SEBASTIAN — A Vero Beach man is being held on $5,500 bond after he kicked a Sebastian police officer in the eye, causing a corneal abrasion, during an arrest that would have otherwise resulted in a misdemeanor charge for criminal mischief.
John Kavanaugh, 54, identified by police as homeless, was reported by a concerned citizen when she witnessed Kavanaugh causing damage to a water main structure in Riverview Park.
The witness told authorities, “the male went over to a wooden water main cover and shook the structure, causing it [to] break loose from the ground,” according to the arrest affidavit. She directed officers to the nearby Hess gas station where she said the man walked to after the incident.
Police made contact with man fitting the witness’s description of a Caucasian male with a long gray beard inside the gas station.
According to the arrest report, police observed Kavanaugh shouting obscenities, slurring his words, having difficulty keeping his balance, and making a scene in the gas station.
Outside of the gas station, police attempted to interview Kavanaugh about the incident with the water main in the park, but he remained uncooperative, according to the report.
During a short struggle in which Kavanaugh resisted arrest, two police officers managed to gain control of him and put him in the backseat of a patrol car. At that time, Kavanaugh struck one of the arresting officers in the eye with his foot.
The officer was treated at the hospital where it was determined he suffered a corneal abrasion.
The City of Sebastian Public Works Department assessed the damage to the water pipe in Riverview Park to be approximately $75.
Kavanaugh is being held at the Indian River County Jail on felony charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence, and a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief.