Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Adaryll Toriano Brown, 50, was arrested yesterday and charged with battery on a person over 65 after allegedly hitting an 80-year-old woman in the face with an unknown object.

The victim told an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that she was driving to her daughter’s home yesterday when she saw Brown in a neighbor’s yard, using her rake, which she had not seen in three weeks. She said she stopped, got out of her car, and told Brown she wanted her rake back. She said Brown told her to come get the rake and took an aggressive stance, so she picked up a metal pipe and said she was going to call her children.

The victim said Brown said, “Call them” and began swinging an unknown object at her, striking her in the face multiple times. She described the object as a piece of rope, and the deputy reported that she had visible swelling to her lip, along with bruising and abrasions on her face. She said she never hit Brown with the metal pipe, and the deputy reported that her story remained consistent throughout the investigation.

Post Miranda, Brown reportedly said he was raking a yard for money and was close to finishing when the woman arrived and told him to give her the rake. He said he told her the rake was not hers and that he would find her a new rake. He said she picked up a pipe and said she would call her sons to come beat him up, and he told her to call them, at which point she hit him several times with the pipe. He said he defended himself by swinging at her with a handsaw and that after he’d hit her two or three times, she stopped hitting him and “looked startled.” Brown reportedly said this was because she did not think he would stand up for himself.

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Brown reportedly said he checked the handsaw after hitting her to make sure there was no blood on it, then ran away through the woods.

When a deputy asked why he did not leave, given that the woman is 80 years old and probably could not chase him, Brown reportedly changed his story and said that when the woman got out of her car and picked up the pipe, he went to get the money for raking the yard, and the woman started hitting him, but he could not run away because he was tired from raking. Brown later reportedly changed the story again, stating that when the woman arrived, she immediately got out of her car, picked up the pipe, and started hitting him, at which point he defended himself.

The deputy reported that Brown had welts on his back, but they did not appear to be consistent with being hit by a metal pipe. The deputy also noted that it was unclear whether the victim had the strength to swing the pipe with enough force to leave welts.

Brown has two felony convictions, including a previous conviction for battery on a person over 65, and three misdemeanor convictions (one violent). Judge Mark Moseley set bail at $10,000.

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.