Gainesville man arrested for punching, choking, and threatening to kill woman

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Thomas Leverne Mack, 63, was arrested yesterday on a warrant for punching, choking, and threatening to kill a woman.

A Gainesville Police Department officer reported that on February 15, Mack and the victim were at a family member’s house in Lincoln Estates and began arguing. The argument escalated to a physical altercation when Mack allegedly said, “You must not know who I am” and punched the victim five times in the head. When the victim tried to get up, Mack allegedly choked her.

During the physical altercation, Mack received a phone call from a friend who knows both Mack and the victim, and when Mack answered the call, the victim tried to leave the residence to call for help, but Mack allegedly dragged her back into the home and said he would kill her if she called 911.

Mack allegedly went into the kitchen, picked up a butcher knife, and said things like, “I will kill you” and “I will show you who I am.”

The victim said she tried to call 911, but Mack grabbed her phone and hid it, then he allegedly approached her with the knife and said, “If you say one more word, I’ll kill you right now.” The friend, who was still on the phone, reportedly heard all of this.

The friend reportedly drove to the home and confronted Mack, who said he just wanted to talk things out. Mack reportedly showed the butcher knife to the friend, and when the friend asked Mack whether he had made any threats, Mack reportedly said he did.

Mack reportedly gave the victim’s phone back to her, and when she said she was going to call 911, Mack allegedly said he would find her and kill her, no matter where she went; he then left the home.

The responding officer said the victim’s arm was swollen, and she had a scratch on her hand and blood on her leg.

The officer reported that while she was speaking to the victim, Mack called his friend; the officer called Mack back at that number, but although the officer said the person who answered was clearly Mack, he allegedly gave a different name and said Mack had not been around for hours. The officer filed a sworn complaint, a warrant for Mack’s arrest was issued on February 20, and he was arrested on February 24.

Mack has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, and obstructing communication with law enforcement. Mack has 22 felony convictions (seven violent) and 22 misdemeanor convictions (nine violent), and he has served nine state prison sentences, with his most recent release in October 2024. Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

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.