Florida Republican busted for 'penny attack' on Obama headquarters

A Florida man says that he attacked Obama campaign workers with a penny because that's all the money he had after being taxed by President Barack Obama.

A police reported obtained by The Smoking Gun on Monday, indicated that Gary Root, a 71-year-old Republican, was arrested on Friday for misdemeanor trespassing after he threw a penny at workers the president's Collier County headquarters.

After the attack, campaign staff identified Root at a restaurant next door "as the man who continues to open the victims [sic] door, yells and argues about Obama, and throws a penny at the workers."

For his part, Root allegedly claimed that he threw the penny as a donation because "that's all he has left after being taxed by Obama."

After being told that opening the door and tossing in a penny was considered trespassing, Root insisted that he had broken no laws because no one owns "that" door.

Campaign workers said that the man had been an ongoing problem and had previously been given a warning for trespassing.

"This is on ongoing issues, and as Root was drinking alcohol next door, approximately 25 feet from the victims [sic] location, the issue was ongoing and Root was arrested and transported to the Naples Jail Center," the police report said.

Root was released on $1,000 bond and is due back in court on Nov. 14.

[Photo: Collier County Sheriff's Office]