OCALA, FL (352 Today) – Deputies with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested Antonio Roman, 61, of Ocala, on Sunday, Aug. 17, on charges of four counts of stalking, two counts of battery on a disabled person, and two counts of battery.
The case began on April 30, 2025, when Corporal Kyle Ferguson responded to a home on Southwest 51st Circle in Ocala. Residents reported that Roman had been intentionally targeting them with his home sprinkler system for months.
According to investigators, since Aug. 8, 2024, Roman activated his sprinklers twice daily as the school bus arrived to pick up and drop off his neighbors’ children, two of whom have special needs. The harassment became so consistent that the children’s father began wearing swimming gear just to shield them from the water.
Detective Ferguson’s surveillance confirmed that Roman’s sprinklers were aimed directly at the school bus stop and were manually turned on when the bus arrived, then shut off as soon as it left.
When contacted by deputies, Roman admitted he was angry about the placement of the bus stop because part of his driveway was being used for the wheelchair ramp one of the victims needed to safely get on and off the bus. Roman told investigators he used his surveillance cameras to monitor when the bus was coming so he could spray the family, admitting that he did so out of frustration that the bus was “on [his] side.”
Based on the investigation, a warrant was issued for Roman’s arrest. He later turned himself in after returning to his Marion County residence. Deputies transported him to the Marion County Jail.