Pierson man who showed up at Naples dealership heavily armed was prepared to cause havoc

Patricio G. Balona, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·3 min read
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Naples police said a Pierson man, Micah Weiss Bennett, 26 is seen on Friday in a Jaguar dealership's surveillance video covered in a military-style camouflage tarp walking in the parking lot near the entrance. He was armed with a 30-30 rifle and his sudden appearance caused mass panic of staff and customers, police said.
Naples police said a Pierson man, Micah Weiss Bennett, 26 is seen on Friday in a Jaguar dealership's surveillance video covered in a military-style camouflage tarp walking in the parking lot near the entrance. He was armed with a 30-30 rifle and his sudden appearance caused mass panic of staff and customers, police said.
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PIERSON - A local man who caused mass panic at a car dealership in Naples when he showed up armed with a rifle and covered in camouflage after driving all the way from Pierson is the son of that city's mayor, according to those who know the family.

Police said on Wednesday they were not aware that Micah Bennett, 26, is the son of Pierson Mayor Samuel Bennett, but witnesses and a social media account appear to confirm that Micah Bennett is the son of the mayor.

In a Facebook post, Micah Bennett announced that child care was available at his mother's daycare in Pierson. The proprietor, Deanna Bennett, is the wife of Mayor Samuel Bennett.

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On Wednesday, Naples Police Department's chief said Micah Bennett was prepared to wreak havoc in the Naples community when he showed up heavily armed at a Jaguar dealership at 900 North Ninth Street in that city.

On Wednesday, a reporter sought Samuel Bennett at his office at the Pierson Town Hall but he was not there, said town clerk Carmen Spelorzi.

Questions regarding his son's well-being and arrest were also sent to Samuel Bennett's email.

By late afternoon Wednesday, the mayor had not responded to the News-Journal's request for an interview.

The Naples Police Department also released more information about Friday's incident. The agency also released images from surveillance cameras showing Micah Bennett armed with a rifle in the parking lot of the business.

In one image, Micah Bennett is seen carrying a rifle, wearing a hat walking up and down in the parking lot of the Jaguar dealership. In other images, he is seen covered in a military-style camouflage tarp walking near the entrance of the business.

Police say Micah Bennett was prepared to cause havoc

Police said they did not know what Micah Bennett, who was visiting an aunt in Fort Myers, was doing at the dealership in Naples but they believe he was prepared for devastation.

“The subject was heavily armed and prepared to cause havoc in our community," said Naples police Chief Tom Weschler. "Thanks to the public’s awareness and quick notification to the police department, as well as our officers’ rapid response, a potentially catastrophic event was averted.”

Naples police said said that on Friday at 4:12 p.m. Micah Weiss Bennett pulled into the  dealership's parking lot and backed up into a parking spot. He then activated a flashing light on the bumper of his truck and got out.

Bennett walked north and south through the parking lot wearing a camouflage tarp and eventually retrieved a rifle from his truck. He paraded up and down the front of the dealership armed with the rifle, police said.

Bennett's actions caused a well-founded fear among employees and patrons of the business and prompted them to seek immediate safety, Naples police said on Wednesday.

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Police responding to 9-1-1 calls found Micah Bennett leaving the parking lot and stopped him.

Naples police said they seized 14 handguns, three rifles including two AR-15 style rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, brass knuckles, and a bulletproof vest from a Pierson man on Friday. Micah Weiss Bennett, 26 showed up at a Jaguar dealership armed with a rifle.
Naples police said they seized 14 handguns, three rifles including two AR-15 style rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, brass knuckles, and a bulletproof vest from a Pierson man on Friday. Micah Weiss Bennett, 26 showed up at a Jaguar dealership armed with a rifle.

In his truck police said they found 14 handguns, three rifles including two AR-15 style guns, brass knuckles, a bullet proof vest, a toolbox weighing 77 lbs. filled with handgun ammunition, and an ammunition cannister weighing approximately 28 lbs. filled with rifle ammunition.

Micah Bennett was charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Naples Jail Center records on Wednesday showed he was still being held in that facility.

Naples police  also requested a temporary Risk Protection Order, and a court granted police authorization to seize the weapons, said Naples Police Lt. Bryan McGin.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Pierson mayor's son arrested, heavily armed at Naples car dealership