Homeless man charged with threatening to kill deputy for confiscating his cigarettes when he was arrested

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Richard Vinnie Keller, 65, was arrested early this morning for trespassing and then charged with threatening to kill a deputy after she confiscated his cigarettes while arresting him.

At about 2:30 a.m. on May 4, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the Circle K at 7501 W. Newberry Road after the business asked law enforcement to remove Keller for trespassing after a warning; he had been trespassed from the business on May 3.

On the way to the jail, Keller allegedly threatened to kill the deputy because he was “displeased” that she confiscated his cigarettes. Keller reportedly made the following statements:

• “I’ll kill you and put a pack [of cigarettes] on your grave.”
• “I’ll blow [your heart] out of your chest.”
• “When I get out of prison, we’re gonna talk about the [expletive] cigarettes. We’re gonna talk about it for 30 minutes, then I’m gonna put a [expletive] pistol… blow your brains out.”
• “What are you looking for — my pistol? If I had one, I would shoot you in the head.”

Keller has been charged with trespassing after a warning and threatening to kill a law enforcement officer. He has 12 felony convictions (non-violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (non-violent); he most recently served a 60-day sentence in the Alachua County Jail for shoplifting and was released on April 23. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $27,500 and ordered a curfew between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and a GPS monitor.

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