Man slashed neighbor’s tires, deputies say

BROOKSVILLE – Kenneth Estes, 54, was arrested Thursday after slashing his neighbor’s tires, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.

John Porter told an arriving deputy one of the tires on his 1996 Dodge pickup was slashed and flattened, and that he believed his Lincoln Road neighbor, Estes, was responsible.

Porter told law enforcement he had hired Estes, who lives two doors down, to help with yard work, and had not paid him in full for the service.

Estes later confessed, and told Deputy Richard Killingsworth he walked over to Porter’s house and punctured the tire with a buck knife. He also said his motive was the lack of payment for the yard work, and signed a written statement.

He was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and booked at the Hernando County Jail. Estes was released on $250 bail Friday afternoon.