GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Deonté Denzel Latson, 23, was arrested yesterday after allegedly threatening to strangle the mother of his child while she slept.
At approximately 7:55 a.m. on October 24, an Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy went to a bus stop on SE 43rd Street following a report of a death threat.
The woman told deputies that Latson had spent the night at her apartment while visiting their child. After the two argued, Latson slept in a separate part of the apartment.
She said she later awoke to find a lengthy text message from Latson. The message concluded: “Multiple reasons why I could come strangle you [right now] while you sleep no one will ever [know] what happened… This ain’t no threat its written knowledge.”
The deputy verified the message on the woman’s phone. It had been sent by a contact saved as “baby daddy,” and she confirmed that the number belonged to Latson.
After reading the message, the woman said she feared for her life. She texted Latson to tell him he could no longer stay at her apartment and asked him to leave before she went to work.
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The woman said she drove Latson to his brother’s home. They argued during the trip, and once they reached the bus stop, Latson got out of the vehicle and walked toward his brother’s residence.
After being read his Miranda rights, Latson reportedly admitted that he sent the text message.
Latson, who now lives in North Carolina, is charged with sending a written threat to kill. His record includes unspecified juvenile convictions, one violent misdemeanor conviction and five cases involving domestic battery or assault charges that were dropped since 2022, including two cases in 2025. Judge Meshon Rawls ordered Latson held without bail while awaiting a hearing on the State Attorney’s Office request to keep him jailed without bail through trial. If the motion is denied, bail will be set at that hearing.