A Villages restaurateur will escape prosecution in an incident this summer at a cardiac clinic.
David Suleiman, 31, who runs Amerikanos Grille in Spanish Springs, had been arrested July 27 on a warrant charging him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an altercation about a month earlier involving an employee at the Heart of The Villages cardiology clinic.
According to a probable cause affidavit from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Suleiman on June 22 “became very irate, picked up a Dell flat screen computer monitor off the desk in front of where she was standing, threw the computer monitor in her direction, and temporarily damaged the computer monitor after it landed on the ground in front of her,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
At the time of his arrest, Suleiman told Villages-News.com that he had recently undergone open heart surgery and had gone to the clinic to see his doctor. He said he was in distress, but was told the doctor had a full schedule and could not see him. He claims he merely “pushed” the computer monitor.
Last month in Sumter County Court, the prosecutor’s office filed a notice that the case was being dropped.
“Although there was probable cause for an arrest, after reviewing the facts and circumstances of the case the likelihood of a conviction at a criminal jury trial is slight. The victim has signed a waiver of prosecution for the defense and has indicated she no longer wishes to continue with prosecution. Without the cooperation of the victim, the state cannot prove the elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” wrote State Attorney Brad King.
