Alachua Attacker Pepper Sprayed in Self Defense
Update | May 22, 2026: Updated the article to include up to date information.
On October 21, 2024, Alachua Police Department officers arrested Samuel J. Dickerson, 46, and charged him with misdemeanor domestic battery.
The arrest report states Dickerson showed up at the victim’s house while he was intoxicated and engaged her in a verbal argument. The victim called her family to help get Dickerson out of her residence.
When the victim’s cousin arrived, she saw Dickerson grabbing her by the shirt and beating her. Dickerson reportedly charged at the victim's cousin, so she pepper sprayed him in self-defense.
The cousin did not wish to press charges, and the victim did not want Dickerson to be arrested. Alachua Police Department (APD) Officer Tiffany Burnsed reported that Dickerson was taken into custody “due to the domestic nature of the call.”
In February 2023, Dickerson was charged via sworn complaint with simple battery after the victim reported that he sexually assaulted her. The charge was dropped in October 2023.
On November 28, 2024, Dickerson was charged for violating the no contact order with the victim in his domestic violence case after an officer saw him walking with her. The charge was later dropped.
On May 22, 2025, Dickerson took a no contest plea deal in which he was convicted of misdemeanor domestic battery and sentenced to one year of probation.
On May 21, 2026, Dickerson was booked into the Alachua County Jail for failing to abide by the terms of his probation.
