Waldo Man Charged with Attempted Homicide of Wife

WALDO ‒ A 52-year-old Waldo man was arrested on Friday, July 5, 2024, and charged with attempted homicide after allegedly trying to choke his wife.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy was called to the home of Rolando Perez at approximately 7:44 a.m., responding to a call about a possible suicide attempt at the Perez’s home in Waldo.

Perez’s wife reportedly told the deputy she had been sleeping when Perez pulled the blanket off her. She said she thought he was intentionally waking her up and asked him to stop, but he immediately sat on her and began choking her. She said she lost consciousness for an unknown amount of time before a juvenile family member intervened, separated the couple and escorted Perez to a different room.

The deputy reported that the victim’s injuries were consistent with her account of the incident. She was subsequently transported to an emergency room for medical treatment.

Post Miranda, Perez reportedly said that when he woke up that morning, he decided he was going to kill his wife and then reportedly described the incident in detail.

Perez reportedly said that when his wife regained consciousness, she tried to get away from him, and he chased her, grabbed her from behind and tried to choke her again until the juvenile family member walked in and told him to stop.

Perez also reportedly said he released the victim and went into the kitchen, where he armed himself with a knife to end his own life, but another family member took the knife from him and held him against the couch until the deputy arrived.

Perez reportedly told the deputy that if the juvenile family member had not walked in, he would have killed his wife. He reportedly could not explain why he woke up with the urge to kill his wife.

Perez has no local criminal history.

Judge Jonathan Ramsey ordered Perez held with bail.

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