Florida Landlord Arrested For Shoving Tenant to Steal Her Trump Flag

A landlord in one Florida Gulf coast town was arrested for allegedly pushing a woman to the ground so he could steal her Trump flag from a closed backyard, which he did not have the right to enter, a police affidavit states.

Joseph John Mazzara, 74, was the landlord arrested and charged with felony battery. He was released from the Pinellas County Jail after posting a $2,500 bond. Mazzara has one prior conviction of aggravated battery from January 2017.

The incident took place in Indian Rocks, Florida, which is on the west central coast near Clearwater, and west of Tampa Bay. According to Google maps, the home is located on a small inlet bay that leads to the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the police report, Mazzara went to the backyard with intentions of stealing the Trump flag.

"The defendant is the landlord of the property, but at this time had no right to enter the residence and was not performing his official landlord duties," the police report read.

The affidavit states that Mazzara went into the fenced sideyard of the residence, and "forcefully pushed" the 60-year-old tenant so he could gain access to the yard.

"Once [Mazzara] pushed the victim, he took the Trump flag and fled the scene," police said.

The victim told police she had minor bruises along with grease and dirt marks from her landlord pushing and striking her.

The report says Mazzara had no indications of drugs or alcohol use, no mental health issues, and no weapons were involved.

That area of Florida is known for its heavy support for President Donald Trump. Just a little more than two weeks ago, there was a large flotilla that cruised from nearby Clearwater Beach until they reached the Welsh Causeway in Madeira Beach. Organizers of that parade of boats that sported "Trump 2020" flags, American flags and "Back the Blue" flags said they were close to breaking the Guinness World Record of 1,180 boats in a single parade, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The house Mazzara owns is in an area close to that boat route, and many homes in those neighborhoods have immediate access to the waterways.

Trump carried Florida in the 2016 election by 1.2 percentage points over Hillary Clinton. Florida is typically a battleground state that can swing either way, and 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden has a slight lead over Trump in current polls.

In many parts of Florida, though, Trump flags, yard signs and bumper stickers overwhelm anything from Biden.

And though it's not uncommon for signs and flags to get stolen, it doesn't happen to just Trump supporters from Florida to Washington. Biden supporters have also seen their signage stolen in several key swing states, according to a Washington Post report.