Man charged with pooing in the woods claims his civil rights were violated

A Florida man charged by police with defecating in a wooded area outside a Mount Dora bar has filed a federal lawsuit contending his civil rights were violated. Elvan Moore II of Lake Mary, who said he was “harassed” and “humiliated, filed the lawsuit against Mount Dora police officer Jeremy Alexander and the city of Mount Dora at the federal courthouse in Ocala this week. He is seeking in excess of $15,000. The incident occurred just before 1am on July 7, 2010.

According to a Mount Dora police report, Alexander observed Moore running out of McGregor’s Bar, through the parking lot and into a wooded area. Alexander said he followed the man and witnessed him squatting in the woods beside a disabled vehicle with his shorts down. The report added Alexander noticed the man had a handful of white napkins and the area smelled of faeces. Moore reportedly said he was on vitamin supplements that didn’t agree with his digestive system and that he didn’t want to be disrespectful to the bar by using the restroom.



He also said his girlfriend was creating too much drama inside. The report adds the officer cited Moore for disorderly conduct and told him he needed to make arrangements to remove the faeces in a sanitary manner. According to the lawsuit, Moore contends it was vomit and not faeces that he dumped on the ground. Moore argues that Alexander never saw him defecating, did not collect the napkins or faeces so they could be tested or take any pictures of it. The lawsuit adds Moore obtained an attorney for the disorderly conduct charges but the State Attorney’s Office eventually dropped the charges, citing a lack of evidence.

However, Moore added not only did the incident become a matter of public record, but as a result of the charges he was fired from his $55,000-a-year job as a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch. The suit contains a copy of his termination letter that states bank officials had “lost confidence in your abilities to perform as a financial manager.” The lawsuit adds the city of Mount Dora adopted a “careless and reckless policy” that allowed Alexander to cite him and he has suffered lost wages, damages to his reputation, embarrassment and humiliation.