Holmes Beach resident Michael Lee Brown pleaded no contest in court to slashing signs at the entrance of the Anna Maria City Pier.
Twelfth Circuit Judge Renee Inman found Brown guilty Dec. 4 and sentenced him to pay $3,682.08 in restitution — the cost of the two banners, as well as a $1,000 fine and other court costs.
Brown, 46, was arrested in July, four days after he rode to the pier on his bicycle, took a bladed instrument out of his pocket and cut through two 8-by-12-foot signs, posted by the city of Anna Maria to depict the rebuilt pier.
The sign-slashing came the week the pier restaurant was demolished and 10 months after the pier was damaged by Hurricane Irma. The city commission voted to build a new pier over repairing the old structure.
Prosecutors reduced felony charges against Brown to a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge in September.
Manatee County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Jones, who heads the Anna Maria substation, said Brown gave no motive for the 3 a.m. crime, but concluded he was a local who may have been upset at the loss of the original pier.
Brown’s image on a surveillance camera led to his arrest. Jones also credited city residents who stopped officers on the street to assist with the investigation.
Mayor Dan Murphy said he’s pleased to see Brown’s plea and the restitution award.
As far as a status on the new pier, Murphy said Dec. 11 he expects the first piling to be driven in January, the platform construction completed by Aug. 26 and the restaurant finished by January 2020.
The city’s lease for the pier restaurant — held by Mario Schoenfelder — is good until December 2020, according to Murphy.
Online records indicate Brown’s court assessment, including restitution owed to the city, total $5,180.08.