An Alachua County jury convicted a Gainesville man of violent sexual battery on Wednesday.

According to a State Attorney’s Office press release, Edward Lydell Spaulding, 64, was sentenced to life in prison stemming from an Aug. 1, 2019, incident at Tree House Village.

On that date, Gainesville police officers responded to the report of sexual battery and found a victim who said she was attacked by a subject who was using narcotics. The victim was reportedly pulled into an abandoned building off S. Main Street past Cade Museum.

Gainesville Police Department (GPD) investigators identified Spaulding using a composite sketch and area video surveillance cameras.

After deliberating for two hours, the jury found Spaulding – classified as a sex offender and prison release reoffender – guilty of sexual battery by use of physical force.

Judge William Davis sentenced Spaulding to life in the Florida Department of Corrections.