HOLMES BEACH – After a year and a half, a second attacker in a 2022 battery case has been sentenced to prison.
On Oct. 12, Judge Stephen Whyte of Manatee County’s Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court sentenced John William Bartholow, 18, of Ellenton, to three years in state prison along with one year of community control and six years of probation following his release. He also was sentenced to 16 weeks of anger management classes, substance abuse and mental health evaluations and treatment and 100 hours of public service work for his role in the March 23, 2022 attack on Evan Purcell, 41, at Anna Maria Elementary School. He must also write a letter of apology to the victim.
Bartholow pled no contest to the felony charge of aggravated battery with great bodily harm.
Purcell, a Holmes Beach resident, was walking his dog with his 10-year-old niece when he came upon some teenagers breaking bottles, drinking alcohol and vandalizing AME property. According to police, Purcell yelled at the group to stop what they were doing, resulting in the group of teens becoming aggressive. Although Purcell waved a pocketknife as he feared for his safety, it was not a deterrent. He was knocked to the ground and beaten with a wooden object, possibly a skateboard.
Bartholow was one of three suspects arrested in the attack. Cameron Evans, 20, of Sarasota, was given a similar sentence last March. The identity of the juvenile involved in the attack was not released.
Bartholow was also convicted of felony criminal mischief in a separate case, and has nine unrelated criminal charges pending for burglary and attempted burglary of an unoccupied conveyance.
Since the incident, several security measures have been put in place at Anna Maria Elementary to deter loitering on school grounds after hours. Locking gates have been installed at all vehicle entrances and “No Beach Parking” signs have been posted to keep the lots clear during the day.
