Hospital patient arrested for allegedly threatening employees with fire extinguisher, then spraying them

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jerimiah Bo Huffman, 44, was arrested early this morning and charged with simple battery and interfering with firefighting after allegedly threatening two employees of HCA Florida North Florida Hospital with a fire extinguisher and then spraying them.

Huffman had been admitted to the hospital for psychiatric care but reportedly ran from the hospital without being medically cleared to leave. A nurse followed him to the second floor of the parking garage, where Huffman allegedly began swinging a fire extinguisher aggressively in an attempt to hit her. After he was unsuccessful in hitting her, he allegedly sprayed her with the fire extinguisher.

A security guard also followed Huffman to the second floor of the parking garage, where Huffman also allegedly tried to hit him with the fire extinguisher and then sprayed him.

Post Miranda, Huffman reportedly said he left the hospital to smoke a cigarette and get his car. When he was followed by hospital staff, he said he picked up the fire extinguisher and began swinging it back and forth so they would leave him alone; he said he sprayed them so they would back away.

The Gainesville Police Department officer who responded to the call reported that he found an empty fire extinguisher nearby.

Huffman has no criminal history; Judge Thomas Jaworski ordered that he be screened for Veterans Treatment Court and released if he is able to abide by the requirements of the program.

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. 

  • They should have a designated smoking area at the hospital instead of being everyone’s do-gooder nanny. Besides, these folks will die quicker and stop draining our tax dollars 💸

    • You truly sound ignorant how do you know that he doesn’t have his own insurance or ptsd. It clearly says in the article that they are trying to get him help through veterans affair which means this government that your tax dollars help fund is part of what probably has him messed up in the head. You really sound ignorant and bitter.

  • The title definitely had me intrigued. Also to Jimmy… Hopefully your mammy too.

  • he was a psych patient…he should have been sedated until they got his schizophrenic meds right.

  • If he’s being screened for Veterans Treatment Court he’s obviously a veteran going through something. He has insurance through the VA. Say what you want about him being a burden to the tax payers but this is someone who stepped up and served so if anyone is deserving of our tax dollars for medical treatment it’s this guy.

    Normally I don’t have much sympathy for criminals, but I feel compelled to share my story: I served in the Army for ten years. I deployed to Iraq twice and was medically retired for a rare and deadly blood disease. I went off the deep end, and ended up hospitalized, and charged with felony weapon possession (I had moved from NH to MA when I was retired to move back in with my daughter who was stationed in MA.)

    Sometimes bad things happen to good people. I had no previous criminal history just like this guy. I am incredibly grateful for the Veterans Treatment Court in MA. They improved my life and my family’s life for the better.

    I hope that the Veterans Court in Alachua County is just as good. I’ve reached out several times in an attempt to be a mentor, but I haven’t heard back.

    I don’t know I feel compelled to share this all with you. Just know that there are services built in to the system, that when functioning, can provide substantial help to veterans. He’s not the typical GRACE riff raff.

    I would be more than willing to step up and help this veterans personally.

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