A 70-year-old Florida man is facing felony criminal mischief charges after allegedly urinating on more than $10,000 worth of canned goods at a Sam’s Club in Lady Lake, Florida, before calmly taking a seat on the store’s patio furniture.
Patrick Francis Mitchell, of The Villages, was arrested following an incident on May 30, 2025, at the Sam’s Club located at 755 N US 27/441 and according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Detective Ronnie Williams of the Lady Lake Police Department, a female customer witnessed Mitchell urinating in Aisle 18 around 9:49 AM.
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The witness, who captured a photo of the defendant, promptly reported the incident to store employees. Sam’s Club management reviewed CCTV footage, which reportedly showed a white male, consistent with Mitchell’s description, walking into Aisle 18, positioning himself in front of two pallets, and engaging in ‘behavior consistent with urination’ for several seconds.
Following the alleged act, the surveillance footage shows Mitchell leaving Aisle 18, walking through the snack section, and then sitting on the store’s patio furniture for approximately 10 minutes. He then proceeded to a register, paid for his items, and left the store without notifying any employees of the incident.
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Store managers confirmed the presence of urine on two pallets of canned goods. The contaminated products included approximately 188 units of 18-count canned Vienna Sausages and 345 units of 8-count canned Spam Classic. Due to the contamination, all items on both pallets had to be discarded.
The total estimated value of the damaged product is approximately $10,584.84, with Vienna Sausages valued at $12.48 per unit and Spam Classic at $23.88 per unit.
Sam’s Club management provided law enforcement with Mitchell’s name, date of birth, a New York address, phone number, and email address, which were obtained from his membership portal.
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This information, coupled with the witness’s photo, was used to identify Patrick Francis Mitchell through database checks.
Mitchell has been charged with Criminal Mischief (over $1,000), a felony, and Disorderly Conduct, a misdemeanor. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
His case is being handled by the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in and for Lake County.
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