A North Fort Myers man was arrested on Saturday on charges of a murder-for-hire plot.
Dustin Russell Lofty, 24, allegedly contacted Cape Coral city council man Eric Grill, offering his services as a hit man.
According to a prepared statement from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Lofty told Grill he could “take care of his problems” in exchange for an undisclosed amount of money, by targeting two individuals who have pending complaints against Grill, Lisa Johnson and David Malmberg.
Johnson and Malmberg each have alleged Grill bilked them out of thousands of dollars for construction work that was never completed.
Grill was recently arrested on charges of grand theft and fraud in connection with the Johnson and Malmberg’s complaints, though the State Attorney’s Office has not decided whether to pursue those charges. He is scheduled for arraingment on March 1.
Grill declined to answer any questions when conctacted Sunday, stating only that he was cooperating with the Sheriff’s Office, and confirming he is a witness in the case.
Lisa Johnson said Sunday that the Sheriff’s Office told her there was no reason to be concerned during the investigation, and if there had been, Johnson and her family would have been put under protection.
She said she feels safe now that Lofty is behind bars.
“I’m not worried at all, I don’t feel there’s a threat to me or my family,” she said. “Everything is under control.”
Lofty is being charged with two counts of solicitation to commit capital murder.