Cops: Manatee Mannequin Molested

DECEMBER 11--During a drunken outburst Friday evening, a man threw “gator nuggets” into a Florida restaurant and then proceeded to “sexually molest” a manatee mannequin in front of staff and patrons of the establishment, cops report.

Investigators say Anthony Michael Lessa, 23, was intoxicated when he caused a disturbance at Rick’s Reef, a St. Petersburg seafood joint .

Lessa, cops allege, “was throwing gator nuggets (found in his right pants pocket upon arrest) into the restaurant.” When employees confronted Lessa about flinging the nuggets, he “became belligerent” and advanced on the life-size manatee.

[Note: As for those airborne gator bites, think chicken nuggets, but instead made with alligator meat.] 

To the shock--and likely amusement--of onlookers, Lessa (seen at right) then went on to “sexually molest” the mannequin, which has been known to wear a t-shirt promoting the consumption of tacos.

A criminal complaint does not further describe the alleged molestation of the manatee (pictured below).

After running from the eatery, Lessa, cops charge, caused a disturbance at a nearby hotel, where he yelled and cursed at a front desk worker and stood in the parking lot yelling obscenities.

When police arrived at the scene, Lessa exhibited multiple signs of intoxication and kept asking why he was being arrested. Charged with “disorderly intoxication-disturbance,” Lessa was booked into jail on the misdemeanor count. He was released from custody early Saturday morning.

According to his LinkedIn page, Lessa is a student pilot who is attending a flight school in Ponte Vedra. Lessa, who attended West Virginia University, gave his home address as his family’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania residence. (1 page)