Staff Report

ALACHUA, Fla. – In a startling incident last night, 50-year-old Betty Ann Terry was taken into custody after reportedly hurling a cinder block at a vehicle three times, shattering its windshield and causing injury to the driver’s eye.

At approximately 7:46 p.m. on April 15, an officer from the Alachua Police Department was dispatched to the vicinity of NW 151st Avenue and NW 132nd Drive. According to the victim, as she sat in her car, Terry approached her, shouting profanities. Terry allegedly attempted to reach into the car but was pulled back by another individual. In a fit of rage, Terry picked up a 45-pound cinder block and launched it at the victim’s windshield as she attempted to reverse out of a parking lot.

The victim recounted that Terry continued to shout and proceeded to throw the cinder block at her car two more times before leaving the scene. The victim expressed her belief that Terry’s actions were life-threatening.

A witness corroborated the victim’s account, stating she was present during the altercation and observed Terry, seemingly intoxicated, yelling at the victim and repeatedly throwing the cinder block at the vehicle.

The officer on the scene noted the cinder block was still resting on the car’s windshield, which was cracked and partially collapsed. The hood bore noticeable dents, and the dashboard was littered with tiny glass fragments. As a result of the shattered glass, the victim suffered a scratched eye and was taken to the emergency room for treatment.

Terry has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, throwing a missile into a vehicle, and felony property damage. She has 10 felony convictions (four violent) and nine misdemeanor convictions (three violent), and she has served six state prison sentences, with her most recent release in January 2025. She was arrested in 2022 for throwing grease on a fellow employee at Popeyes; she was sentenced to three years in prison after entering a plea of nolo contendere to aggravated battery causing bodily injury, and she is currently on probation in that case.

Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered her held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold her without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

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.