GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Phillip Williamson, 67, was arrested yesterday after authorities accused him of sexually battering a 16-year-old girl who was sleeping at a bus stop in September.
The girl contacted police on November 6 after spotting Williamson at the Rosa Parks Transfer Station. She told officers that he had sexually battered her two months earlier.
According to the victim, her grandmother had forced her to leave home, prompting her to sleep at a bus stop near the Walmart at 1800 NE 12th Avenue. She said she was lying on the floor beneath a sheet when Williamson reached behind her during the night and touched her beneath her underwear without permission. The girl said she told him to stop, and he did so immediately. She also reported that he smelled of alcohol.
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After being read his Miranda rights, Williamson reportedly acknowledged the bus-stop encounter. He told investigators that he is homeless, had arrived in Gainesville from Orlando about four months earlier and sleeps “anywhere in the city” when he is intoxicated. Williamson said he had been drinking that night and “leaned” next to the girl. He claimed she asked him to touch her buttocks, leading him to place his hand inside her underwear. He also said he did not know she was 16.
Williamson, a homeless registered sexual offender whose listed address is GRACE Marketplace, was charged with sexual battery on a victim between the ages of 12 and 18. His complete criminal history was not available because the records are not posted on weekends. However, he has served 10 state prison sentences in Collier, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Lee counties, with his most recent release occurring in 2022. He was classified as a sexual offender in 1999 after being convicted of lewd or lascivious assault on a victim younger than 12.
Judge Denise Ferrero ordered Williamson held without bail pending a hearing on a State Attorney’s Office motion seeking to keep him jailed without bail through trial. If the motion is denied, the judge will set bail during that hearing.