An entertainer in The Villages has been formally charged with vandalizing another performer’s vehicle at Lake Sumter Landing.
Information has been filed in Sumter County Court indicating that the prosecutor’s office will pursue a third degree felony charge of criminal mischief against 71-year-old Robert Lehnert, who resides in the Whitney Villas.
Lehnert, who goes by the name Robert France when he entertains in The Villages, remains free on $2,000 bond.
At the time of his arrest, the Baltimore, Md. native was dating a Villager who was previously romantically linked to another performer who was entertaining on the night of Dec. 4 at a restaurant at Lake Sumter Landing. He went to his car parked behind Tuscany Salon & Spa at 10:40 p.m. that night and discovered that someone had thrown a balloon full of paint at the vehicle. Damage was estimated at $1,700, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. He said that he had bumped into his ex-girlfriend earlier in the night and that Lehnert was performing at another venue at the square.
Surveillance video showed a white-haired man wearing a Santa Claus hat at about 9:30 p.m. Dec. 4 approaching the vehicle with a gallon bag filled with paint. The car’s owner was shown surveillance images and told deputies he believed it was Lehnert.
He has pleaded not guilty in the case.
