Staff Reports
A disturbed man showed up at a Publix parking lot in Ormond-by-the-Sea and turned a petty act of vengeance into an assault on an innocent family’s life, smashing an SUV with a hammer while the owner was inside the store. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office bodycam footage makes it plain: he was convinced he was attacking his ex’s car, but had the wrong vehicle and the wrong target.
According to local reports, the arrest happened on February 13, 2026, after deputies found 37-year-old Justin Allen inside the passenger seat swinging a hammer and later admitting he was “taking revenge” on an ex. This wasn’t a momentary lapse in judgment — deputies charged him with burglary, criminal mischief, and possession offenses, a pattern that screams of drug-fueled poor choices and disregard for other people’s property.
The victim turned out to be a hardworking Publix employee and mother of four, identified in follow-up coverage as someone whose only family vehicle was left unusable and who found shattered glass in her children’s car seats. Watching this proud, working mom have to scramble for rides and insurance help while some accused vandal posts bond should anger every decent American who believes in protecting families and property.
Law enforcement recovered more than just a hammer; the arrest affidavit alleges possession of cocaine and paraphernalia, yet the man posted a $10,500 bond and walked out the same night. That kind of revolving-door justice — criminal damage, drugs, released on relatively light bond — shows why conservative calls for tougher consequences and accountability resonate in communities facing real victimization.
To their credit, neighbors and local businesses stepped up, offering a dealership loaner and crowdfunding help so this family can keep moving while repairs are handled. Patriots look after one another, and the community response is exactly the kind of neighborly backbone we should celebrate, while also demanding our justice system protect victims first.
This story ought to be a wake-up call: soft-on-crime attitudes and shrugging at drug possession leave law-abiding Americans paying the price. We should back law enforcement, support strict penalties for deliberate property destruction, and ensure victims — not perpetrators — aren’t the ones left picking up the tab.
