Courthouse Groper Itching To Be Busted

Meet Tony Gustin.

The 41-year-old Florida man was at the courthouse in Bradenton yesterday morning for an appearance on a minor traffic incident. While in the elevator, Gustin struck up a conversation with a woman there on a child support matter. As the 19-year-old exited the elevator, Gustin allegedly “reached out with his left hand and grabbed her left breast and squeezed it,” according to a police report.

“He told her thank you and have a nice day,” cops noted.

The woman reported the incident to a case worker, who sought to track down the elevator groper. After Gustin, pictured in the mug shot above, was located on the courthouse’s sixth floor, a second woman approached investigators to report that he had just masturbated in front of her.

After being handcuffed and read his Miranda rights, Gustin denied the grope, claiming he was alone in the elevator. As for the second woman, he acknowledged that he “called a girl over to him because he thought he knew her.” While admitting that his hands were in his pants, Gustin said, “I had an itch.”

When cop Debbie Perry then asked why he would call someone over while itching himself, Gustin had a simple explanation: “Because I thought she might itch it for me.”

The unemployed Gustin was booked into the Manatee County jail on a misdemeanor battery count. He is being held in lieu of $750 for his courthouse antics. (3 pages)