A UF student was released from jail Tuesday after assaulting an employee at a Gainesville bar for the second time in three months.
Kaleb Wiswall, a 20-year-old New York native, is being charged with aggravated battery and disorderly intoxication, according to court records. Wiswall was arrested and booked into the Alachua County Jail Tuesday at 1:17 a.m. He was originally held on a $20,000 bond but had the fee reduced to $2,000 by working through a bondsman, according to the jail.
Wiswall was bailed out at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday.
On Monday, Wiswall reportedly hit a manager from The Social at Midtown bar at 1728 W. University Ave. after an encounter in the second-floor men’s bathroom, court records show.
The manager found Wiswall and his girlfriend in a bathroom stall during a private event and suspected they were using cocaine, according to court records. He asked the couple to leave and began to walk Wiswall out. The manager reached for Wiswall’s bar bracelet, as part of the company’s policy when kicking a customer out.
Immediately after, Wiswall swung and hit the employee, court records show.
Wiswall then pushed the employee down the stairs, according to court records, and while the victim was lying on the stairs, Wiswall lost his balance and landed on the victim’s neck, dislocating the manager’s shoulder and left middle finger. The employee was bruised on his face, arms and the back of his head and neck, according to court records.
Wiswall alleged a different side to the story. He later told police he was with his girlfriend inside the men’s bathroom while she was fixing her makeup. Upon hearing a loud banging on the stall’s door, a bouncer grabbed Wiswall by his arm.
While walking out of the bar, Wiswall told police he was trying to free his arm when the manager fell four stairs down. Another bouncer pushed Wiswall, causing him to lose his balance and fall over the victim, court records show.
Wiswall told police he had only consumed cocaine once in high school and never did again after that. When police asked Wiswall if he had consumed alcohol before the fight, Wiswall invoked his right to remain silent.
This wasn’t the first time Wiswall has been in a fight at a Gainesville Midtown bar.
Just over three months ago, on July 2, Wiswall punched a bouncer at Salty Dog Saloon at 1712 W. University Ave.
Wiswall was denied entry into the bar and proceeded to run in, according to court records. When a bouncer escorted Wiswall out, he hit him in the face with a closed fist. The bouncer sustained a cut to the upper right corner of his lips, court records show.
On Tuesday night, The Social released a message on its Instagram account about the assault.
“Our staff member was severely injured in what should have been a simple compliance with a request,” The Social wrote. “We do not take kindly to these actions and have made several formal requests for his expulsion from UF and his fraternity.”
The Social refuses to work with the fraternity chapter for future events until Wiswall is expelled.
Contact Lily Kino at lkino@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @lily_kino.
Lily is a third-year journalism major with a concentration in environmental science covering criminal justice for The Alligator. Last semester, she served as the Santa Fe reporter. When she's not writing, you can find Lily on a nature walk, eating Domino's Pizza or spending time with her friends.
