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Manatee Jails Man Accused Of Tossing Rock At Deputy

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By Michael A. Scarcella of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: June 23, 2008

MANATEE COUNTY — A man faces an attempted battery charge after authorities say he threw a rock at the head of a deputy who had broken his leg and could not stand during a scuffle with a teenager this month.

The deputy, Angel Buxeda, was struggling to arrest the teenager on a charge of aggravated domestic assault when the deputy twisted his lower right leg, breaking it in three pieces, according to sheriff's reports. Buxeda could not get up. He called for backup as a large crowd formed in the 5600 block of 12th Street East, in Bradenton. From the ground, Buxeda fired his Taser to gain control of the teenager, who was put in handcuffs by another deputy.

Authorities say another man, Francisco Javier Godoy, 20, was holding an 8-inch-wide rock when he pushed through the crowd and hurled the rock at Buxeda's head. Buxeda recalled seeing the rock fly past his head and strike a doghouse. Another deputy saw Godoy throw the rock, according to charging documents. Buxeda said he did not see the man. Buxeda, who said he feared for his life, thought he would have been killed if the rock struck him.

Deputies at the scene that night did not know Godoy, but one deputy reported seeing the name "Godoy" in a tattoo on his neck. Deputies researched reports from the neighborhood and found a document in which a man in the neighborhood was noted having a tattoo of "Godoy" on his neck. Authorities identified Godoy as their suspect.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement tracked down a driver's license photo of Godoy in Texas. A sheriff's deputy who had been at the scene identified Godoy as the man who threw the rock at Buxeda's head. Godoy was arrested Friday. A judge set bail at $25,000.

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