Florida Man Called Himself ‘Saint’, Threatened To Unleash ‘Turtle Army,’ Charged

A Florida man - claiming himself to be a “saint” - was arrested over the weekend after he threatened to unleash destruction with an army of turtles in Brevard County.

Thomas Devaney Lane, 61, was arrested Sunday after the authorities received at least seven reports of a man who was disturbing the peace at several businesses in Indialantic, situated around 75 miles southeast of Orlando. He was allegedly yelling obscenities along a boardwalk, and claiming “his turtle army will destroy” the residents of the town, Fox-affiliate WOFL reported.

When officers arrived at the scene, they witnessed Lane screaming and threatening people in front of some cafes and stores in the area. He also told people “they would all see what would happen in an hour.”

The suspect did not stop his disruptive behavior even when he was arrested. When he reached the lobby of the Indialantic Police headquarters building, he started pounding on the walls and glass. Although he was supposed to wait till he met with an officer, he left the station without doing so.

He had to be tracked down by the police, who located him in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven. When Lane saw the responding officer approaching him from his car, he yelled at the customers around him as well as the deputy before dialing 911. He told the emergency line operator that the officer “needed to leave now or you will all be sorry you f----- with the saint.”

Lane refused to come out of his vehicle despite being asked to do so multiple times by the officer. Eventually, he was pulled out of the car by force while he continued to scream obscenities and warning people about his turtle army. He was charged with disturbing the peace, resisting arrest without violence and misusing 911.

Lane was booked into Brevard County jail and later released on bail.