VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A homeowner association president in Port Orange was arrested Monday night after deputies alleged he pushed a 12-year-old boy to the ground and took the child’s bicycle during a dispute near the Spruce Creek clubhouse.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies arrived on Country Club Drive at approximately 8:14 p.m. on May 26 after being alerted to a child battery incident.
The 12-year-old told deputies he was riding his bike near the clubhouse at 1900 Country Club Drive when he paused near the tennis courts to rest. He said he saw a man, later identified as Paul Holmes, staring at him. The boy admitted to raising his middle finger at Holmes before attempting to leave.
Deputies say Holmes then approached the child, pushed him to the ground, and yelled, “Do you know who I am? I’m the president of the HOA.”
The report states that Holmes later placed the boy’s bicycle into his vehicle and drove off.
Deputies noticed redness on the child’s arm, but the boy refused medical care. Later, the child signed a sworn statement requesting charges for battery and theft.
The boy’s grandfather informed deputies that the family had recently relocated from Texas to the Spruce Creek Fly-In community. He also mentioned that the child called him upset and crying following the incident.
Later, the grandfather discovered Holmes driving nearby with the bicycle inside his vehicle. Deputies stated that Holmes initially refused to return the bike but eventually handed it over after an argument.
Investigators also reviewed surveillance video from a nearby home that reportedly showed the child running away yelling, “He took my bike.”
Holmes informed deputies that he and his wife were worried about juveniles lingering at the clubhouse after hours. He stated that the child had run away, leaving the bicycle behind, and he intended to take the bike to community security to help find the child’s family.
Deputies said Holmes denied intentionally touching the child and later stopped answering questions after being read his Miranda rights.
Based on the investigation, deputies arrested Holmes on charges of child abuse and theft.
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