Staff Report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a dramatic incident, 52-year-old Isidro Coste Roman, also known as Isidro F. Coste, was taken into custody yesterday on allegations of threatening a worker with a machete.

The confrontation unfolded when the victim, responding to a trash collection request, arrived at a residence situated in the 1100 block of NW 25th Avenue at approximately 10:45 a.m. on October 27. According to her account to the Gainesville Police Department, she noticed a man and a woman near the wooded area adjacent to NW 25th Avenue. As she parked, the man emerged from the trees, shouting obscenities and accusations of harassment. He crossed in front of her truck, gesticulating wildly before retreating back into the forested area.

Moments later, the situation escalated when the man reappeared, brandishing a machete. The victim, remaining inside her vehicle, watched as he approached with the weapon held aloft. In a bid to escape, she reversed her truck while he gave chase, still menacingly pointing the machete in her direction.

During the tense standoff, a woman cycled past, shouting accusations of harassment. Shortly thereafter, the man reportedly rode alongside the passenger side of her truck on a bicycle, continuing his tirade with expletives and menacing gestures.

Police later identified the woman on the bicycle as Coste Roman’s girlfriend. She revealed that he had argued with the victim concerning their residence in the woods, confirming that he had concealed a machete under his shirt before approaching the victim’s vehicle.

A witness reportedly said he heard yelling outside his house and saw a man riding a bicycle with what appeared to be a machete in his hand.

The officer reported that Coste Roman had a two-foot-long machete in his possession.

Post Miranda, Coste Roman reportedly said the victim had been following him all morning; he said he only had the machete in his waistband and never threatened anyone with it.

The officer reported that before entering the jail, he asked Coste Roman if he had any contraband, and Coste Roman said the officer had already searched him and he didn’t have anything. A search at the jail reportedly produced about 0.06 grams of methamphetamine.

Coste Roman, who is described as homeless in the arrest report, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a controlled substance, and introduction of contraband into a detention facility. He has one Florida misdemeanor conviction (non-violent) and an unspecified criminal history in other Florida counties in 2021-2022 and in Georgia in 2014. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $75,000 with a requirement that he be fitted with a GPS 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.