The third of three suspects wanted for a March 23 battery case in Holmes Beach is in custody.
Sarasota County sheriff’s deputies arrested Cameron Evans, 18, at his Sarasota home around 10:30 a.m. April 14 for his alleged involvement in the incident, which happened outside Anna Maria Elementary, Holmes Beach, and sent Evan Purcell, 41, of Holmes Beach to the hospital.
Purcell was walking his dog with his 10-year-old niece when he asked a group of young adults and teenagers to leave the school grounds on observing them vandalizing the facility, according to a Holmes Beach Police Department report.
The HBPD said the group became aggressive toward Purcell, who drew a pocketknife. Purcell was beaten to the point of unconsciousness and his niece ran to a nearby residence for help.
Emergency medical services found Purcell unconscious and transported him to HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton, where he was in stable condition as of March 25, according to an HBPD news release.
School security video of the incident was recovered by police, according to Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer.
The HBPD identified Evans, Ellenton resident John Bartholow, 17, and an unnamed juvenile as suspects connected to the incident.
Bartholow was found and arrested shortly after the incident.
The unnamed juvenile surrendered and was released to his parents’ custody, while Bartholow was remanded March 31 to a 21-day stay at the Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Bradenton.
Bartholow was set to be released April 19 unless the court agreed to the prosecutor’s anticipated attempt to adjudicate him as an adult.
If charged as an adult, police planned to arrest Bartholow upon his release from juvenile detention.
No charges against Bartholow for the incident were posted to the Manatee County court docket as of April 15.
Staff from the State Attorney’s Office of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court did not respond to The Islander’s April 14 inquiries about charges against Bartholow.
Evans, who evaded police until his April 14 arrest, was being held at the Sarasota County jail on a $50,000 bond as of April 15.
He also hadn’t been officially charged in connection with the AME incident as of April 15, according to the Manatee and Sarasota county court dockets.
Evans is facing a first-degree misdemeanor charge for an alleged Jan. 23 battery at a Parrish gas station.
His arraignment was set for April 18 at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1041 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
GoFundMe for HB battery victim reaches $17,000
A GoFundMe campaign to fund Evan Purcell’s medical bills is getting closer to its $25,000 goal.
Purcell’s brother, Jon, began the campaign March 26 to fund the cost of “major surgery” for Jon, who was beaten unconscious March 23.
The campaign had raised $17,140 from 167 donors as of April 7.
The campaign is at gofundme.com/f/evan-purcells-hospital-bills.
— Ryan Paice