Neighborhood feud in The Villages explodes with bloody attack and two arrests

A neighborhood feud on Peachtree Avenue in the Villa Valdosta community of The Villages exploded into a bloody attack on Sunday evening, resulting in two arrests.

Samantha Drew Yost, 28, and Anthony Santangelo, 48, were taken into custody following the disturbance. The couple lives on Peachtree Avenue with Santangelo’s grandmother, who reportedly has dementia.

According to arrest reports from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Yost and Santangelo had been arguing with several neighbors throughout the day on Sunday. At about 5:47 p.m., a female neighbor heard screaming and went outside. Yost and Santangelo ran toward her screaming profanities, prompting the woman to run back inside and lock her glass door in fear. Yost then began ramming herself into the front door, while Santangelo threw an extra-large Wawa cup at the glass.

Another neighbor, a 66-year-old man, also came outside after hearing the commotion. Santangelo approached the man and chest-bumped him, leading to a physical altercation where both men ended up on the ground. During the scuffle, the 66-year-old man was hit over the head with a wine bottle. Another witness reported seeing Yost pick up a wine bottle and swing it at the man twice, including at his head.

The man managed to get up and back away, but Santangelo then picked up a broken wine bottle from the ground and threw it at him, striking his leg.

Deputies observed a gash on the man’s left eyebrow and three gashes on his right leg. He was bleeding profusely from his head and leg. He was transported to a local hospital.

Yost was arrested on charges of simple assault and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released on $6,000 bond. Santangelo was arrested on felony charges of simple assault and aggravated battery. He was booked at the detention center where he was being held on $16,000 bond.

The Sunday arrests were the eruption of long-term hostilities in the neighborhood. Earlier this month, residents of Villa Valdosta packed a Community Development District 3 Board of Supervisors meeting to demand action regarding three frustrating parking situations. Within a week, a maroon Jeep Patriot belonging to Yost and Santangelo, which had been a source of neighborhood annoyance for years, was finally towed away.

Santangelo has a history of high-profile incidents in The Villages.

In 2024, residents of the Villa Valdosta community went before the CDD 3 Board to complain about Santangelo’s disruptive behavior in their community.

In 2025, Santangelo and Yost were banned from the Walmart at Buffalo Ridge Plaza after a suspected shoplifting incident in which they allegedly left the store with $72 worth of unpaid merchandise, including Kraft Cheese Singles, Starburst Gummies, Hostess Twinkies, aluminum foil, and acne pads.

Earlier that same year, Santangelo was arrested after allegedly grabbing a 70-year-old volunteer at the First Responders Recreation Center when he was told he could not participate in a card game due to being barred from other recreation centers. The prosecutor’s office later announced that the case was dropped because the volunteer refused to press charges, telling deputies she was “scared” of what Santangelo might do because he “knew where she lives.”

In 2023, Santangelo was ticketed by the Florida Highway Patrol after he was caught on radar traveling 64 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone on Buena Vista Boulevard.