Man arrested for raping woman in park

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Armando Gil Perez Ortiz, 36, was arrested yesterday and charged with sexual battery after a woman accused him of raping her in a park.

The victim reported the alleged attack at the Gainesville Police Department lobby at about 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday night. She told an officer that earlier in the day, she had run into a friend from a community organization while getting gas at the Circle K at 4221 NW 16th Boulevard. She provided Perez Ortiz’s name to the officer and said she had known him for about three months.

She said she left after fueling her car and drove away, then received a call from Perez Ortiz about five minutes later, asking if he could have a ride home, so she drove back to the Circle K to get him. She said that after he was in the car, he told her she was hot, and she told him she was in a relationship.

The victim said they stopped at Springtree Park, 2700 NW 39th Avenue, and talked for a while. She said Perez Ortiz asked her to walk on a nearby trail with him and she didn’t want to but was concerned about his reaction if she didn’t. She said that while they were walking, he grabbed her, and she told him to stop; he then allegedly told her to kiss him, and she said she didn’t want to do that. She said he told her to shut up and started kissing her, then pulled down her pants, turned her around, and raped her. After he finished, she told him she had to go and drove him home.

A detective interviewed the victim yesterday and made a controlled phone call to Perez Ortiz. During the call, Perez Ortiz reportedly confirmed that they had sexual intercourse and that he had been smoking “molly” and was high at the time.

Perez Ortiz was arrested yesterday at his home. Post Miranda, he again reportedly confirmed that he’d had sexual intercourse with the victim. He said the meeting at Circle K had been random, but he’d previously wanted to have sex with her. He said he didn’t hear her tell him to stop.

Locally, Perez Ortiz has a 2005 conviction for possession of drug paraphernalia, and he was arrested in 2019 for driving without a valid license, but the charge was dropped. He has served two state prison sentences: 18 months for possession of marijuana with intent to sell, and seven years for conspiracy to commit home invasion robbery, both out of Levy County. He was most recently released from prison in December 2019. Judge Thomas Jaworski set his bail at $100,000.

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.