Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – John Clarence Wilds, 52, was arrested yesterday after allegedly threatening a woman inside a laundromat while holding a kubaton.
At approximately 5:36 p.m. on November 7, a Gainesville Police Department officer was dispatched to the Laundromat at 1888 SW 42nd Street. The woman told police that Wilds had threatened her with a kubaton.
According to the arrest report, the woman was doing laundry when Wilds entered with his service dog. She told police that she is afraid of dogs and moved away, which reportedly made Wilds “extremely upset.” She said he began cursing and shouting at her, prompting her to step outside. The woman also reported that Wilds made “monkey expressions” and “expletive gestures of his genitals” toward her.
When she returned inside to check her laundry, the woman said Wilds followed her while holding what appeared to be a silver knife. She said she tried to move away, but Wilds followed her around the laundromat while screaming and making threats. Although he did not injure her or point the object directly at her, she said he continued holding it as he threatened her and that she feared for her life.
The officer noted that the woman did not realize the object was a kubaton, described in the report as a small, sharp, pointed self-defense weapon. The officer also wrote that a kubaton “can easily be used as a deadly weapon.”
The officer said Wilds had a knife secured in a holster on his hip. Wilds told police he never removed that knife, but reportedly acknowledged holding a silver kubaton during the confrontation. He repeatedly said he did not raise the kubaton toward the woman or attack her.
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Wilds reportedly admitted making “monkey expressions” and telling the woman she was acting “like a monkey” while “flicking her off.”
After being read his Miranda rights, Wilds reportedly said he repeatedly shouted, “Do something!” at the woman while holding the kubaton. He also acknowledged walking toward her with the weapon, but denied following her. Wilds said he was trying to knock on the wall of the neighboring business to get the manager’s attention.
The officer reported that Wilds and the woman did not know each other.
Surveillance footage from the laundromat reportedly showed Wilds walking toward the woman with the kubaton in his hand, though the video contained no audio.
The officer also reported that Wilds was wearing a “body-camera-like” device on his chest that recorded the incident. Because the device was difficult to operate, the officer could not view the video and listen to its audio simultaneously. However, Wilds could reportedly be heard shouting, “Do something!” at the woman.
Wilds was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His complete criminal history was unavailable because those records are not posted on weekends, but he has at least one violent felony conviction and one misdemeanor conviction. Judge Denise Ferrero set bail at $5,000.
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.
