A New Yorker arrested in a stalking case told law enforcement that “love will make you do crazy things.”
Garrett Richard Petit, 31, of Tully, N.Y. was apparently “obsessed” with a Lady Lake woman who was at the Boot Barn at Lady Lake Crossings on Saturday when she got a call from her brother telling her that Petit had shown up and was banging on the door of their family residence on Marion County Road, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. He had been banging on the door for 20 minutes. Petit previously had been told by the woman and her family that they did not wish to see him. She had obtained an injunction against him, but the court document had not yet been served on him.
The woman, who was with her boyfriend, got into a truck and rushed home. They pulled in behind Petit’s truck and he started approaching the pair. Fearful of Petit’s state of mind, the boyfriend drew a weapon and ordered Petit to the ground. He kept Petit on the ground until deputies arrived on the scene.
The family showed deputies numerous texts dating back to 2022 showing that Petit is “mentally unstable” and “obsessed.”
A deputy asked Petit why he had come onto the property after so many warnings from the family that he was not welcome.
“Love will make you do crazy things,” Petit said.
He was arrested on a charge of aggravated stalking and booked at the Lake County Jail on $10,000 bond.
