A landlord from The Villages has entered a plea in a case in which he is charged with setting his tenant’s couch on fire during an unlawful eviction.
Youssef El-Masry, 84, who owns a home in Villa Vera Cruz in the Village of Santo Domingo, is facing a felony charge of burglary, following his arrest in December by the Fruitland Park Police Department.
This week he entered a plea of not guilty in the case in Lake County Court.
El-Masry, who previously has been accused of keeping trashy rental property in The Villages, allegedly went Dec. 21 to his rental property on East Leah Court in Fruitland Park with a handyman and a removal crew, according to an arrest report. While they were on the property, El-Masry’s female tenant arrived home and found her couch in a burn pit in the backyard. She called law enforcement…