Homeless man charged with pulling knife on man who offered him a meal
Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Amos Adam Reece, 43, who was arrested on June 17 after breaking Publix windows and slashing the tires of multiple cars, has now been charged with pulling a knife on a man who offered him a meal and throwing a soda into the man’s car in a June 15 incident.
The victim, a manager at Wendy’s (9225 NW 39th Avenue), told an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that at about 3:23 p.m. on June 15, he drove his vehicle over to where Reece was sitting behind a nearby Circle K. He said he told Reece someone had bought him food and he could pick it up at Wendy’s.
The victim said Reece immediately became verbally aggressive, and when the victim asked why he was so upset, Reece said, “Because you a lil [expletive].” The victim said Reece threw a fountain drink through the window of his vehicle, hitting him and damaging the interior of his vehicle.
The victim said he got out of his vehicle after being drenched with the fountain drink, and Reece picked up a pocket knife and threatened him, saying, “I’ll cut your [expletive] throat.” The victim said he feared for his life, got back into his vehicle, and called 911. He said Reece told him to tell the police that he would be in the woods behind the Circle K before gathering his belongings and walking into the woods.
The deputy reported that the entire incident was recorded by security cameras at both the Circle K and at Wendy’s.
After Reece was arrested on June 17, deputies identified him as the suspect in the June 15 case and interviewed him at the jail.
Post Miranda, Reece reportedly admitted to throwing a drink at the victim in his car because he felt that the victim was being condescending to him; he also admitted to pulling a knife and saying he would cut the victim’s throat. He said he pulled out his knife when the victim got out of his vehicle because he felt threatened by the victim’s actions. The deputy noted that according to the video, the victim did not advance toward Reece before Reece pulled out the knife.
Reece has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery, and property damage under $200. He has an unspecified criminal history in another state between 2003 and 2017 but no local criminal history; court documents do not state how long he has been in the area. Judge Kristine Van Vorst ordered him held without bail on the aggravated assault charge, 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 and added to his existing $360,000 bail.
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.
This is the looney toon from the other day.
He seems to have an affinity for blades – take one and do a lobotomy on him.
Good of you to point out that he’s the same person from a June 17 article, just like this article pointed out in its first 10 words. Because Lord knows that most of the regulars here would have missed that without your attention to detail.
But since you’re batting a thousand, do you have any thoughts as to which of the regulars here will be first to claim he would have just shot the man in Stand Your Ground self defense against carbonated sugar water? Inquiring minds want to know.
Classic
Sure Mr Grub.
Likely anyone who felt their, or a family member’s life was threatened likely would have. Not for the carbonated sugar water, for the fear of losing their life.
I saw the picture and knew that’s who it was. I’m horrible with names but pretty good with faces. You likely didn’t have the attention span so had to read the story for confirmation, hopefully you understood he was just arrested and has other unspecified criminal history in another state. You’re so forgiving, maybe you should take him in and help him get on his feet when he gets out. Better yet, offer to pay his bail. If you’re not able to, maybe you can talk one of the other liberal hypocrites into chipping in.
Your insults are childish, from the intentional misspelling of my name, to insinuating that I put effort into reading the first 10 lines of the article. Grow up. And I’m not sure you understand what “attention span” means, because I at least took a second to read those 10 lines — lines that you didn’t read before rushing to summarize them from memory for anyone else who didn’t read them.
Speaking of inattention, you might look back and see that I said nothing of forgiving this man his crimes. Rather, I poked fun at the sorts of keyboard warriors here who have said they would shoot first, claim Stand Your Ground, and be exonerated; because the law, even in your wettest dreams, doesn’t work that way. He’s a criminal and deserves what he gets, but so will any idiot playing cowboy deserve what he gets.
I’m neither liberal nor conservative, because modern politics is a bad joke on the average minded. I don’t vote for people or policies that don’t reflect my values. I can represent myself just fine without any average or below-average help, though it’s a waste of my time because democracy is rule by the average.
Save your poor attempts at noir humor for one of the many regulars here who tickle your pickle with every thumbs-up you get. That’s closer to your speed.
First 10 words, or first line, not first 10 lines. Oops! I make mistakes too. 😀
Dang it! Told you I was bad with names. Maybe it was the spell check.
This whole time I was thinking you’re likely just another liberal hypocrite who would rather say “rules for thee, not for me.” If you don’t think your comment was a stab at insulting me, it wasn’t very covert or maybe my perception was way off today. That’s okay, people sometimes want to vent. Just don’t lie about it.
I did insinuate you’re just another forgiving liberal knucklehead who is just willing to accept that the guy’s behavior is acceptable. You may claim to not fall on one side of the fence or the other but the reality is everyone does. That’s part of what defines a person’s character.
By the way, if you vote for some of those who keep the lights on and choose to be complicit – you don’t have much in the way of values, that’s the choice you make.
P.S. Democracy is ruled by majority, not by average.
Don’t worry, we’re all human and make mistakes.
And Mr. Grubbs, if I’ve misinterpreted anything, my sincere apologies. Have a great weekend!
I criticized a stereotype, not a person. But there are individuals who embody that stereotype, and they may consider themselves insulted if they like. I do not fall on one side of the fence or the other, because I choose by the moment what I do and do not approve of. Falling on a side of the fence is just falling; it’s lazy. My choices, varied as they are, reflect my character but do not define it. I haven’t voted recently, so the lights — whatever those mean to you — are safe from me. The majority, approximately 68 percent, is one standard deviation on either side of average. That’s why he’s Average Joe, not Excellent Joe or Dumbass Joe. (No, not Joe Biden, who I also didn’t vote for.)
Enjoy your weekend as well.
Well spoken, I’ll have to remember that.
Except we’re a Republic, not a democracy.
Dan, the United States is both a democracy and a republic. The democracy part comes in the form of directly electing representatives who go on to do the work of governing the republic. In effect, a representative democracy, which is a type of democracy, is a republic. There leaves no exception to what I’ve noted as rule by the average.
Glad you have the time to write dissertations to strangers on alachua chronicle comments section, nobody gives a f what you have to say. ratio is a clear L for you
😆👌
@ Michael Grubbs
You’re all right.
Michael, Were you born a prick, or is that self-taught?
let it happen to you and then lets see what ya got to say
I have, and I addressed that below.
convenient that you leave out the part about him threatening with a knife as well and just making it about a soda.
Hyperbole, yes. But shooting a man who simply brandishes a knife is the same kind of overreaction; and it points to the fact that the cowboy mentality, as much as some people like to imagine vigilante justice putting a swift end to such problems, just creates more problems. The law doesn’t work the way some people like to fantasize that it does. I simplified the scenario to make the point clearer.
not really. ever hear of the saying “Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight”?
Of course I’ve heard of the saying. I thought to use it, except it would be backward from what actually happened. Your scenario would be bringing a gun to a knife fight (overreaction) rather than the other way around, not that the guy is reported to have done anything but pick up a pocket knife. If you feel threatened by a pocket knife, I advise you stay away from trees that drop pointy-ended branches and even pointer pine cones. Danger everywhere!
not for the soda, but pull a knife on me….
Sure. Pulling a knife on someone implies a direct threat (i.e., advancing, jabbing, lunging, etc.). Picking up a knife and saying something antagonistic does not. But sooner or later, someone will do something stupid and claim a Stand Your Ground defense and face the fact that reality does not line up with his fantasy.
I intended this entire conversation only as a jab at the keyboard warriors making idle threats. I hoped it might result in a little thought exercise. I should have considered the results of having a battle of wits with unarmed persons. Stand Your Ground does mean that a person isn’t obligated to flee a threat, but it also means the threat has to be viable. Just saying “I was afraid for my life” doesn’t cut it.
I can tell Amos is an asshole by the look on his face in his mugshot. Can’t you? Lock his ass up. Incarceration works..
. See if he throws another soda at someone again, or slashes good people’s tires, or break publix’s windows again. He wants the criminal justice system to give him
Help….another grace marketplace failure.
Incarceration works? Lock him up, and wait to see if he reoffends when he gets out? I think you know what most often happens in that scenario, which addresses my first question and testifies against your claim.
The fellow who tried to help Amos did the right thing. But it’s true that some people refuse help, whether out of skepticism, a sense of pride, or what have you. Jail should be a last resort, because it is punitive without being also restorative; but there is unfortunately a place for it in this evil world.
I personally would have left the scene and the food, wet and annoyed, and prayed for the man (and for myself not to become like him). I’ve suffered worse and prayed for such people. But I’ve also gotten through to some people, who have become justifiably bitter about the world as I have, just by turning the other cheek.
I understand Amos, people like him, and their outrage, more than I care to detail. But I also understand that treating others as they have treated me results only in more of the same. My first response above, snarky as it was, is testament to exactly that. But I hope my responses have given even just one person pause for thought.
Welcomed by ACLUSPLCDNC GRACE cult.
💩👹👺🤡👿
I wish the Wendy guy would have shot him. That ahole slashed my tires later when it was parked by Haven Hospice. Where is my reimbursement??