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Report by Staff
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Authorities have arrested Fredrick Joseph Augustus, 45, under allegations of assaulting a woman who had just arrived at GRACE Marketplace.
According to the Gainesville Police Department, the alleged victim recounted that she first encountered Augustus in early April when she reached GRACE Marketplace. On April 24, around 3 p.m., she began spending time with Augustus, who then invited her to his tent situated in the wooded area east of GRACE.
The woman claimed that Augustus forcibly administered an injection of what she suspected was methamphetamine before using his body weight to restrain and assault her, despite her repeated pleas for him to stop.
She reported that Augustus eventually exited the tent after approximately an hour, leaving her to lose consciousness inside.
The officer reported that the victim had a wound on her arm that appeared to be from a recent needle injection.
Augustus reportedly said the victim had been in his tent earlier in the day, and he said he had known her for about a week, since she arrived in the area. He said the victim smoked “meth” with him inside the tent, and then they engaged in consensual sex. He denied forcibly injecting her with drugs or raping her. He said the victim fell asleep in his tent after they had sex, and he let her sleep there until after dinner, when he woke her up and asked her to leave the tent.
Augustus, whose address is listed as the former St. Francis House site, has been charged with sexual battery. He has two felony convictions (one violent) and seven misdemeanor convictions (one violent). Judge Donna Keim ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.
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.