Man arrested after attacking Goodlette Arms resident

77-year-old William Baldwin is behind bars charged with battery after attacking a resident 65 years or older. WINK News talked with the victim, who said she couldn’t believe what was happening in the moment and had no option but to defend herself.

Collier deputies arrested William Baldwin Saturday after hitting another resident in the face. He has since bonded out.

“He dropped all of my stuff, clenched his fist, and what was I going to think? He hit me right here,” said Teresa Duran in Spanish.

Duran was having a garage sale on the first floor of their building at the Goodlette Arms Apartments in Collier County.

“So, I got up and hit him back,” Duran said.

Residents say Baldwin had been harassing them by leaving notes, dropping trash in front of their doors, and making rude hand gestures, along with other behaviors neighbors called harassing.

“It’s the residents themselves that should’ve reported him to the police and said he did this, this, and that,” Duran said.

According to the arrest report, Baldwin went downstairs to use the laundry room and noticed the missing laundry basket. He asked Duran whose items were in the basket; she said they were hers, and then he began yelling at her.

“The only one that reported and fought back was me,” she said.

Duran said she’s lived here for 13 years and never had an issue with anyone except for Baldwin.

“I am an elderly person, and I want respect,” Duran said. “I respect everyone else, so everyone can respect me as well.”

Management shared a statement with WINK News:

“We remain committed to fostering a safe and supportive community at Goodlette Arms. In cases where residents do not uphold the terms of their lease, we are committed to pursuing all appropriate actions.”

Duran said she’s moving to a different unit and hopes never to see Baldwin again.