A 42-year-old Port Charlotte man is facing a felony charge after Punta Gorda police say he took a baseball bat to a friend's Ford Expedition following a dispute that started over a gold chain sale and ended with him bleeding from the mouth in a parking lot. Orlando Perez-Guerra was arrested more than two weeks after the confrontation, following what investigators describe as multiple shifting accounts of what actually happened.
According to Gulf Coast News Now, the trouble traces back to July 25, when Perez-Guerra met with the Ford Expedition's owner, described as a friend, to sell his gold chain to the owner's cousin. Perez-Guerra reportedly felt unsafe during that interaction and left the scene without completing the deal.
The dispute resurfaced on August 1, when Punta Gorda officers responding to a loud banging sound in a parking lot found a person walking away from the SUV, which had shattered glass and damage consistent with being struck by a bat, per the outlet's report. Officers also found Perez-Guerra nearby, holding a metal object with fresh blood coming from his mouth. He was taken to a hospital following the encounter.
Conflicting Accounts Delayed the Case
Perez-Guerra's story to officers reportedly shifted several times in the aftermath. He initially told police that an unknown man approached and struck him in the mouth as he was exiting his car, then reportedly claimed he did not know what happened and had simply been attacked. In a later version, he told officers he had been hit by a baseball bat and that his attacker was driving the Ford Expedition, according to the same account relayed to Gulf Coast News Now.
Investigators say the Ford Expedition's owner had been scheduled to meet Perez-Guerra at the parking lot on August 2 to settle day-to-day matters between the two men, who reportedly had ongoing relationship issues. The owner told officers that Perez-Guerra chased him with an object after he exited his car, and, according to Perez-Guerra's own account, the owner struck him in the face with a wooden stick during the confrontation.
Eventually, Perez-Guerra changed his account again, telling investigators that he and the SUV owner had gathered to discuss their ongoing issues before a fight broke out between them. He went on to admit that he chased the vehicle's owner with the bat and then struck the Ford Expedition itself out of frustration, the outlet reports.
Felony Charge Tied to Repair Cost Threshold
Perez-Guerra went to the Punta Gorda Police Department on August 15 to discuss the case, and he was arrested that day on a charge of felony criminal mischief. Booking records show he was formally logged into the Charlotte County Jail the same day on a third-degree felony criminal mischief charge tied to property damage exceeding $1,000, with bond set at $2,500, according to the Charlotte County Arrests and Inmate Search database.
That dollar threshold is what separates a felony from a misdemeanor under Florida law. Under Florida Statute § 806.13, criminal mischief becomes a third-degree felony once property damage reaches $1,000 or more, while damage between $200 and $1,000 is charged as a first-degree misdemeanor and damage of $200 or less as a second-degree misdemeanor. A third-degree felony conviction in Florida carries a maximum statutory penalty of up to five years in state prison, up to five years of probation, and a fine of up to $5,000, per Florida Statutes §§ 775.082 and 775.083.
It remains unclear exactly what repair valuation police assigned to the Ford Expedition to meet the felony threshold, and whether the SUV's owner will face any charges over the alleged assault on Perez-Guerra with a wooden stick. Police towed the damaged SUV from the scene as part of the investigation.
Local Jurisdiction and Court Process
The Punta Gorda Police Department, headquartered at 1410 Tamiami Trail, is the sole municipal law enforcement agency serving Charlotte County, operating with 49 sworn officers across a 32-square-mile service area. Punta Gorda is the county seat and the only incorporated municipality in Charlotte County, while Port Charlotte, where Perez-Guerra lives, is an unincorporated community connected across the Peace River by the Gilchrist Bridge and Barron Collier Bridge along U.S. Route 41.
Perez-Guerra was booked into the Charlotte County Jail, a 1,074-bed direct-supervision facility on Airport Road that processes arrestees detained by Punta Gorda police. Inmates who remain in custody in Charlotte County are typically scheduled to appear before a judge within 24 hours at First Appearance Court, where formal charges, bail conditions, and public defender eligibility are reviewed.
The case unfolds against the backdrop of a rapidly growing county. Charlotte County had an estimated population of 217,212 residents as of 2025, with a median resident age of 59.9 years, and county planning data shows the population grew 16.9 percent between June 2023 and late 2025, with forecasts projecting it will reach 268,588 residents by 2030.
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