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Florida man arrested for carving his name into deputy's patrol car: police

By Aurielle Eady
Updated  May 6, 2024 8:56am EDT
Florida Man
FOX 35 Orlando

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MARGATE, Fla. - A Florida man was taken to jail after he intentionally carved his name into a Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) marked patrol car last week, officials said. 

Enderlin Leonce, 33, of Margate, was arrested on April 29 and booked into the Broward County jail on a criminal mischief charge.

According to a Margate Police Department arrest affidavit, a witness reported seeing a man, later identified as Leonce, vandalizing the patrol car before taking off.

When an officer arrived at the scene, they noticed that the suspect had used a metal tool to etch "the name is Enderlin Leonce" on the driver-side hood of the patrol vehicle. 

Enderlin Leonce (Photo via Broward Sheriff's Office)

The officer completed a teletype check of the name and noticed he lived at a residence which was in the area where the incident had occurred. 

The officer met with Leonce at his home, and that's when Leonce allegedly made multiple statements, including, "I did it. I committed a crime and I should be going to jail." He was also found carrying metal joint pliers with green paint transfer on the tip of the tool, the affidavit stated.

Leonce reportedly told the officer, "I was revolting because he wouldn't take me back to Haiti" and that the officer should "take me to the officer's house so I can tell him I did it."

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Due to his mental state, Leonce was taken to a local hospital where police said he continued to make utterances like, "I messed up the cop's car and I should be going to jail for that."

Based on his statements and the evidence at the scene, police concluded that he "intentionally and maliciously" damaged the BSO deputy's car.

He was released from the hospital and taken into custody without further incident. 

The damage to the vehicle is approximately $1,000 in repair costs.