker Act is a Florida law that enables families, loved ones and authorities to provide emergency mental health services and temporary detention for people who are impaired because of mental illness. A person will be detained under the Baker Act when it has been determined that they are unable to determine their needs for treatment. ~ WFTV
Officials did not identify the fake-bomb maker. The Sheriff’s Office reported that the eviction was ultimately served.
The man is among a growing number of renters facing eviction nationwide since the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration’s latest attempt to extend a federal moratorium on evictions, an order that had been in place because of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Census Bureau said more than a million renters who are behind on their payments are likely to be evicted over the next two months. ~ New York Daily News
(Source: Indian River County Sheriff’s Office)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
