Accused Vandal Takes Past College Humiliation Out On Luxury Cars

CARROLLWOOD, FL – A Tampa man has admitted to damaging luxury cars because their owners remind him of people who used to bully him during his college days.

Scott Stone, 37, of 2833 Safe Harbor Drive, Tampa, is facing criminal mischief charges for vandalizing expensive cars that resemble those “driven by the same type of people that made fun of him in college.”

Stone was arrested around 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 2, after admitting to throwing chemicals on two luxury cars, causing $3,200 worth of damage.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the first incidence of vandalism occurred April 23 around 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Publix Supermarket at Carrollwood,10008 Dale Mabry Highway. A man parked his 2017 Porsche Macan in the store’s lot and when he returned he saw something had been thrown on the car, causing the paint on the passenger side to peel. It caused about $2,000 in damage.

Then, on April 29, at about 7 p.m., another man parked his 2015 Mercedes 500 at the AMC Theater parking lot at 9302 Anderson Road. When he returned, he saw the paint on his passenger side was damaged as well, causing about $1,200 in damage.

The sheriff’s office is aware of two other recent cases of cars damaged in a similar manner, including one in the city of Tampa.

Detectives are still trying to determine if these cases are related.

Stone's blue 2012 GLK Mercedes was identified through surveillance video at one of parking lots around the time the vandalism occurred.

When detectives interview him, he admitted to damaging the cars. He said he did not know the owners but associated them with the type of people who used give him a hard time when he was in college.

Detectives believe Stone used either brake cleaner or rust remover to damage the cars.

He’s been charged with two counts of criminal mischief.

Image via Hillsborough Sheriff