BISCAYNE PARK, Fla. – An Australian man was arrested and given a $2,500 bond after allegedly threatening to shoot a Biscayne Park code enforcement officer over a $25 fine, authorities said.
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According to an arrest report, Jacob Andrew Murphy was arrested Monday on a charge of threatening a public servant.
Police said Murphy contacted the Village of Biscayne Park Monday morning and requested the contact information for Code Enforcement Officer Rafael Gutierrez.
After receiving Gutierrez’s work phone number, he contacted the officer in reference to a $25 fine he received for “failure to remove garbage/trash containers.”
According to the report, Gutierrez initially told Murphy that he would research the case and call him back.
Police said the officer called Murphy back about 20 minutes later, but before he could explain the cause of the fine further, Murphy became “verbally aggressive” and yelled at Gutierrez, saying he pays taxes and the salaries of people who work for Biscayne Park so he should not be getting any citations.
He also claimed that Griffing Boulevard, where Murphy’s home is located along, is a county road and Biscayne Park had no jurisdiction over that area, and that he would sue the village for harassment, the report stated.
According to the report, Murphy then told the officer, “I will shoot you if you ever set foot (on) my property again!”
Police said he also told Gutierrez, “I will stick a finger up your a**!” and ordered that Gutierrez void the citation.
Gutierrez then told Murphy that he had threatened him, at which time Murphy began screaming at him again and then hung up the phone, authorities said.
Gutierrez then notified his supervisor about the incident.
Police said Murphy showed up to the village’s code enforcement offices less than an hour later.
“Mr. Murphy immediately started to scream at the village staff and demanded a meeting with the village manager and code director,” the arrest report stated. “Mr. Murphy was utilizing profane and insulting language and showed extreme hostility to the village staff. Mr. Murphy called the village volunteer an over 65-year-old fat hefer. Due to his behavior, none of the village staff was able to assist him or calm him down to a level to offer assistance.”
According to the report, police responded to the office lobby and encountered Murphy who told them he continuously receives violations for his trash can being left out past 9 a.m., saying he is cited for the violation every week even though garbage services come after 10:30 a.m. and that he needs to leave the trash cans out until he gets home in the evening.
Police said Murphy initially went home after speaking with officers as they had not yet been made aware of the alleged threat.
According to the report, a review of the code enforcement database proved that Murphy had only ever received the one citation after previously receiving a verbal warning.
Murphy was then arrested at his home.
As of noon Tuesday, he remained at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center where he was waiting to be released after posting bail.