A Daytona Beach man was arrested for threatening his landlord with a handgun after he and his female companion were evicted.
An officer heard details of the incident from the male victim around 7:54 p.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the victim, 37-year-old Troy Curtis Derr and a female witness broke the lease at his rental property located at an undisclosed Deland address. The victim did a walkthrough of the property after not seeing the pair for days and discovered a dog left inside the house without any water, the report said.
The victim called Derr and told him he was going to report them leaving their dog without water to the ASPCA. He replied by stating he was on his way back to the property to beat him up, the report said.
At about 8:24 p.m., the witness advised that she was about 20 minutes away from the rental property in a Ford F-150 flatbed truck, the report said. She requested a law enforcement officer to respond to the property. Indeed, the victim called about 23 minutes later for aid before it got “real ugly.”
The officer arrived on scene at about 8:56 p.m. and saw a truck matching the description provided by the witness. After running a check on the tag, he approached the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The witness quickly opened the door while remaining in the truck and yelled “babe” before closing the door, the report said.
The officer moved toward the witness and noticed Derr on the front porch of the rental property pointing a handgun with a red laser at the victim who was several feet away. He then drew his own firearm and commanded Derr to drop his to which he complied. He obeyed further commands until he was detained while the officer continued his investigation, the report said.
While at the scene, the officer observed the witness was recording the entire time. He subsequently asked the witness to show him the video she recorded, the report said.
The witness recorded herself and Derr arriving at the residence. He walked up to the property and saw an eviction notice posted by the victim. Derr walked back to the vehicle with the notice, then walked back to the property and entered. At no time was the victim seen with any weapons in his hands, nor did he make any threats or statements, the report said.
As a result, Derr was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. The Ohio native was transported to the Lake County Jail and released after posting $5,000 bond.
