TAMPA (WFLA) – A man is behind bars after deputies say he got drunk and molested a plastic manatee statue outside a bar in St. Pete Beach over the weekend.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to Rick’s Reef Bar because a patron was causing a disturbance. The man reportedly became upset when told he had paid his bill, then became angrier when asked to leave.
Deputies said the man then left the restaurant and molested the statue in the parking lot. He was then asked to leave for a second time. That is when he became aggressive and began throwing gator nuggets into the restaurant, per the sheriff’s office.
Authorities said the man was found 30 minutes later at Postcard Inn, where he was yelling obscenities at employees and refusing to leave.
During the arrest, deputies reportedly found more gator nuggets in his pockets.
The man faces charges of disorderly intoxication.
