A Citrus county man who built a neighborhood haunted house is the one who got spooked after he tried to pay off the city’s fire chief to ignore his unsafe and unlawful haunted house.
Citrus County Sheriff’s Office authorities booked 24-year-old Paul John Catucci on Oct. 20 under a charge of bribing a public servant, according to court and arrest records obtained by WFLA.
Catucci’s lawyer advised him not to speak with 8 On Your Side, but he did show us what was left of the backyard haunted house. When neighbors called the city — the fire chief came out to give it a thorough safety check. “A number of vehicles were in the right of way parking, sort of encompassing the neighborhood during the operation of this haunted house,” City manager Eric Williams told 8 On Your Side.
Williams said the violations were horrifying to the city and the chief ordered the attraction to shut down.