Man charged with stabbing co-worker in Melrose during robbery attempt

Staff report

MELROSE, Fla. – John Wyatt Hutchinson Goodwin, 29, was arrested yesterday and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and armed robbery after allegedly stabbing a co-worker in an attempt to steal money.

On August 13, Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies were contacted by the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office about an incident that happened on the Alachua County side of Melrose; deputies made contact with the victim at UF Health Shands.

The victim was reportedly stabbed twice in his upper back, resulting in a collapsed lung. The victim told a deputy that earlier in the day, he and a woman went to a Melrose bank to cash his paycheck. When they arrived back at the woman’s house, Goodwin, a co-worker who was also reportedly inside the house, allegedly punched the victim in the face. The victim reportedly responded by grabbing Goodwin around the chest, and Goodwin allegedly stabbed the victim twice in his back. The victim and Goodwin reportedly fell to the floor, where the victim said he saw that the knife was a “common steak knife.”

The victim said Goodwin said, “Give me your money,” and at that point, he ran out the front door to a neighboring house and the neighbor drove him to a hospital in Starke, where Bradford County Sheriff’s Office was informed about the incident.

A few hours later, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office arrested Goodwin on a Marion County warrant, and an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy interviewed Goodwin at the Putnam County Jail.

Post Miranda, Goodwin reportedly admitted that he knew the victim and that he had been with the victim at the woman’s house earlier in the evening. He said he stayed at the house while the victim and the woman drove to a bank; he reportedly denied stabbing the victim but said he knew the victim went to a hospital in Starke.

Blood was reportedly found on the door frame of the house.

Goodwin has seven felony convictions (none violent) and nine misdemeanor convictions (one violent). He has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in October 2023. According to a court document, he is a designated Career Offender. Judge Susan Miller-Jones ordered him held without bail, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial.

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.