On Easter Sunday Indialantic police apprehended a man being sought by the sheriff’s office for allegedly attacking “his friend” with a machete earlier in the day.
Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) responded to a disturbance call around 2 p.m. on April 21, and found Michael Brenner lying alongside the 1700 block of State Road A1A in unincorporated Indialantic.
He identified his alleged attacker as Ronald Basco, a homeless man. Brenner, who is also homeless, told police Basco had attacked him with a machete and then left the scene before law enforcement arrived.
Indialantic Police Chief Michael Casey said his department received a call from BCSO to assist in his apprehension. Officers located Basco at Nance Park in Indialantic, still in possession of the machete, which was in a sheath attached to his belt.
“They asked us to go look for him and two officers found a man matching his description,” Casey said. “We detained him and then turned him over to BCSO.”
Basco, who claimed Brenner was his friend and he didn’t intend to harm him, was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He is being held at the Brevard County Jail, awaiting trial as his bond was set at $25,000.
Brenner, who reportedly received a minor laceration to his finger from the attack – as well as some slight injuries to his lower extremities, was treated at Holmes Regional Medical Center and released.
According to the arrest affidavit, Brenner said Basco chased him with the weapon and when he raised his hands in self-defense, he was cut. He claims Basco also physically assaulted him, with blows to his head and ribs.
A witness to the incident, identified as Sherman Samples, said he saw Basco enter a wooded area alongside A1A where Brenner was living in a tent. He followed and observed Brenner backed into a corner of the tent and Basco holding the machete. Samples claims Basco yelled at him – telling him he was next – at which point Samples said he ran and called 911.
This isn’t Basco’s first run in with the law in recent months.
Last November, Basco was arrested by Indialantic police for allegedly taking $63.35 in unpaid merchandise from a CVS store in Indialantic. He was charged with misdemeanor theft and released. But he did not appear at his arraignment and a bench warrant was issued.
The case was continued until April 10, but Basco failed to appear again, and another bench warrant was issued. With Basco now in custody, an arraignment is scheduled for May 20.
