Man is suspected of hitting over a dozen mailboxes, avoids a DUI charge

Reporter: Taylor Petras
Published: Updated:
Mugshot of Ronald Johnson, 66. (LCSO photo)
Mugshot of Ronald Johnson, 66. (LCSO photo)

A man suspected of drunk driving is accused of going on a joy ride, destroying everything in sight and leaving behind mailboxes littered on the ground in a Lehigh Acres neighborhood.

Pasty Courter is among those who are picking up the pieces of their crushed mailbox. She found the fallen mailbox outside her Lehigh Acres home early Tuesday morning.

“Mad, mad,” Courter said. “I can’t say the word that I want.”

Knocked down mailbox. (WINK News photo)
Knocked down mailbox. (WINK News photo)

Lee County Sheriff’s Office Deputies said a witness saw Ronald Johnson, 66, leave a nearby sports bar and drive away in his car. But along the seven-mile drive, Deputies said he left behind a huge mess.

Johnson faces 13 counts of hit-and-run, along with one count of arson for his suspected involvement in the crime.

“God, how did he do that?!” said Cheryl Walker, who is a victim with a battered mailbox. “When I came out, I saw it and I couldn’t believe it.”

Walker was able to have her mailbox standing once again by Tuesday afternoon.

“This mailbox is very sturdy,” Walker said. “It must have did [sic] some damage to his car and you think he would stop.”

But Deputies said he did not.

Shortly after the joy ride, Deputies found Johnson at his home and proceeded to arrest him. But not for Driving Under the Influence because LCSO said the witness lost sight of him for a short time.

Meantime, Johnson’s damaged truck was parked in the driveway Tuesday while the Fire Dept. investigated a fire he reportedly tried to set inside his home.

Now, neighbors like Courter are cleaning up the mess. But she expects to be reimbursed for the damages.

“I want him to fix it,” Courter said. “I’ll fix it and I’m gonna submit him with a bill.”

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