A 26-year-old Ocala man was arrested Sunday morning after going berserk and climbing into the ceiling at The Centers mental health facility.
Anthony John Hendry, of 3718 NE Terrace, is being held in the Marion County Jail on $15,000 bond on charges of battery on a mental health technician, battery on a person 65 years of age or older, criminal mischief with property damage between $1,000 and $1,500, and resisting an officer without violence.
Marion County sheriff’s deputies were called to The Centers, located at 5664 SW 60th Ave., after employees reported Hendry attacked medical personnel and had climbed into the ceiling. The responding deputy was greeted by the reporting party, who rushed the deputy into the nurse station where a mental health tech was covering his eye with blood running down his arms, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy observed the ceiling in the nurse station was damaged and multiple panels were on the floor. There was blood on the floor north of the nurse station, and a piece of glass had been kicked out of one of the windows, the report said.
The reporting party told the deputy that the mental health tech was getting another patient’s blood pressure when Hendry came out of nowhere, screaming and hollering about his hatred for the United States and how he was upset he was caught using stolen credit cards. She said she immediately left to get help, according to the report.
The reporting party said when she came back, she observed the mental health tech leaning forward at the waist as he covered his eye. She said when she saw blood running down the victim’s arm, she grabbed him and they ran to safety. At this point, Hendry was nowhere in sight, the report said.
A female witness said she came into the nurse station to help calm Hendry. She said Hendry kicked the window out of its frame to where he could crawl through the opening. The witness said Hendry pulled himself over the door frame, through an open gap, and crawled into the nurse station. She said she ran out of the building in fear, according to the report.
A male witness, who is 65 years old and a patient who was in the secured area with the defendant, said as the tech was taking another patient’s blood pressure, Hendry started screaming about his hatred for the United States. The witness said when the tech asked Hendry to calm down, Hendry rushed towards the tech in an angry manner and punched him in the head, striking the left corner of his eye, the report said.
The witness said he told Hendry, “If you hate America so much, leave!” Hendry then rushed him, shouting profanities. The witness said he placed his arms in front of his face for self-defense, and Hendry shoved him to the ground. Hendry then ran over to the windows, where he began kicking the glass to escape, according to the report.
As Hendry was running throughout the ceiling of the facility, he ignored numerous commands to come out. A SWAT team helped locate Hendry in the ceiling and physically removed and arrested him, the report said.
Hendry is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Aug. 27.