COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – A maintenance man was led away from a Naples-area pickleball court in handcuffs after deputies say he threatened players while wielding a machete.
This happened Saturday, May 4, at the Pelican Marsh Community Center, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
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According to court documents, four men were playing late-night pickleball when they were approached by Joseph Devalle, 53, a maintenance worker.
Each of the victims told deputies similar stories. They said Devalle yelled at them to leave while kicking tables and pushing chairs. The report goes on to claim Devalle left to go to his car, returned with a machete and told the victims he would beat “their (expletive),” which is allegedly when they cleared the court and contacted law enforcement.
Devalle told responding deputies he was actually the one who was threatened. He said the men told him to “make them leave,” prompting him to grab the machete and defend himself, him being “macho man that he is.” He claimed he did not chase them with the machete, only that they saw him with it as they drove away.
Deputies said Devalle smelled strongly of alcohol. He was arrested and faces four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.
At his first appearance in court on May 6, Devalle was given an $8,000 bond which he has since posted.
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