ALACHUA, Fla. – A 65-year-old Alachua man was arrested Thursday after authorities said a dispute between neighbors escalated into a baseball bat attack that left a woman with a heavily bleeding head wound.
According to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called around 8:17 p.m. on September 11 to the 19200 block of NW 62nd Avenue. The woman and her boyfriend told deputies that Gordon Frank Dixon Sr. came onto their property carrying a baseball bat to confront them over an ongoing property-related disagreement. The boyfriend said he moved between Dixon and the woman as Dixon approached. He alleged that Dixon shoved him, after which the woman struck Dixon in the torso with a 2-by-4. Dixon then allegedly hit the woman in the head with the bat.
A responding deputy observed an open wound on the woman’s head and significant bleeding. She was taken to an emergency room for treatment.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, Dixon reportedly told deputies that he went to the neighboring home because of the property dispute. He said he brought the baseball bat for protection from a dog. Dixon said an argument broke out with the woman and her boyfriend, and that he pushed the boyfriend away after he came toward him. He also reportedly acknowledged striking the woman with the bat.
Dixon also complained of chest pain and was transported to an emergency room for evaluation, deputies reported.
Dixon faces a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Court records show a non-violent misdemeanor conviction from 1982, along with three criminal traffic convictions recorded between 1984 and 1991. Judge Mitchell Bishop ordered Dixon held without bond while the court considers a State Attorney’s Office request to keep him jailed without bail until trial. If that request is denied, bond will be determined during the hearing.