MELBOURNE, Fla. – Three men were arrested last week after they were caught taking a sledgehammer to the parking lot of a seemingly abandoned building, according to the Melbourne Police Department.
In an affidavit, police said that an off-duty officer was inside the building at 650 N. Apollo Blvd. — listed online as the city’s police department — heard a “banging sound” out in front on April 9.
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That officer went to the window, spotting three men taking turns with the small sledgehammer, the affidavit says.
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Police explained that the trio was breaking up the curb of the parking lot in front of the property’s entrance. As a result, all three were taken into custody.
One of the men — identified as Daniel Cabral, 36 — later told investigators that the group had been trying to skateboard on the concrete bank of the entryway at the police department.
“Daniel stated the group was trying to make a pathway to approach the concrete bank, and they were taking turns with the sledgehammer to remove a section of the curb,” the affidavit reads. “Daniel stated that they believed the building was abandoned.”
The other two suspects — Jake Yanko, 23, and Nicholas Hanson, 28 — mirrored Cabral’s story, police said. In total, the damage to the curb was estimated at around $250.
All three men face a charge of criminal mischief. Each was released a few hours later on bond of $500.