A former UF administrator who was trespassed from campus after he was arrested for an alleged assault will not face charges.
The Florida State Attorney’s Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit dropped its misdemeanor battery charge against 43-year-old Casey Griffith April 23, citing insufficient evidence. The university has since lifted its trespass order against him.
A university spokesperson did not confirm whether Griffith will be able to seek reemployment with the university.
Griffith and his attorney didn’t respond immediately for comment.
Griffith, who worked in the Office of Undergraduate Affairs, was arrested March 16 for allegedly assaulting someone at a RaceTrac in Crystal River. The person who reported the incident told a deputy at the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office that Griffith was tailgating them while they were driving a golf cart in front of him. Griffith then shouted, “get the f*ck out of my way,” according to the golf cart driver.
Police wrote that when both parties arrived at the RaceTrac gas pump, Griffith attempted to take the key out of the golf cart and pulled the driver out by their collar and threw them to the ground. The golf cart’s owner punched Griffith while being pulled from the cart, and Griffith punched them back once they got up from the ground.
Griffith attended the university and played football for the Gators from 2002 to 2004. He was paid $83,544 in 2023 as the assistant director of curriculum and academic policy, which operates under the Office of the Provost.
He also had a misdemeanor assault charge in 2002, but the case was dropped soon after being filed.
Contact Garrett Shanley at gshanley@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @garrettshanley.
Garrett Shanley is a fourth-year journalism major and the Summer 2024 university editor for The Alligator. Outside of the newsroom, you can find him watching Wong Kar-Wai movies and talking to his house plants.
