SWFL man who spit on two women won’t face jail time

A man who leaned into a car and spit on two women will not go be going to jail. Court documents obtained by WINK news say that he pleaded no contest. However, he’s not out of the woods yet.

Donald Hart Mueller spat on Leiya Rey and Katrina Montanaro after he accused them of taking mangos from his front yard. This incident lead to criminal charges against Mueller: two battery charges and one burglary charge.

“I feel there should be some sort of hate crime added in there,” said Rey.

Rey was in town visiting her cousin in Punta Gorda in June. That was when Mueller confronted Rey in her vehicle after he says he saw the women taking mangos from his yard.

That’s when Rey says Mueller screamed at her. “When he screamed at me Black lives don’t matter, I was beyond myself,” said Rey.

Mueller did get two years of probation and no jail time. Newly filed court documents also suggest Muller must undergo a mental health evaluation and attend anger management courses.

But, he’s not completely off the hook yet. Both Montanaro and Rey filed civil lawsuits. The next hearing is set for December 14.

Rey captured the entire encounter on her cell phone. When she spoke to WINK News in June, she said she hopes the incident brings unity to the community instead.

“We’re the human race. We should all come together and work together,” said Rey.

WINK News reached out to both women for comment after Mueller received no jail time but did not get a response.