64.5 F
The Villages
Friday, October 11, 2024

Mother of autistic son won’t be prosecuted in World of Beer incident

A mother who had been accused of attacking her autistic son won’t be prosecuted in connection with an incident that began at World of Beer in The Villages.

The prosecutor’s office has announced that 68-year-old Donna Sue Philipp of Spring Hill will not face prosecution on a charge of abuse of a disabled adult. In an announcement of no information filed in Sumter County Court, State Attorney William Gladson said said the son “is not wanting prosecution of his mother in this case, and his cooperation would really be needed in order for us to prove the case.”

Philipp had been eating and drinking on Sept. 7 at World of Beer at Brownwood Paddock Square, where she had been accompanied by her adult autistic son, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. After they finished eating, Philipp went to the restroom and when she returned she found her son was gone. She was upset when she found him outside the restaurant. Philipp claimed her son had a “meltdown” and struck her in the back. A third person intervened and pushed the son to the ground.

Philipp and her son got into a car to return to the their hotel and during the drive, Philipp continued to “lecture” her son about his behavior. He became “enraged once again” and she recommended he pull into the parking lot of a nearby 7-Eleven.

The son told police that Philipp began “striking him several times in the face and neck while he was driving.” After he pulled into the parking lot of the 7-Eleven, he ran inside for help. A 7-Eleven clerk allowed the son to wait in an employee-designated area until police arrived. An officer noted that the son had suffered a cut on his bottom lip and scratch marks on his neck. His right eye was scraped and swollen and he had a cut above his nose.

Philipp admitted she had been drinking, but denied striking her son. The report noted that Philipp has no previous convictions for battery.

The response to the storm tells the whole story

A Village of Sanibel resident weighs the response to the storm by the Biden-Harris administration and the Trump Vance team. Read her Letter to the Editor.

An invitation to Robert Nyce to come to a meeting

A Lady Lake resident who has become a regular at town commission meetings, invites a fellow resident to an upcoming commission meeting. Read his Letter to the Editor.

Stupid people voting for Harris/Walz? Let’s get informed, please

A Village of Glenbrook resident, in a Letter to the Editor, responds to a previous letter writer and offers a reminder about the Trump White House years.

Don’t slam me in Comments for what I have to say

In a Letter to the Editor, a Village of Hammock at Fenney resident warns Villages-News.com readers not to slam in the comments for expressing his opinion.

The Villages keeps growing with northern idiots

A Village of Tierra Del Sol resident is worried that The Villages keeps growing with “northern idiots.”