UF physical therapy professor Gina Musolino damaged an 81-year-old man’s car in a Texas Roadhouse parking lot June 2 and was later apprehended by police Monday.
Musolino accused the man of bumping her vehicle with his car door while he removed a cooler from his Honda CRV in a Texas Roadhouse parking lot, according to the arrest report. In a bout of what she told police was “frustration,” Musolino entered the restaurant, stole a cutlery set valued at $5 and used a steak knife to vandalize the man’s vehicle.
The man’s car suffered damage to all four doors and the passenger rear panel, which totaled to over $3,000, according to the arrest report.
Booked into Alachua County Jail June 10 after admitting she damaged the car, Musolino was charged with felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor theft.
Texas Roadhouse advised they intend to pursue charges for the stolen cutlery, which Musolino claimed the restaurant provided to her free of charge and denied stealing, according to the arrest report.
Kayla Hotaling was waiting for family members with her husband in the parking lot when she noticed Musolino pacing back and forth between the restaurant and her car holding a knife.
“We heard the scraping sound of her dragging the knife along the side of the car, " Hotaling said. “So, we looked over and we watched her leave. We watched her pull out and drive away.”
UF Spokesperson Cynthia Roldan said that the university does not comment on staff personal matters. Both Musolino and the man also declined to comment.
Musolino, who currently instructs summer courses in the UF Department of Physical Therapy, has no prior criminal history.
Musolino was placed on administrative leave Wednesday, for which the duration is under review.
Contact Lee Ann Anderson at landerson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @LeeAnnJOU.
Lee Ann Anderson is a sophomore journalism major and The Alligator’s Summer 2023 criminal justice reporter. In her free time you can catch her reading articles, talking to her cat or losing her mind.
