Man suspected of vandalizing Palmetto Bay Village Hall also trashed Trump Tower restaurant

A fugitive from Illinois who is suspected of breaking into Palmetto Bay Village Hall and causing extensive damage early Thursday morning is the same man who trashed a restaurant in Trump Tower in Chicago in 2017, pouring wine on furniture and causing tens of thousands of dollars of damage, according to multiple media reports.

With the help of surveillance video, Miami-Dade identified Marcelin Holdson, 38, as the person who smashed some type of object into the front door of Palmetto Bay Village Hall hard enough to force it open. Once inside he damaged a reception area, the permitting office and the council chamber at the stand-alone building at 9705 E. Hibiscus Street in Palmetto Bay.

Police had not totaled the damage but called it significant. Holdson had not been captured by Thursday afternoon and police were asking anyone who may have seen him to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers. They also said he’s wanted in Illinois for assaulting a police officer.

It was unclear why Holdson was in South Florida but officers arrested him March 23 for loitering and discovered the warrant out of Chicago. He has an extradition hearing set for late April, court records show. It was also unclear Thursday why he was released from jail after his arrest.

As for the Village Hall break-in, Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham said “No one was injured as the building was empty. But there is significant damage to the first floor.” Cunningham, who was in Tallahassee attending the legislative session on Thursday, said all services that don’t require access to Village Hall are up and running.

According to a story that ran in the Chicago Tribune in October of 2017, Holdson, who is from the Philadelphia area, broke glass, tossed tables and chairs and poured win on furniture at a restaurant at Trump Tower in Chicago. Damage at the restaurant was estimated to be as high as $100,000. He was captured by hotel security and later arrested and released on his own recognizance.

This story was originally published April 4, 2019 at 3:58 PM.