Gainesville Woman Arrested After Not Receiving Summons for Harassing Victims Over Religious Background

Editor’s Notes: Reports do confirm what religion the victims practice.

Beverly Louise Spark, 74, was booked into the Alachua County Jail Sunday afternoon after not receiving a summons on a count of harassment based on religious or ethnic heritage.

On May 22, Spark was charged via sworn complaint by the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) on several felonies and misdemeanors.

On September 12, the State Attorney’s Office of the Eighth Judicial Circuit decided not to peruse the charges that were recommend by police, and formally filed one count of harassment based on religious or ethnic heritage, a misdemeanor. 

Spark was issued a summons to appear but it wasn’t successfully executed, court records show, prompting a warrant for her arrest that was served yesterday.

According to the sworn complaint, Spark “engaged in discriminatory verbal aggression with the victims and targeted them based on religious background.” 

The report continues to state that Spark “threw coffee at both victims in the parking lot of the McDonald’s located at 3824 SW 40th Blvd. [Spark] then used her vehicle to block both victims from leaving the parking lot.” 

Spark was confronted by a witness, giving the victims the opportunity to escape by fleeing through a small space in the parking lot. Spark reportedly followed the victims in an attempt to intimidate them. 

“Post Miranda, [Spark] admitted to all the stated actions,” GPD Officer Nickolas Sanchez reported.

The Alachua County Jail is holding Spark on a $25,000 bond. She has an arraignment scheduled for December 15. If released, Spark cannot contact the victims or return to the McDonald's where the incident occurred.