WALDO, Fla. – A 15-year-old boy was arrested in Waldo on Wednesday and charged with burglary with assault or battery and battery by strangulation, according to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
Alachua County sheriff’s deputies were called Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 9, to a reported burglary at a home in the 14400 block of Northeast 153rd Avenue. The caller told deputies that a young Black male wearing a light-colored shirt and blue shorts knocked at the door. After the resident answered and briefly spoke with him, the suspect allegedly grabbed the victim by the throat and forced them to the ground. The suspect then ran from the scene after the victim began screaming.
Several deputies responded to the Waldo residence and established a perimeter while a K-9 unit began tracking efforts to find the suspect.
Deputies said they observed inflammation on the victim’s body that supported the account of the attack. As the investigation continued, law enforcement identified the suspect as a 15-year-old who had been staying at a nearby home.
Investigators contacted the juvenile’s guardians and searched the residence where he was staying. Detectives and crime scene analysts reportedly found evidence inside the home that linked the teen to the alleged burglary and assault.
RELATED: MPs Block Fresh Attempt to Legalise Assisted Dying
Deputies also interviewed a witness who said they had seen a young male matching the juvenile’s description acting suspiciously nearby before law enforcement arrived. The witness provided information that investigators said aligned with evidence recovered from the residence.
A deputy assigned to the case later spotted a juvenile matching the descriptions provided by the victim and witness walking a short distance away. After he was positively identified, deputies arrested him and transported him to the Juvenile Detention Center.
The teen faces charges of burglary with assault or battery and battery by strangulation.