Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Charles Milton Johns Jr., 42, was arrested Tuesday after authorities say he brandished a machete at a property owner and her four children while declaring he would protect his encampment “at all costs.”
According to Gainesville Police Department, an officer was dispatched around 10:53 a.m. on June 10 to an office building in the 1600 block of NW 23rd Avenue. The property owner told police that Johns had already been trespassed from the site on May 14.
Police said that when the property owner approached Johns, he was holding a machete and allegedly waved it at her while repeating that he would defend his encampment at all costs. The woman and her children told officers they feared they would be struck or cut, prompting the 911 call.
When the officer arrived, Johns was still on the property and still holding the machete, according to the report. Police said the site was posted with “No Trespassing” signs and that Johns had previously been warned not to return.
Johns, whose listed address is GRACE Marketplace, faces five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of trespassing after warning. Court records show he has four felony convictions, including one sexual offense, and two misdemeanor convictions described as non-violent. He has served a state prison sentence and was released in January 2025. Authorities also noted he previously served six months in the Alachua County Jail for a 2025 shoplifting case, is a registered sexual offender in Florida, and is wanted in Georgia on a probation violation.
Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.
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.
