A Fruitland Park man was arrested after gouging the fresh blacktop in front of Fruitland Park City Hall with his vehicle.
Christian Wade Bellus, 21, arrived at Fruitland Park City Hall, located at 506 W Berckman St., in his gray 2007 Nissan SUV to conduct some business at 11:50 a.m. Wednesday, according to an arrest report from the Fruitland Park Police Department. When he finished, he got back into his vehicle and started to leave the parking lot. The report noted the parking lot was resurfaced and freshly painted about one week ago.
Bellus made an aggressive exit, accelerating quickly and causing his tires to break surface tension, spin and smoke. This continued from his parking spot to College Avenue for a total of about 106.5 ft. The friction between his tires and the fresh blacktop gouged the surface and paint removal from the stop bar, the report said.
The estimated $2,000 in damage was seen by Chief H. Rains of the Fruitland Park Police Department as well as several city employees. It was also caught on security footage. Bellus was subsequently identified through numerous police interactions, the report said.
Bellus was tracked to his residence on South Dixie Avenue and arrested for criminal mischief (damage property over $1,000). He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,500 bond.