Woman's Screams Led Deputies to Attacker

Screams coming from inside an apartment on Sand Lake Circle prompted neighbors to call Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies early Thursday morning.

When deputies arrived at 1227 Sand Lake Circle around 4 a.m., they also heard the screams and entered the home through an unlocked door, an email to media from the agency stated.

Once inside, deputies say they saw Horatio Patterson, 34, on top of a 25-year-old woman, punching her in the face. Patterson was pulled off the woman and brought into custody on aggravated battery and false imprisonment charges.

Victoria Orona’s lip was cut, she had bruises and swelling on her head and her “face was covered in blood,” the email said. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment and later told deputies her attacker was her live-in boyfriend.

Patterson was being held Thursday morning in the Hillsborough County Jail without bond.

Booking photo courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office