Trenton man arrested for threatening victim with knife at Butler Plaza

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jonathan Wayne Brotherton, 42, of Trenton, was arrested yesterday morning for allegedly threatening a man with a knife at Butler Plaza.

At about 10:15 a.m. on January 4, a Gainesville Police Department officer responded to Publix in the 3900 block of SW Archer Road, where the victim said Brotherton was a former friend but had recently accused him of stealing his property and/or owing him money.

The victim said he was walking in the Publix shopping center when he saw Brotherton, who saw him and beckoned him over; the victim said he walked toward Brotherton and saw a knife in Brotherton’s hand. He said Brotherton, still holding the knife in his hand, mentioned the money the victim allegedly owed him and demanded that the victim pay him the money.

The victim said he tried to walk away, but Brotherton moved into his path, still holding the knife, and threatened to kill the victim.

The officer found Brotherton at the same shopping center, and post Miranda, Brotherton reportedly said that he and the victim had argued about stolen property and money; he admitted to holding the knife as the victim approached him, and when the officer asked why the knife was in his hand before he even spoke with the victim, Brotherton said he had simply been looking at the knife.

The officer noted that Brotherton was in an “open corridor of a shopping plaza (Butler Plaza) where notable vehicle and/or pedestrian traffic is generally present.”

Brotherton reportedly admitted to confronting the victim about money and standing in front of the victim as he tried to walk away. He said, however, that he had put the knife away after the initial argument with the victim, and he denied threatening the victim.

The victim reportedly provided a description of the knife, and the officer reported that Brotherton had a knife matching that description when he was detained.

Brotherton has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He has seven felony convictions (non-violent), and Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $25,000 with a requirement for 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.