Seminole Wekiva Trail attack suspect seeks to withdraw plea deal

A case that shook runners, walkers and cyclists on the Seminole Wekiva Trail has been pushed farther down the calendar as Patrick Gamache tries to withdraw a plea deal he entered only weeks ago. The delay keeps the focus on a violent assault that happened in broad daylight near State Road 434 and Douglas Avenue, and on whether the justice system will resolve it through sentencing or send it toward trial.

Gamache, 20, had accepted a plea deal on March 25 and pleaded no contest to sexual battery. On April 7, he filed to withdraw that plea, saying his former attorney pressured him. That same day, the attorney removed himself from the case. The next court date is now set for May 19, when a judge will weigh whether Gamache can undo the plea and change the direction of the case.

The timeline matters for more than courtroom procedure. A withdrawal would reopen a case that already eroded confidence in the safety of one of Seminole County’s most visible recreation routes. The Seminole Wekiva Trail runs nearly 14 miles and is one of Seminole County’s showcase trails. Its stretch west of Interstate 4 to the county line at the Wekiva River is part of the Florida National Scenic Trail, making the route a shared public space for daily exercise, commuting and family outings.

The assault happened around 4 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in unincorporated Altamonte Springs. The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said it was actively investigating a sexual battery that day. Other local accounts said the victim was walking on the trail when she was approached by a man with an electric scooter, dragged toward the wood line and helped by a bystander who heard her cries and called 911.

Investigators later tied Gamache to the attack after deputies found him shirtless and shoeless on an Interstate 4 on-ramp near State Road 434 less than 24 hours later. A red shirt and an electric scooter left at the scene also helped connect him to the crime, according to the account presented in court reporting. WFTV has also shown body-camera video from the arrest and 911 calls from the day of the attack.

Gamache was later ordered held without bond, and a Seminole County judge warned him to stay away from the trail. Separate reporting said he was already on probation in Miami-Dade County for a 2023 robbery case.

For trail users, the case is a reminder that public recreation spaces depend on both policing and trust. Seminole County also offers Women’s Self Defense and STAR safety training, a local response that speaks to the larger concern now hanging over the trail: whether people feel secure enough to keep using one of the county’s best-known paths.