Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A 52-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after Gainesville police say he struck another man in the face with a wooden fence post during a dispute over property and a homeless encampment.
According to police, officers were called around 4:35 p.m. to a property in the 500 block of NE Waldo Road. Investigators said Joseph Martin Turns Jr. and the other man were arguing about the land and the encampment when Turns told him to leave. The man reportedly refused, saying he was not going anywhere.
Police said Turns then picked up a six-foot wooden fence post and threw it, hitting the man in the face. The victim suffered several facial cuts, according to the report.
A witness told police he saw Turns throw the post and then stepped in to break up the confrontation.
After being read his Miranda rights, Turns reportedly told officers that his father had given him the land and that he believed he had the right to protect it. He also claimed the other man pointed a gun at him before the fence post was thrown, though police said he could only describe the weapon as black.
The victim denied possessing a gun during the incident, and the witness said he never saw a gun.
Turns, whose address is listed as GRACE Marketplace, has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He has five felony convictions (non-violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (three violent), and he has a Notice to Appear on a charge of illegal possession of a shopping cart. Judge Joy Danne set bail at $5,000.
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.
