Antonio Roman, the 62-year-old manaccused of deliberately turning on his sprinkler system when a school bus picked up and dropped off individuals with disabilities near his house, has entered a no contest plea and been sentenced to one year of probation.
Roman was arrested in August 2025 on four counts of stalking, two counts of battery, and one count each of child abuse and abuse of an elderly person or disabled adult. Prosecutors only charged Roman with the stalking offenses, saying they were unable to meet the burden of proof for the other charges.
According to law enforcement, Roman's sprinklers also doused the individuals' parents. Asked by the judge why he did it, Roman said vehicles were parking on his sprinklers. In one instance, he said,
a sprinkler was broken.
During an Oct. 12 hearing, the judge told Roman that if he violates the conditions of his probation, then he would be sentenced to prison.
The probation conditions include completing an anger management course, having no contact with the victims, undergoing a mental evaluation, donating $500 to the Mission Bus Brigade, and completing 300 hours of community service.
Roman was represented by Eric Evilsizer and the prosecutor was Madison Bryan. The sentence was part of a plea bargain arranged by the defense and the state.
In other court news:
A judge on Oct. 12 ruled that Joseph F. Deveau will be held without bail until resolution of his criminal case. He's accused of DUI manslaughter in a 2018 two-vehicle crash.
Deveau's lawyer is Assistant Public Defender Chad Hutcheson. Assistant State Attorney Drew Brandies is the prosecutor.
Deveau is charged with DUI manslaughter and two counts each of DUI with property damage and personal injury. A warrant was issued in 2020, but Deveau wasn't arrested until Oct. 6 of this year.
The two-vehicle crash occurred the night of Sept. 28, 2018.
At the Oct. 12 hearing, the court heard testimony that Deveau's vehicle speed was a contributing factor in the crash. Also, medical testing showed Deveau's blood-alcohol content was 0.189. The state's legal limit is 0.08.
Deveau, now 74, told the judge he is retired and has been living in Costa Rica for several years.
The defense noted that the victim died several weeks after the crash. It's unknown whether the crash caused the death, as no medical personnel were called to testify at the hearing.
The judge denied bail, citing Deveau's threat of harm to the community and the fact he has lived in a foreign country for a number of years.
For now, Deveau will remain at the county jail without bailuntil his case is resolved.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Plea deal for man who turned sprinklers on disabled people | Exclusive
