Buster

Cops Arrest Florida Man Who Refused To Wear Mask Inside Government Office

A man who refused to wear a mask inside a Florida government office was arrested yesterday on a pair of criminal charges, according to a court filing.

Police say that John Luongo, 34, was collared Tuesday afternoon following a disturbance inside the Indian River County tax collector’s office. Luongo, a Vero Beach resident, was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors.

An administrator told cops that she approached Luongo after hearing him “aggressively raising” his voice inside the office. The worker, Lori Bloom, said she told Luongo to “lower his voice and put his mask on inside the office.”

When Luongo refused to comply, Bloom said, she asked him “to do so again or else he would have to leave the office.” When Luongo refused to “lower his voice, put the mask on, and leave,” Bloom summoned a sheriff’s deputy who was working an off-duty detail in the county building.

Seen above, Luongo was booked into the county jail, from which he was later released after posting $1000 bond. Luongo--whose rap sheet includes burglary, grand theft, and battery convictions--is scheduled for arraignment on June 30.