Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – William Christopher Hart, 32, of West Palm Beach, was arrested yesterday morning after allegedly threatening a driver with a knife when she expressed concern about his dog while he was panhandling.

At about 9:10 a.m., a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to the intersection of SW 34th Street and Williston Road, where the victim said her car was stopped in traffic at the intersection when she saw Hart panhandling in the median with a dog. She said she was concerned for the dog’s safety and told Hart she was going to call animal control. Hart and the victim reportedly argued, and Hart reportedly told the victim to roll up her windows and keep driving.

The victim reported that while she was still stopped, she saw Hart “stalking her car” on the driver’s side with a curved knife in his hand and she was so afraid he would stab her that she was ready to flee across the intersection whether or not there was oncoming traffic. She reportedly screamed, “Are you going to kill me?” and Hart allegedly responded, “I’m going to slash your tires for being such a b**ch.” The victim said she drove away and called the police.

Post Miranda, Hart reportedly said the victim screamed at him that she was going to call animal control to take his dog away; he said another driver called him over to give him money and the victim suddenly drove away, screaming that he was going to stab her. Hart reportedly denied pulling a knife on the victim. The officer asked how the victim would be able to describe his knife if he hadn’t pulled it out, and Hart reportedly said it was probably a good guess because he is homeless.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a knife with a curved cut on the top of the blade; the knife was in a holster hanging around Hart’s neck and tucked inside his shirt. The arresting officer noted that it would be “impossible” for “any reasonable person to conclude that [Hart] was in possession of a knife.”

Hart has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has one felony conviction (non-violent) and eight misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he has served one state prison sentence and was released in 2014. He reportedly refused to provide information about how long he has been in Alachua County. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $15,000.

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.