Gainesville man arrested for throwing large log at woman
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Willie Riley, 50, was arrested yesterday after allegedly throwing a large log at a car with an open window, narrowly missing the driver.
A Gainesville Police Department officer filed a sworn complaint after the incident because Riley could not be found at the time. According to the officer, at about 4:19 a.m. on November 16, Riley and the victim got into an argument because Riley would not allow the victim’s friend in their vehicle.
The victim said she and her friend were in the vehicle and in the process of driving away when Riley intentionally threw a large log at the open driver’s side window. The log hit the window frame on the driver’s side door, leaving dents and a small piece of wood embedded in the window frame. The officer reported that the log was still at the scene when he responded.
The victim said that after Riley threw the log at her, she got out of the vehicle to confront him, and he poked her in the eye. The victim’s friend corroborated the victim’s story, saying Riley was mad that she was in the vehicle with the victim.
Officers returned to the scene at about 7:22 a.m. because Riley had returned, but Riley later left without being observed. An officer went to his workplace, where his manager said that although he was scheduled to work that day, he was not there. The officer reported that Riley ignored his calls and voicemail but called back about four hours later and denied everything about the incident. He reportedly said he had left town to stay with a family member in Williston and refused to meet with the officer.
Riley has been charged with domestic battery and throwing a deadly missile into a vehicle. He has five felony convictions (two violent) and four misdemeanor convictions (non-violent) and has served two state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2019. Judge Jonathan Ramsey ordered him released on his own recognizance.
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.
Publicly identifying the object of the crime was a poor decision on the part of GPD; it will likely lead the idiots on the dais to pursue unnecessary regulatory measures for the use of logs.
Scummy “Judge Jonathan Ramsey ordered him released on his own recognizance”.
ACLUSPLCDNC 👹👺👿🤡💩
When RoR, there is a condition set forth by the court for the accused to perform an act required by law be it money, collateral, promises, etc. If failure to perform that act is found, -all are forfeited to the court for further judgement. He must have convinced Judge Ramsey that he promised not to throw any more logs at people. Judge Ramsey needs some R&R because I think his job is clogging up his brain.
There you go Gville commissioners! Another rabbit for you to chase. Go get them ‘violent’ logs along with your ‘violent’ guns.
What a waste of time for the police to even investigate that with the end result of an ROR. Five prior felonies and this clown walks free upon arrival at the jail. Why even bother anymore.