Man asleep in recliner awakes to stranger beating him with bat, Florida cops say
A man dozing off in his recliner awoke just in time to see a home intruder hit him in the head with a bat, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in the Florida Panhandle.
Multiple blows were landed, but the 46-year-old victim survived and identified the attacker, officials said in a news release.
It happened around 1:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 14, at a rural home in Fountain, an unincorporated community about 80 miles west of Tallahassee.
“The victim stated he was laying in his recliner, almost asleep, when a man entered the home and hit him with a metal bat several times,” officials said. “The intruder then took the victim’s wallet, keys, a bike, and a phone.”
The intruder then fled the home, but was caught around 8:15 a.m. that day when deputies encountered him during a traffic stop.
“The victim’s keys, his bike, and the contents of his wallet (except for cash were) found in (the suspect’s) possession,” the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators say the 25-year-old suspect lives in the Fountain area, but is considered “transient.”
He was arrested and, according to jail records, charged with:
- home invasion robbery
- aggravated battery with a deadly weapon
- fleeing/eluding police
- resisting and officer with violence
- reckless driving
- driving without a license
- possession of a control substance without a prescription
Bond was set at $360,000, officials said.
The victim “sustained significant injuries to the face and head, but refused medical treatment,” the sheriff’s office said.
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Man asleep in recliner awakes to stranger beating him with bat, Florida cops say."