Octogenarians' Bingo Seat Battle Ends with Slashed Tires

Hell hath no fury like a bingo player scorned.

At least that seems to have been the case in Lake Wales recently when an 82-year-old man, reportedly miffed about losing his regular seat in a weekly game, is accused of taking his gripe against an 88-year-old woman out to the parking lot.

The man and woman didn’t get into a brawl, however. The elderly gent instead stands accused of picking up an ice pick and using it to puncture two of the tires on his fellow player’s van, according to NBC.

The incident unfolded during the regular weekly game at the Lake Ashton Retirement Community’s clubhouse on May 20. Ethel Britt, 88, attended the game and sat in the seat normally occupied by Fred Smith. Smith stormed out of the game and was caught on video in the act of puncturing Britt’s tires, NBC noted.

Britt is baffled by the act.

“I didn’t know it meant that much to him to do that to my tires,” she told Fox news.

Lake Wales police were called out to the scene and it seems Smith admitted he was the culprit when questioned by officers, Fox noted.

Deputy Police Chief Troy Schulze told the network, “it’s quite frankly a childish-type crime.”

Even so, Smith was booked into the Polk County Jail on a single count of criminal mischief. He later bonded out in lieu of $500, jail records indicate.

Smith’s criminal hearing is set for June 17, according to Polk County court records. He faces having to pay about $500 in damages as restitution, something Britt told Fox she would like to see happen.

As for facing the consequences, Schulze says Smith seems up to the task considering “he took ownership” of the act.

It remains unclear just why Britt was in Smith’s regular seat.

Booking photo courtesy of the Polk County Jail

See Also:

• Flag-Stomping, ‘Terrorist’ Fugitive Arrested in Tampa
• Rookie Mistake Led to Fake Cop’s Arrest, Deputies Say

Keep up with what’s happening around town and the state by signing up for your favorite Patch daily newsletter: Bloomingdale-Riverview, Bradenton, Brandon, Carrollwood-Northdale, Clearwater, Dunedin, East Lake, Gulfport, Land O’ Lakes, Largo, Lutz, New Port Richey, New Tampa, Palm Harbor, Pinellas Beaches, Safety Harbor, Sarasota, Seminole Heights, South Tampa-Hyde Park, St. Pete, Tarpon Springs, Temple Terrace, Westchase.