Florida Man Arrested for Assaulting Publix Manager

A man from Florida, who served as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army during the holiday season, was arrested after allegedly attempting to attack a grocery store manager with a tripod from a donation kettle, officials report.

Steven Pavlik, 63, was apprehended this week for charges that include aggravated assault and resisting arrest. This followed an incident outside a Publix in Stuart, Florida, where he reportedly assaulted the store manager while under the influence of alcohol.

Pavlik had been stationed outside the market, ringing his bell for charity.

The Martin County Sheriff’s Office shared on Facebook a tongue-in-cheek remark about Pavlik’s part-time role. “He tried his hand at Christmas charity work, but drunken behavior led to a swift change in responsibilities,” they wrote.

While he was on duty, the store manager confronted him, as Pavlik was allegedly creating a disturbance by aggressively harassing customers nearby.

According to the sheriff’s office, things escalated quickly. “When the Publix manager came outside to address the situation, Pavlik became violent and attempted to stab him with the donation kettle tripod.”

Fortunately, the store manager was unharmed during this altercation.

Pavlik fled the scene but was later found at his residence, where he was arrested.

Neither Publix nor the Salvation Army immediately replied to requests for comments regarding the incident.