Homeless man arrested for touching woman while she slept

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Joseph Cornelius Young, 42, was arrested early yesterday morning and charged with battery after allegedly touching a woman while she slept. Young is described as homeless, is currently on probation, and had two active warrants.

A Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the 3700 block of SW 28th Terrace at about 4:35 a.m. on Tuesday, and the victim told the officer that Young entered her room and touched her all over her body while she was sleeping until she woke up and told him to stop. She said Young wanted to have sex with her, but she had never met him before the incident.

Young was sentenced to a year of probation in October 2022 for domestic battery and violating a no-contact order. He was arrested on January 28 for trespassing at GRACE Marketplace and posted $2,500 bail. A warrant was issued on February 16 for violation of probation based on the arrest and several other probation conditions that he had not fulfilled.

Judge Thomas Jaworski ordered Young held without bail on the two charges of violation of probation and set bail at $20,000 on the battery charge. The judge also ordered that Young be fitted with a Transdermal Alcohol Monitor before release.

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. 

  • Huge failure of the justice and social services systems here. This man is a person with a good heart and a history of trauma and mental illness who is in dire need of inpatient mental health services, which were recently denied to him by the courts. It’s truly an unfortunate situation for everyone involved.

    • Wow, I have never thought of it that way before. You seem like you have all this extra love, acceptance and forgiveness in your heart. Are you taking him in?

    • Yeah, disGRACE is a huge failure and should be shut down. Yes, it’s truly unfortunate for all of us to have it here. Why wasn’t he charged with sexual battery?

    • This man is a career criminal with a long history of involvement with law enforcement. He was already on probation for domestic violence, violation of probation and violation of a restraining order. Now he’s added sexual assault. This liberal crap portraying him as some kind of victim of the court’s inaction is preposterous. He needs to be incarcerated where he cannot endanger others and the enticements being offered by the City of Gainesville which attract homeless criminals with multiple felony convictions to town need to be ended. Enough is enough!

      • He’s a career criminal. he should be locked up for 20 years.—maybe we could let him out early if he donates a kidney to someone in need, than we can provide him some affordable housing and a small stipend so he can build back better.

    • This person has a good heart? I don’t know how he got into her house, but she didn’t know him, he entered her room, and was going to rape her. You want the courts to mandate medical treatment? We can start with a vasectomy, and a lobotomy….he can move in with
      You at your free affordable housing because you have a good heart.

  • WTF is the rest of this story…?

    Is Lexington turning Section 8, do the student renters know that?

    Did the woman leave her door unlocked and wide open?

    Are probation laws forcing cases to stay in town where they committed crimes before, to help lawyer$$$ keep track of them forever? Isn’t that slavery?

    Why is GRACE still operating?

  • Glad a more violent crime wasn’t committed.
    The victim had “never met him” yet he was staying, at least for the night, in the same apartment? That sounds like city leadership expecting us, some of us anyway, to believe they are doing what’s best for the community.

    Sounds like he could use one of the extra rooms in either Poe or Ward’s house. They turned the lights turned on.

  • This person was not listed homeless at grace MARKETplace.. indeed nothing of the sort WAS MENTIONED ABOUT GRACE.. WHY DO WE CONTINUE TO FEED THE JUSTICE SYSTEM VS FEND FOR OURSELVES. WE ARE INDOCTRINATED TO WORK AND MONETARY BUDGETS /STATUS ..WHY DOES IT BOTHER YOU WHERE HE LIVED OR DIDNT IF THE CRIME IS WHAT YOU COMMENT ON. YOU ALL SHOULD BE WONDERING WHY YOU ALL HAVE SHELTERLESS NEIGHBORS.. MOST OF THEM HOME IS WHERE THEY ARE AND AND MY HEART IS KIND SND AND NOT NIT PICKING THE SURE SADNESS THAT THERE ARE HONELESS.AND SO MANY GRANTS AFTER GRANTS JUST TO KEEP MONEY MOVING BACK TO WHERE IT CAME FROM. APPLAUD THE GOODNESS OF YOUR CHARITY.. THAT YOU PWY FOR.. AND WE ALL THINK JUSTICE IS TAXES WE ARGUE OVER THEY DEPEND ON THEM.. AND THEY DONT KNOW THE VICTIM OR THE MONSTER BEFORE STANDING IN FRONT OF THEM. YEAH THATS JUSTICE…. Not all the shelter less are homeless. YOU ALL SUCK .. AND SO DOES THIS DUDE WHERHER LET IN OR NOT

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