A prep cook was arrested at Miller’s Ale House in Lady Lake for allegedly damaging multiple televisions and walls in his ex-girlfriend’s home earlier that day.
Officers responded to a property damage report at an undisclosed Leesburg residence around 11:35 a.m. Saturday, May 13, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Upon their arrival, the female victim advised that she invited her ex-boyfriend, 30-year-old Tevin Jermaine Merkson, into her home.
Further investigation revealed Merkson did not live at the residence but had been invited to stay overnight on Friday. When the victim woke up at 10 a.m. the next day, she told him that he needed to leave. There were no arguments, and he began packing his video games, the report said.
However, Merkson then kicked a hole in the wall, damaged the victim’s $250 55-inch ONN television and took her green $850 Apple iPhone 15. He also slammed the front door into the wall, causing more damage, as he was leaving, the report said.
The victim later noticed that her bedroom television had fallen from the wall due to the damage, rendering her $200 Hisense 42-inch television inoperable. She estimated the cost to repair the wall damage at about $1,000, the report said.
The officers canvassed the area for Merkson but were unsuccessful. They also did not see any witnesses or video cameras that captured the incident. The report noted the LPD had responded to this residence before concerning similar incidents with the same people on Feb. 2 and March 29.
Merkson was ultimately arrested at his place of employment, Miller’s Ale House located at 635 U.S. Hwy. 27, Lady Lake. He was charged with grand theft ($750 to $5,000) and criminal mischief (over $200 under $1,000). He was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $3,500 bond.
He was also arrested in 2023 for barging into a woman’s home, causing her to use a knife to defend herself.