Maybe he was feeling “Mellon Collie” or had a case of the “Infinite Sadness.” Whatever it was, an Indiana man appears to have taken the Halloween spirit of mayhem a little too literally at a Pinellas County Target, by smashing literal pumpkins.
Aaron Thompson, 31, was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 25, days after he smashed about 80 pumpkins, to a pulp, at the Ulmerton Road Target, turning the store’s seasonal display into a scene of utter autumnal destruction. The scene was enough to have anyone shouting, “oh my gourd!”
Security cameras captured footage of the targeted attack at about 1:16 a.m. on Oct. 21, but the culprit was not caught until he returned to the scene of the crime at 5:20 p.m. on Oct. 25. According to the arrest affidavit, Thompson was charged with criminal mischief for willfully and maliciously injuring or damaging property. The pumpkins were estimated to cost $472.14, but it will cost $5,000 for Thompson to bond out of jail, if he wants to get out “Tonight, Tonight.” He has also been ordered to stay away from the store.
Smashing things seems to be Thompson’s M.O.
He was also convicted of another criminal mischief and burglary crime on Sept. 23 for breaking into a 2014 Silver Volkswagen and smashing $100 worth of flower pots at the victim’s Pinellas County home on July 19. That incident was filmed by the resident’s doorbell cam.
“I asked the defendant why he smashed the pumpkins and he stated that he did it because someone was messing with him on Facebook and it made him mad,” Largo Police Dept. Officer Valentine Belgrave wrote in the affidavit. “The defendant also stated that he was unapologetic about his actions, and after smashing the pumpkins he left the scene to go to sleep.”
The lesson: carving a Jack-O’-Lantern is a tradition, but going full on Gallagher on them at the local Target is a crime. Thompson, identified as a violinist, may now find himself hitting a few sour notes in court.
Florida Politics apologizes if you now have various Smashing Pumpkin hit songs stuck in your head.
