Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Richard Gregory Thompson, Jr., 35, was arrested yesterday after allegedly choking his roommate while intoxicated.

At about 2 p.m., a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to an apartment at 409 NE 11th Street, where the victim said he was sitting on the couch when Thompson, his roommate, walked in and became angry with him; the victim said it is common for Thompson to come home intoxicated and become angry with him. The victim said he went into the kitchen to distance himself from Thompson, but Thompson followed him, grabbed his neck with both hands, and squeezed until the victim lost consciousness; the victim said that when he became conscious, Thompson’s hands were still around his neck.

The officer noted that the victim had redness around his neck, along with a burn on his hand; the victim said he fell into the stove when Thompson started choking him, resulting in a burn on his hand.

The victim reportedly told the officer he was afraid Thompson would kill him because this is not the first time this has happened.

After Thompson was detained, he allegedly told officers that when he gets out of jail, he will kill the person who called the police.

Thompson was last arrested in November 2024 at the same apartment complex for battery on a different victim; his address in that report was listed as Kentucky, but yesterday’s report lists the Gainesville apartment as his residence. Five days after his arrest, Thompson’s attorney filed a motion to reduce his bond, noting that Thompson reports a history of mental illness and would reside at GRACE Marketplace if he was released. Thompson was released on his own recognizance by Judge William Davis, with conditions of not returning to the apartment complex and completing a mental health evaluation and any recommended treatment. However, about a week later, his pre-trial officer filed an affidavit stating that Thompson had not reported as ordered, and since he was “unhoused” and did not have a phone, he could not be located. On December 17, Judge William Davis ordered that the conditions of pre-trial release should remain the same, with no further action. On January 9, the charges were dropped.

Thompson has been charged with battery by strangulation. He has six felony convictions (two violent) and 21 misdemeanor convictions (one violent). Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $100,000.

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.