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Reported by Staff
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Early this morning, 38-year-old Collin Lydal Battershell found himself in custody after an incident on a sidewalk near the University of Florida campus. The arrest came following a report from an individual who alleged that Battershell had aimed a hacksaw at him. This marks Battershell’s tenth arrest since October of the previous year.
The Gainesville Police Department received a call around 1:56 a.m. on April 18, concerning a white male with a hacksaw along the 1200 block of West University Avenue. The caller claimed the man had threatened him with the tool.
Officers located Battershell in front of The Hub at 1111 W. University Avenue, holding an object that resembled a saw. As the officer approached, Battershell reportedly attempted to flee, ignoring commands to halt and drop the item in question.
After a brief chase involving several officers and patrol cars with sirens blaring, Battershell was successfully apprehended.
Battershell, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with resisting an officer without violence. He has three felony convictions (non-violent) and eight misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he has been arrested 10 times in Alachua County since October 2022. He was most recently arrested in September 2025 for taking a phone from a Krispy Kreme employee and was sentenced to four months in jail in January 2026, with credit for 114 days served, after entering a plea of nolo contendere to the charge. Judge Denise Ferrero set bail at $15,000 on the new charge.
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.