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 the weapon.
According to the arrest report, the woman was doing laundry when Wilds entered with his service dog. She told officers that she is afraid of dogs and moved away, which reportedly made Wilds “extremely upset.” She said he began yelling and cursing at her, prompting her to go outside. The woman also reported that Wilds made “monkey expressions” and “expletive gestures of his genitals.”
When she returned inside to check on her laundry, the woman said Wilds followed her while holding what appeared to be a silver knife. She told police that he continued following her around the laundromat, screaming and making threats. Although he did not hurt her or point the object directly at her, she said she feared for her life while he held it.
The officer wrote 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 added that a kubaton “can easily be used as a deadly weapon.”
The officer also noted that Wilds had a separate knife secured in a holster on his hip. Wilds said he never removed that knife, but reportedly acknowledged holding a silver kubaton during the confrontation. He repeatedly denied raising the kubaton toward the woman or attacking her.
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Wilds reportedly admitted making “monkey expressions,” telling the woman she was acting “like a monkey” and “flicking her off.”
After being read his Miranda rights, Wilds reportedly said he repeatedly shouted, “Do something!” while holding the kubaton. He acknowledged walking toward the woman 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.
Police reported that Wilds and the woman did not know each other.
Surveillance footage from the laundromat reportedly showed Wilds approaching the woman with the kubaton in his hand, although the video had no audio.
The officer also reported that Wilds was wearing a chest-mounted device resembling a body camera that recorded the confrontation. Because the device was difficult to operate, the officer could not view the video and listen to its audio simultaneously. The recording did reportedly capture Wilds shouting, “Do something!” at the woman.
Wilds was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His complete criminal history was unavailable because the records were not posted over the weekend, but the report indicates he has at least one prior violent felony conviction and one misdemeanor conviction. Judge Denise Ferrero set bail at $5,000.