A 21-year-old Citra man was arrested after he allegedly beat up an elderly man and stole two bottles of liquor off his kitchen table, and then later used one of the bottles to break a window at another house.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded Wednesday to a residence on NW 48th Avenue in Reddick, where the victim, who is older than 65 years old, said Reginald Lanard Baker came into his house looking for alcohol to drink. He said when he asked Baker to leave, Baker hit him with a closed fist on his left cheek. The deputy observed the victim’s cheek was red and swollen, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said after he was hit, he fell onto the couch. He said Baker hit him again in the face, breaking his glasses. The deputy inspected the glasses and observed they were broken. The victim said the glasses were old and he didn’t know how much they cost, the report said.
The victim said Baker grabbed two bottles of liquor off his kitchen table and left the residence with them. Asked the value of the liquor, the victim said it was a bottle of Seagram’s gin worth $18 and Smirnoff vodka worth $22, according to the report.
An hour later, a report came in of a criminal mischief incident a half-mile away involving Baker and a bottle of Seagram’s gin. A witness at the second location said he was sitting outside in the front yard when he saw Baker break the window with the bottle, the report said.
The deputy contacted Baker at his residence at 15627 NW 27th Ave. in Citra. After being read his Miranda warning, Baker said he was at the victim’s house to buy liquor and they got into a fight over a dollar. He admitted to taking the liquor but only after he paid for it. Baker said he hit the victim, but it was to protect himself, according to the report.
Baker was charged with aggravated battery on a person 65 years of age or older and criminal mischief with property damage of less than $200. He was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Friday on $2,500 bond. He’s due to appear in Marion County Court on Feb. 17 on the criminal mischief charge and Feb. 23 on the aggravated battery charge.