Homeless man arrested for taking man’s guitar and hitting him with the guitar

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Charles Michael Treadway, 65, was arrested yesterday for allegedly taking a man’s guitar from him and then hitting the man with the guitar.

A Gainesville Police Department officer reported that the victim said Treadway took his guitar out of his hands while he was playing it and hit him in the back with the guitar at about 10:53 a.m. on April 22.

Treadway reportedly told the officer that he was panhandling at the southbound exit from I-75 to Newberry Road when the victim approached him aggressively with the guitar and “took a swing” at him. Treadway said he avoided being hit by the guitar and took the guitar from the victim; he reportedly said that after he took the guitar, he hit the victim on the back with the guitar to defend himself, and then he gave the guitar back to the victim. He said that he and the victim then fought in the grassy area.

Treadway has been charged with aggravated battery. He reportedly told Court Services that he has been in the area for a month, and he has an unspecified criminal history in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Judge Bo Bayer 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.