Florida man accused of hitting, knocking down 91-year-old frail grandfather, deputies say

Florida man accused of abusing grandfather, 91

A 41-year-old man is facing charges of abuse after hitting and pushing down his frail 91-year-old grandfather inside their Florida apartment, which was captured on video, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said.

Brandon Valentine was arrested on Wednesday and booked into jail on charges of elderly abuse and battery of a person over 65, online jail records show.

According to the arrest affidavit, deputies responded to an apartment in Palm Coast on April 14 after a man – later identified as Valentine – reportedly struck his grandfather, knocking him to the ground. Deputies initially encountered conflicting reports about what happened and did not see any visible injuries. No one was arrested.

On May 1, a family member called the Florida Department of Children and Families and alleged the grandfather was being abused.

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"This man was responsible for caring for his elderly relative. Instead, he chose to mistreat and abuse his elderly grandfather," said Sheriff Rick Staly in a statement. "Fortunately, he’s not very smart and provided the video evidence that helped our investigators confirm the allegations of abuse."

According to the affidavit, Valentine captured video of the alleged April 14 incident, thinking it would clear him of wrongdoing.

Deputies said the video shows Valentine and the man in an argument, then the victim falling to the ground as Valentine shouts at him.

Willie admitted to deputies, according to the affidavit, that he pushed his grandfather to the ground and hit him over the head with a bottle to defend himself. Deputies found the 91-year-old man in another room on the ground and helped him up and into a chair.

Valentine was being held on a $10,000 bond.