Employees at the Elliot Museum on Hutchinson Island were surprised this morning to find they weren’t the first to arrive. Instead, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said the employees were surprised to see 42-year-old Jason Allen Dark of Port St. Lucie taking items inside the museum. Police say Dark entered the museum through an unlocked door.
When deputies reached the scene, Dark surrendered without incident. Deputies say they found items taken from the museum and a knife in Dark’s backpack. Jason Allen Dark was charged with burglary and theft.
Jay Skelton is an independent crime journalist with a passion for covering the uncovered and the under covered.
This is the most unjust arrest of a 100% mentally disabled veteran. When the Martin County Sherrif Deputies encountered him in the museum it was evident that he was not in his right state of mind or violent. He should have been baker acted.
Instead, he was arrested, put in jail and as soon as he bailed himself out, he was immediately baker acted. So, I guess that they knew he was suffering from mental illness at the time of his arrest. He went into the museum through an unlocked door and did not leave the museum with anything. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office should drop this charge so Jason can get the help he needs. He should not have a felony hanging over his head as he tries to heal in the state mental hospital.