A Spruce Creek South resident was arrested after allegedly hurling a gay slur in an attack on another man at Margarita Republic at Spanish Springs in The Villages.
Noah Michael Danley, 30, was arrested at 6:30 p.m. Monday at his job at the Batteries and Bulbs store at Village Crossroads in Lady Lake.
The insult and attack occurred Jan. 15 at the nightspot at Spanish Springs Town Square. A man was standing in the outdoor patio area at Margarita Republic talking to another man when Danley approached him and called him a “faggot,” according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department. Danley allegedly punched the man twice on the side of the head.
“The victim stated that (Danley) knew that he was homosexual and it is an essential element that the record reflect that (Danley) knew the victim was a homosexual when he struck him twice in the face,” the arresting officer wrote in the report.
Surveillance images of Danley at Margarita Republic were obtained as part of the investigation. Cameras at the squares are being enhanced under a new agreement between The Villages Technology Solutions Group and the Village Center Community Development District. There were also surveillance images of Danley and another male in a vehicle exiting The Villages through the Morse Gate. The victim was able to positively identify Danley in the surveillance images. The victim told police that he knew Danley “who has met him several times in the past at different bars and restaurants locally,” the report said.
Danley had been barred from Margarita Republic in 2018 after another violent confrontation. He pleaded no contest in that case and was placed on probation. Lake County Court records indicate he later violated his probation.
The Michigan native was arrested on charges of battery and trespassing. He was booked at the Lake County Jail and released after posting $2,500 bond.
