A tourist settled right into the “Florida Man” trope after he allegedly “sexually molested” a manatee statue during a drunken scene at two St. Pete Beach establishments.
Anthony Lessa, 23, of Pittsburgh, was arrested Friday by Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a charge of creating a disorderly intoxication disturbance, police records show.
Lessa was first accused of throwing gator nuggets into Rick’s Reef Restaurant. When confronted by staff he “became belligerent” and “sexually molested” the eatery’s massive marine mammal statue in full view of diners and workers, according to an affidavit obtained by Fox 35 Orlando.
The suspect then reportedly bolted toward his hotel, the Postcard Inn On The Beach, where the manager called cops after he began “acting disorderly” and allegedly aimed an obscene tirade at the front desk clerk.
After refusing to go to his room, Lessa was booted from the hotel and moved his drunken scene into the parking lot, where he was accused of “disturbing the peace of several other guests waiting for rides,” police reportedly said.
Anthony Lessa, 23, found himself behind bars after he drunkenly threw gator
nuggets into a restaurant and “sexually molested” a manatee statue when
staff asked him to leave, according to deputies. Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
The manatee statue that was allegedly “molested” by Lessa. Rick's Reef
Lessa’s alleged drunken tirade started at Rick’s Reef Restaurant. Rick's Reef / InstagramCops arrived to find him in a “heightened state,” reeking of booze with dilated pupils and no memory of his rampage.
After spending more than five hours in custody, he was released without posting bail, records show.
A public information request to obtain the affidavit was not immediately granted by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Social media pages appearing to belong to Lessa were deactivated in the wake of his arrest, and he did not immediately return a request for comment from The Post.
