Homeless man arrested for raping woman in woods near GRACE
Staff report
Updated on May 6 with pre-trial detention information.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Fredrick Joseph Augustus, 45, was arrested yesterday for allegedly raping a woman who had recently arrived at GRACE Marketplace.
The responding Gainesville Police Department officer reported that the victim said she met Augustus in early April, when she first arrived at GRACE Marketplace. She said she started hanging out with Augustus around 3 p.m. on April 24, and Augustus invited her to his tent in the woods east of GRACE.
The victim said Augustus forcefully injected her with a substance she believed to be methamphetamines and then pinned her down with his body weight and raped her. She said she repeatedly told him to stop.
The victim said that after about an hour, Augustus left the tent, and she passed out inside the tent.
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. On May 4, Judge Robert Groeb granted the motion and ordered him held 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.
Hope the City and County Commissions are happy with their continued condoning of, and complicity in, housing violent criminals in our community.
The electorate seem to be; they keep electing and re-electing the same type candidates time and time again.
Please! City and county commissioners keep doing what you’ve been doing as you can all tell it’s working out fabulously for our community.
This will soon be happening in the homeless hotels the county is opening.
Wow, I expected him to be ror, like many of the homeless. Can’t have them clogging up the jails. Too expensive to keep them there.
Someone get this guy a room at the Scottish Inn. Housing first, then we’ll worry about the violence and drug addiction. As Kenny said, that’s the big brain way to deal with it
This kind of things will keep going on as long as you keep electing these damn Democrats, who believe these are the finest people in the world and they need to hang around. Look what Washington state has become California all democratic control.
I’m just glad we are a welcoming community of SPLC-member neighbors. That’s all that matters. 💩👺
Curious -how can homeless, unemployed people afford drugs, etc??
Because stupid liberals give them money thinking they are doing a good deed. Enablers
Tired – the drug money typically comes from begging and/or theft. Their housing, food, etc is typically provided by taxpayer funds via city and county governments as well as Catholic NGO’s like St Francis House and Catholic Charities. Those who are globalist-aligned promote local degeneracy under the guise of humanitarianism. Whether by local progressive governance or by universalism as promoted by the UN and Vatican.
This will be going on at the renovated motels on south 13th street. Get ready.
Another Disgrace storybook tale of the fine upstanding people that have made Gainesville their new crime free sanctuary.