A Villager fled to a gate after fresh threats of violence from her troubled ex-boyfriend.
Officers were called Wednesday night to the Boone Gate on the Historic Side of The Villages, where the former girlfriend of 67-year-old Richard Paladino sought refuge after he threatened to kill her, according to an arrest report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
She told police that she had sympathy for the Connecticut native, who said he wanted to “harm himself” after a tumultuous couple of weeks in which he was twice arrested and jailed. Despite her help, Paladino turned on her. She attempted to call 911, but he fought to take away her phone. He ordered her not to say a word to dispatchers.
“I’ll kill you,” he told her.
In fear for her life, she fled her Kiley Court neighborhood, where both she and Paladino live in separate residences. She headed for the Boone Gate and asked the gate attendant to call 911, since her phone had been seized by Paladino.
He was arrested on charges of assault, theft and witness tampering and booked without bond at the Lake County Jail.
He originally was arrested May 19 on stalking and disorderly conduct charges. His neighbors were fed up due to the constant beeping of his golf cart’s horn and his threats, particularly those aimed at his former romantic interest. Following that arrest, he was issued a strict no-contact order prohibiting him from interacting with his estranged girlfriend.
However, police were called May 21 after the ex-girlfriend reported that Paladino had come to her residence to try to “work things out,” according to an arrest report. She told officers that Paladino later threatened to burn her house down. The interactions were captured on the victim’s home video surveillance system.
Earlier this month, Paladino pleaded no contest in Lake County Court to charges of disorderly conduct and violation of a conditional release. He was placed on probation and told to obtain a substance abuse evaluation. The charge of stalking was dismissed.
Paladino has an extensive criminal history, violent tendencies, self-proclaimed gang affiliations, access to firearms and a history of being intoxicated during interactions with law enforcement. In 2024, he was arrested after his golf cart crashed into a gate arm at UF Health Spanish Plaines Hospital.