Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 44-year-old man was taken into custody Wednesday after police said he refused to leave a Gainesville hotel, resisted an officer’s attempt to arrest him, and later made threats to kill the officer.
According to the Gainesville Police Department, an officer was called to the Drury Inn & Suites at 4000 SW 40th Boulevard around 7 p.m. on August 9 after hotel employees reported that Christopher Van Willis, a guest at the property, had been causing a disturbance in the lobby. Staff reportedly told police Willis was pacing through the area, behaving aggressively, speaking loudly, and directing hostile comments toward other guests.
The responding officer later located Willis on the sixth floor, where police said he was attempting to get into a room that was not assigned to him. A hotel manager reportedly informed the officer that Willis had been formally trespassed from the property. The officer then instructed Willis to go back to his room, gather his belongings, and leave the hotel.
Police said Willis would not comply. When the officer warned him that he could be arrested if he continued refusing to leave, Willis allegedly responded, “I’m going to resist.”
During the arrest, Willis allegedly resisted being handcuffed and repeated that he was going to resist. Once he was secured in a patrol vehicle, police said he threatened the officer, stating, “I’ll find all what you love, and I will destroy it, kill it. I’ll find you, and I will murder you.” Willis also reportedly asked multiple times for the officer’s name and badge number, which were provided by both the officer and a sergeant.
After Willis arrived at the jail, staff reportedly believed he appeared intoxicated and determined he needed to be taken to an emergency room for evaluation. While at the hospital, police said Willis was verbally abusive toward medical staff and allegedly made another threat to the officer, saying, “I will take your life.”
Willis is facing charges of threatening to kill a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer without violence, and refusing to leave a hotel after being asked to do so. Court records note an unspecified criminal history in another county and in another state from 2020. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set his bond at $160,000 and ordered a mental health evaluation.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
