Gainesville Man Arrested for Domestic Battery at Bellamay Grand Apartments

Update | April 16, 2026: Updated article to reflect outcome of case.

On September 14, 2024, Emanuel Wiley, 27, was arrested at Bellamay Grand Apartments and charged with domestic battery by strangulation, a felony carrying a maximum prison sentence of five years.

Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) Deputy Marco Valbuena reported that the victim explained she went to cuddle with Wiley, but he responded by kicking her to the floor and choking her. The victim pushed Wiley’s arms away from her, causing him to stop. She sustained bruising and scratch marks on her neck.

Valbuena reported that Wiley “stated the victim had approached him with the intention of being intimate and [he] refused. [Wiley] stated he grabbed her face as if he was holding a baby's face and pushed her away. [Wiley] also stated the victim hit him in the arms and head."

Wiley had no visible injuries to his face.

The victim expressed that she feared for her life during the attack.

Valbuena went on to report, “It should be noted that while in the hospital for ‘chest pains’ the defendant kept spontaneously stating that he was ‘restraining her,’ which was not prompted by the deputies with him.”

Wiley was released on a $10,000 bond under the conditions that he refrain from possessing firearms and not contact the victim, aside from a one-time visit with law enforcement present where he could get his belongings.

In June 2025, Wiley was granted a pretrial diversion agreement in which his prosecution was deferred if he could abide by certain conditions. Prosecutors filed a notice to revoke the agreement after Wiley failed a drug test by testing positive for cannabis usage. However, in November 2025, prosecutors re-entered the deferred prosecution agreement with Wiley in an amended format.