A 69-year-old Florida man has been arrested after authorities alleged that he tried to arrange the killing of his neighbor while he was being held in jail over an earlier dispute involving a drone.

David Butka was charged with one count of solicitation to commit murder, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. He was already in custody after pleading no contest to aggravated assault stemming from a July 22 incident.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the earlier confrontation was linked to an ongoing civil dispute over Butka’s use of a drone near his neighbor’s property. A witness told authorities that the neighbor was recording the dispute when Butka allegedly threw a rock at the person’s vehicle, causing visible marks and dents.

While still in custody, Butka allegedly approached another inmate around September 7 or 8 and asked him to kill his neighbor, according to investigators.

Authorities allege Butka offered the inmate $5,000 upfront and claimed he had approximately $1.3 million in the bank. Police said he also provided detailed information about the intended victim, including an address, telephone number, first name, physical description and morning routine.

Investigators said Butka also provided his credit card information. The inmate allegedly passed the information to his wife, who deposited $300 into the inmate’s jail commissary account.

The inmate reportedly documented the conversation and later provided handwritten notes containing details of the alleged plot to a Lake County Sheriff’s Office official on September 16.

Butka denied the allegations and reportedly told authorities that the money was intended to help the inmate hire an attorney.

Sergeant James Vachon, a public information officer for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, told WESH that investigators were still unclear about Butka’s alleged motive. He suggested that anger or revenge could have been involved.

The alleged murder-for-hire plan was uncovered just one day before Butka had been scheduled to leave custody. Authorities said the two inmates did not know each other before being housed together.

Butka’s bond on the new charge was set at $25,000. It was not immediately clear whether he had retained an attorney.

SOURCE: PEOPLE, Angel Saunders, September 22, 2026.