By Amy Diaz
On Feb. 13, at 9:06 p.m., police say Anthony Xavier Brown followed a resident of Residence Hall One through the locked entry doors.
Brown, 19, was neither a student nor a resident of the dorm.
He was waiting for his ex-girlfriend, whom he dated for two months. When they broke up, officers say she received harassing text messages and phone calls in the week after, and 40-50 phone calls in a 12-hour period.
When he found her, police records say he stole her cell phone and dragged her by her hair to an enclosed stairwell where he battered, punched and strangled her with his bare hands and her jacket.
He took her car keys and forced her to her car parked outside of the dorm, threatening physical violence if she were to cry for help.
He drove her to a secluded location near Gandy Beach and continued to batter her until dropping her off at her dorm around 4:30 a.m.
At 4:39 a.m., the victim called the USF police department. Brown was arrested near campus by University Police within minutes.
Brown is in custody at Pinellas County Jail with charges of aggravated stalking, domestic battery by strangulation, burglary with assault or battery, simple battery (dating violence), false imprisonment and resisting an officer without violence. His bail is set at $197,650.
The University Police posted a crime alert bulletin on its webpage the following day, and six days later, Jacob Diaz, dean of students, sent out a mass email explaining the event:
“Good evening excellent students,
I wanted to make you aware of a situation that occurred in one of our residence halls late last week. Our University Police Department responded to a complaint of a domestic-related physical assault on a student. The suspect, who is not a student, was quickly arrested and transported to the Pinellas County Jail. USFSP also offers support and counseling to any student who is the victim of a crime. Please know that safety and security is the first priority for USFSP. Details of the incident were posted on the UPD’s website (http://www.usfsp.edu/university-police-department/files/2019/02/Crime-Alert-Bulletin-Feb-15-2019.pdf) but there was no need for a community alert because the suspect was already in police custody. UPD officers are constantly looking for new ways to provide a safe campus environment, including the recent introduction of the USF Safe app that allows officers to instantly pinpoint the location of a student who feels threatened. As the UPD posted on its website, violence in any form is not tolerated at USFSP, and we ask all students to report suspicious persons or activities immediately by calling 727-873-4444. If you have questions or concerns, I’m happy to discuss them with you.
Sincerely, Jake”
According to Carrie O’Brion, university spokeswoman, and University Police Chief David Hendry, Diaz’s email came after multiple students inquired about what happened.
“I think in this particular case, the suspect was already in custody so there was no immediate threat to students and we also really wanted to be respectful of the victim’s privacy,” O’Brion said. “But at a certain point, we did get enough questions from students that we thought it would be appropriate to send out something and just let people know what exactly happened.”
According to police records, the victim “sustained bruising to her throat, left shoulder and right bicep, as well as cut on her left cheek.” She also “lost large tufts of hair.”
The University Police classified her injuries as minor because of a distinction between “battery” and “aggravated battery” in Florida law.
Hendry explained that aggravated battery would mean “much more serious injuries” such as a fracture or stab wound.
“It did not fall into that category,” Hendry said. “It was dating violence and a battery case, and so they were minor injuries.”
Students have voiced concerns both about the seeming lack of communication between the university and student body, as well as the breakdown in security at RHO.
“It was strange too because my father mentioned to me about a domestic dispute on campus and I thought he misread it in the news or some kind of confusion with the Tampa campus,” said Mary Kate Brittain, a sophomore graphic design major and RHO resident, in a Facebook message to The Crow’s Nest. “Reading about this now makes me not only unsafe but upset about how the situation was handled with UPD in terms of communication.”
Hendry said UPD is working with the residential housing staff to find security solutions that meet safety needs as well as the needs of residents and visitors.
Until new security measures are implemented, Hendry encourages students not to walk alone at night, be alert to their surroundings and report suspicious activity to the police. He also says residents should only card themselves into the building and not let others follow behind them.
In this situation, Hendry said the victim did everything right.
“She did what she could to control the relationship, she reported it to the police, we investigated, she’s getting resources to help her now and so we’re appreciative of that,” he said. “Folks should know that those resources are available to help and you know, violence is just not acceptable.”
Emily Wunderlich contributed to this report.
Header photo: Emily Wunderlich | The Crow’s Nest
