Security at Trump National Golf Club catch man spray painting BLM on wall
Jupiter FL June 3 2020
The 18-year-old son of former Congressman Tom Rooney was arrested overnight after he allegedly spray painted “BLM” on the wall of Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, according to reports.
Thomas Joseph Rooney, Jr., a Tequesta resident, was booked early Tuesday at the Palm Beach County Jail and left hours later on his own recognizance. He’s charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief of $200 or less.
A Jupiter police report said the teen admitted to officers that he sprayed the sign, saying he wanted to draw attention to unequal treatment in the justice system.
“BLM” is short for “Black Lives Matter,” a byword of the many protests that have followed incidents of police brutality, most recently the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on Memorial Day after a white officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Tom Rooney did not respond Tuesday to several calls and emails from The Palm Beach Post.
He told WPTV-TV Newschannel 5, The Post’s news partner, that his son “made a mistake” and “would pay the price for it.” He said “Tommy” would plead guilty to the charges, saying, “Hopefully he learns a lesson and moves forward in a positive way.”
According to the Jupiter police report, just before 11 p.m. Monday, security guards at the club, at Donald Ross Road and Alternate State Road A1A, spotted someone on their security monitors spray painting the sign. They said they saw him walk away down Donald Ross Road.
As the Jupiter officers spoke to the security guards, another officer in his cruiser saw a car leaving the area and pulled it over for a nonworking license tag light, the report said. It said the driver matched the description of the spray-painter and the officer found a can of black spray paint in the car.
A message left at the golf club was not returned.
Now-President Donald J. Trump bought the club from the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa for $5 million in 2012.
Tom Rooney, raised in Palm Beach Gardens, was elected to a Palm Beach-Treasure Coast congressional district in 2008 but moved to a Central Florida seat after the 2012 redistricting. He announced his retirement from Congress in 2018 after serving five terms.
He’s now a lawyer for a Tallahassee-based firm, specializing in Florida agriculture and livestock, according to the firm’s webpage.
Rooney is the grandson of Art Rooney, patriarch of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Palm Beach Kennel Club, both of which remain in the Rooney family.
