Fanning Springs man arrested for threatening to kill Shands patient

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gary Mark Monroe Vanwinkle, 45, was arrested yesterday for allegedly sending death threats to a Shands patient with Facebook Messenger.

On March 3, a University of Florida Police Department officer reported that Vanwinkle sent messages to a patient at UF Health Shands Hospital. The messages reportedly said he was coming to the hospital to kill the victim and injure her with a baseball bat. The texts reportedly said she deserved to die and that he and his brothers would hunt her down, along with her family; one message reportedly said, “I’m going to hit you in the [expletive] face with a baseball bat.” Another message reportedly said, “Now I am coming, get security ready.”

The officer filed a sworn complaint, charging Vanwinkle with sending a written threat to kill or injure and unlawful use of a two-way communications device; on March 5, Judge Robert Groeb signed a warrant for his arrest and ordered that he be held without bail. Vanwinkle has 11 felony convictions (three violent).

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.