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Inset: Anthony Worley (Bay County Jail). Background: The Lagoon Motel in Panama City, Florida, where Worley assaulted his girlfriend (Google Maps).
During a getaway to Florida, a Georgia man violently attacked his girlfriend, fracturing her nose and eye socket, after a remark about her appearance enraged him.
The Bay County State Attorney’s Office announced that Anthony Wayne Worley, 62, was found guilty of aggravated battery, domestic battery by strangulation, and false imprisonment, according to a press release.
The violent encounter unfolded on October 12, 2024, at the Lagoon Motel in Panama City. Prosecutors revealed that other guests at the motel heard the woman’s desperate cries for assistance. A concerned bystander saw the woman pleading “help me” and “I’m trying to leave” as Worley restrained her by the arm and neck.
According to prosecutors, the woman attempted to flee the motel room, but Worley caught her and dragged her back inside. Fortunately, the good Samaritan intervened, enabling her to escape and take refuge in his room, preventing Worley from pursuing her further. She remained there until the authorities arrived.
Emergency medical responders transported the woman to the hospital, where she underwent urgent surgery to repair the damage to her eye socket and nose.
The victim testified at trial that she and Worley, her boyfriend of about six months, were scouting the area for a potential place to live. While they were drinking, someone made an unsolicited but flattering remark about her appearance. This upset Worley, who started arguing with her. The victim then said she was “going back to Georgia,” according to the press release. Worley then repeatedly punched her, smothered her with a pillow and waved a loaded gun at her.
“I got one bullet for you and one bullet for me,” he told her.
Jurors convicted Worley in January after about an hour of deliberating. Prosecutor Jackson White credited the motel guest who intervened to help the victim.
“But for the brave actions of the Good Samaritan responding to her screams for help, there is no way to know what would have happened if the defendant had gotten her back into that room,” White said in a statement. “Because of his help, we do know the man who beat and threatened to shoot the victim is now facing prison time.”
Worley is slated to be sentenced on Feb. 18.