Gainesville man arrested for attacking paralyzed roommate with stainless steel mug

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dylan Joseph Donovan, 48, has been arrested and charged with aggravated battery and other charges after allegedly hitting his paralyzed roommate with a stainless steel mug and then threatening him with a knife.

At about 2:30 p.m. on May 30, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a call from Donovan’s roommate, who said Donovan had hit him in the eye with a stainless steel Yeti- or Stanley-style cup after an argument about a trash can lid not being placed correctly on the trash can. The deputy reported that the victim had a fresh wound near his eye and wrote, “Though only used once, the nature of using the item continuously could lead a reasonable person to believe the mug could cause life-threatening injuries.”

The victim, who uses a wheelchair, reportedly said that after hitting him with the cup, Donovan tried to reconcile with him, but he said he was going to call the police, so Donovan took a knife from his waistband and pointed it at him, threatening to kill him if he called 911. Donovan also allegedly said that if he were arrested, he would kill the victim when he got out of jail. The victim said the threat caused him to retreat to his bedroom, lock the door, and wait a short period of time before contacting law enforcement.

Deputies made announcements outside Donovan’s apartment and found that his bedroom door was locked. A deputy called Donovan, who reportedly acted like the call woke him up. When the deputy asked if he were home, he reportedly said at first that he was, but when the deputy asked him to come to the door, Donovan reportedly said, “He said I hit him, didn’t he? I’ll see you in court.” When the deputy called again, Donovan was reportedly uncooperative and said the deputies would arrest him without hearing his side. Donovan reportedly said his roommate had probably scraped a scab on his eye, although the deputy had not mentioned any specific information about the incident.

The deputy contacted the State Attorney’s office and requested documents to walk a warrant through to arrest Donovan for aggravated assault and aggravated battery. The warrant was signed by Judge David Kreider, and deputies entered Donovan’s apartment with a key provided by management and reportedly found a butcher knife in Donovan’s bedroom. He was not inside the apartment, and deputies pinged his phone because of the continued threat to his roommate.

While deputies were waiting for the warrant, Donovan reportedly called law enforcement to say he was at the DNA bridge in Gainesville and that he was going to Jacksonville to get a lawyer and would see them in court.

Donovan’s phone pinged at his ex-girlfriend’s home, and a woman reportedly answered the door and called out to Donovan to come to the door. After multiple commands to exit the home, Donovan reportedly walked near the front door and then stepped outside after more commands were given.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a small burnt “blunt” and several vape pens; Donovan reportedly identified one as a “weed pen.” Although Donovan said he had a medical marijuana card, it was expired. Deputies also reportedly found a Trazodone pill.

Post Miranda, Donovan reportedly said he’d gotten into an argument with the victim about eating his food, which he said had been an ongoing issue. He said the victim said he was not eating his food and then picked a scab on his face, causing it to bleed. He said he gave the victim a paper towel, and then the victim said he was calling the cops. Donovan said he replied, “Are you [expletive] serious, again?” and decided to leave.

When the deputy asked if he hit the victim with a coffee mug, Donovan reportedly said he didn’t and the victim scratched off a scab. When asked if he threatened the victim with a knife, Donovan reportedly said, “No, I don’t carry a knife,” but the deputy noted this was a lie because Donovan has had previous contacts with law enforcement and is known to carry multiple knives; when the deputy said that, Donovan reportedly said, “Well, I don’t anymore.”

On the way to the jail, Donovan reportedly made spontaneous statements about how the victim had battered him in the past and he had battered the victim in return; he said he would kill the victim the next time.

Donovan has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and possession of a new legend drug. He was also arrested on a warrant for failing to appear at a hearing for a previous case with charges of resisting an officer without violence, theft, and property damage after he allegedly took the same victim’s crock pot and smashed it on the sidewalk in January 2025.

Donovan has seven felony convictions (non-violent) and nine misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he has served one state prison sentence for selling cocaine and was released in 2009. Judge Sheree Lancaster set bail at $302,500 on the drug charges and $3,000 on the January charges; Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him held without bail on the assault and battery charges, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial.

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.