A Villager’s grandson with a long litany of arrests is in trouble again after a purse-grabbing incident.
John David Newell, 28, who is now homeless but resided for many years on the Historic Side of The Villages, was booked this past week at the Sumter County Jail after he was tracked and taken into custody as a result of the violent incident in May.
The latest arrest stems from an altercation that began the night of May 13 near Firehouse Subs on U.S. 441 in Lady Lake. According to an arrest affidavit from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Newell and his girlfriend of more than a year got into a verbal argument. As she tried to walk away toward the Atlantis Carwash, Newell approached her from behind, put his arm around her neck, and forcefully began choking her.
She was able to break free, and the couple crossed the highway to a Circle K, where Newell threw her bag onto the roof of the building. The altercation continued as they walked past a nearby Denny’s, where Newell threw the woman’s purse to the ground, scattering its contents…