A bell ringer for the Salvation Army turned a holiday charity effort into a chaotic scene outside a Publix just north of Palm Beach County after allegedly confronting shoppers and attacking a store manager while under the influence, according to authorities.
The incident took place on Tuesday, Dec. 23, outside a Publix supermarket in Stuart.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said 63-year-old Steven Scott Pavlik was working as a Salvation Army bell ringer outside the grocery store when deputies said he began acting inappropriately, CBS affiliate WPEC reported. According to the sheriff’s office, Pavlik appeared intoxicated and started aggressively confronting shoppers as they passed by, creating a disturbance outside the store.
Investigators said the situation escalated when a Publix manager approached Pavlik to address his behavior. The sheriff’s office said Pavlik then became violent and allegedly tried to attack the manager using a donation kettle tripod. WPEC reported that the manager was not injured during the encounter…