A New Yorker living in a recreational vehicle at a local campground was arrested after allegedly using a weapon to threaten his female companion.
Lester Van Steenburg, 78, was arrested Wednesday afternoon at Wildwood RV Village on State Road 44 on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
A woman staying with Van Steenburg in the RV discreetly called 911 after he threatened her with a Byrna HD CO2 home defense pistol, according to an arrest report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. She said Van Steenburg became upset with her during a disagreement over her son.
Van Steenburg used the weapon to shoot the television in their RV. He threatened to “get real bullets” and kill the woman and her son, the report said.
When a deputy arrived at the scene, the deputy found a “quarter sized, solid round of ammunition made specifically for the Byrna HD” near the inside steps of the RV. There were holes in the television set and the RV was in “disarray.”
Van Steenburg was taken into custody and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. The native New Yorker was initially held without bond.
