Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Ronnie Lavern Walker, 65, was arrested yesterday after allegedly hitting a man with a piece of wood at Copeland Park; the victim was transported to the hospital with head injuries.

At about 5:30 p.m. on July 12, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to Copeland Park (7020 NE 27th Avenue), where the victim said he and Walker had argued, and then Walker went into the woods, came out with a piece of wood, and hit him four times in the head with the wood.

The victim reportedly sustained multiple lacerations on his head and was transported to the hospital.

Walker reportedly said he had acted in self-defense after the victim attacked him and punched him multiple times in the face, but the deputy reported that Walker had no injuries that matched his account of the incident.

Walker has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He has one felony conviction (non-violent) and one misdemeanor conviction (non-violent); he was arrested in 2015 for threatening a man with a stick, but the charge was later dropped. Judge Gloria Walker ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.