Central Florida man admits to harassing disabled kids with sprinkler system

A Central Florida man faces charges for harassing his disabled neighbors.

On Aug. 17, deputies arrested Antonio Roman for four counts of stalking, two counts of battery on a disabled person and two counts of battery, according to a press release from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Roman admitted to using a surveillance system and a sprinkler system to intentionally spray two children, who have special needs, as they got on and off the school bus in front of his house.

Corporal Kyle Ferguson initially responded to a home on Southwest 51st Circle in Ocala regarding the sprinkler system on April 30, but the victims stated it became more consistent on Aug. 8.

Victims told Ferguson the incidents happened so often that the father began wearing swimming attire to shield his children from being sprayed.

Ferguson watched Roman’s residence and confirmed the sprinkler system was directly aimed at the bus stop, according to the press release.

Authorities called Roman, and he admitted to being upset about the location of the bus stop, stating that the wheelchair ramp used part of his driveway.

He confessed to manually activating the sprinklers because he was upset the bus was “on [his] side.”

Ferguson obtained an arrest warrant for Roman, who, at the time, was at his secondary residence out of state.

When he returned to Ocala, he turned himself in, and deputies transported him to the Marion County Jail.