A Kentucky man found driving through the Sunshine State with a hatchet hidden in his car told police that he needed the weapon “for protection” from “scum bags in Florida,” according to a court filing[1].
Travis Byerly, 23, was arrested following a traffic stop last week in Clearwater. Byerly’s license was suspended in April due to a drunk driving conviction in Kentucky, where he lives in the city of Danville.
During the traffic stop, a Clearwater Police Department officer found a “concealed hatchet/axe shoved between the driver’s seat and the door, hidden from sight.” When asked about the weapon, Byerly referred to unnamed Florida scum bags[2].
Seen above, Byerly was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and driving with a suspended license, both misdemeanors. He was freed from jail after a relative posted $400 bond.
Byerly, whose rap sheet includes multiple arrests, is currently serving a probation term in connection with a 2016 felony conviction for possession of a forged instrument.
References
- ^ court filing (www.thesmokinggun.com)
- ^ unnamed Florida scum bags (www.thesmokinggun.com)