A Village of Gilchrist man must successfully complete an anger management course and pay restitution to two of his neighbors for an attack that took place after a cruise in 2016.
During a sentencing hearing in Okeechobee County Court last Friday afternoon, Douglas Lamont Jensen, 62, was sentenced on two counts of battery on a person 65 years of age or older. He was ordered to pay $350 to the husband and wife, complete 50 hours of community service and have no contact with the victims. Their home faces Jensen’s home on a cul-de-sac on Stepping Stone Path.
Jensen also was placed on two consecutive 12-month terms of probation with the understanding that after the first 12 months, he is eligible for early termination of his probation if he is in full compliance with the requirements.
Jensen was accused of grabbing the husband and wife by the backs of their necks after approaching them from behind on Nov. 23, 2016, at the Fort Drum Service Plaza on the Florida Turnpike in Okeechobee County. He was part of a group of 33 Villagers that was traveling home from a cruise and had stopped for lunch, according to an arrest report from the Florida Highway Patrol. Jensen’s attack appeared to stem from a verbal disagreement that had taken place on the cruise ship.
An investigation was conducted by the Florida Highway Patrol and after obtaining witness statements and reviewing video evidence, Jensen was arrested on the morning of Aug. 22, 2017, at his home on Stepping Stone Path by FHP troopers and Sumter County sheriff’s deputies.
