MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – A Brevard County man is accused of blowing up the mailbox of a landscaping customer over a dispute about payment.
The county sheriff’s office arrested Petr Dusek, 29, on Friday.
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Deputies said Dusek showed up at the home on First Street in Merritt Island Thursday evening to pick up payment for landscaping services from the previous owner of the home. However, the owner of the home said he had told Dusek to come to the house Friday before 2 p.m. because he would not be home until late. Dusek allegedly talked to the owner’s mother, who reiterated her son was not home.
Witnesses said Dusek got back into his black SUV, drove down the road, turned around, put something in the mailbox and minutes later, it exploded, according to the arrest affidavit. Surveillance video from local homeowners corroborated the witness accounts.
Deputies said the explosion not only destroyed the mailbox — it bent a street sign next to the mailbox and threw shrapnel 50 feet from the detonation site. One of the neighbors was outside and nearby when the explosion happened, and pieces of shrapnel landed feet from where they were standing.
Dusek was already listed as a violent felony offender of special concern who was on parole for a previous sentence. He’s now facing charges, including discharging a destructive device, possession to destruct a device to cause bodily harm and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.