Inset: Pedro Custodio (Lake County Jail). Background: Group home in Umatilla, Florida, where Custodio allegedly assaulted a 77-year-old woman (WESH).
The operator of a group home in Florida has been taken into custody for allegedly assaulting a 77-year-old woman. The incident reportedly stemmed from his frustration with her “excessive talking.”
According to court documents, Pedro Custodio is facing charges of battery on a person 65 or older. An arrest affidavit with probable cause indicated that the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Umatilla group home on July 8 following a complaint from the victim against Custodio, who resides in and runs the home.
The woman told police she lived in the halfway house with multiple people, the affidavit says.
The complaint states that on July 2, the victim was conversing with Custodio in his bedroom when he “became upset with her for talking excessively.” Allegedly, Custodio got “angry,” grabbed her by the thigh, and “forcefully pushed” her to the floor. Deputies noted a bruise on her upper left thigh, which she claimed was caused by Custodio, according to the affidavit.
The victim also detailed another alleged incident that occurred after she told Custodio she needed to take a shower. She began gathering her things, but Custodio got mad and pushed her to the ground because she “was not moving fast enough,” the affidavit said.
Cops arrested Custodio and took him to the Lake County Jail where he has since posted a $10,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty on Monday. His next court date is scheduled for Aug. 4. He did not have a lawyer listed in court documents.
Custodio, known as Pastor Pete, has found himself in legal hot water before. A decade ago, he was found not guilty of sexually battering a woman at his homeless shelter, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
In 2022, he was accused of throwing a box cutter at a man through a car window, according to local NBC affiliate WESH. In that case, he was convicted and sentenced to probation.
