VALRICO, FL — A man was arrested for throwing nails into the road in a Valrico neighborhood, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The investigation began Sept. 11 when the sheriff’s office received a call that hundreds of nails were scattered on South Miller Road and Lithia Center Lane.
Over the next five months, there were 27 additional reports of nails on Valrico roads, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies learned that the driver of a white pickup truck was throwing nails onto the road at the intersection of Bucknell Road and Miller Road, damaging several vehicles.
They saw Felix Uresti, 51, get out of his white 2022 Toyota Tundra on Tuesday, just after 10:30 a.m., and put nails on Miller Road, the sheriff’s office said. He was later taken into custody.
While searching his truck, deputies found the same roofing nails that were previously seen in the road in a large bucket of nails in the back seat.
Uresti was charged with six counts of criminal mischief $1,000 or more, violation of Florida litter law (public or private property), and throwing a deadly missile at, within, or into a vehicle.
“Throwing nails into the roadway is a deliberate and malicious act that puts innocent people in danger and carries serious consequences,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “This was a senseless decision that endangered working families, children, and first responders when seconds matter most.”
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