Bradford deputies arrested Jeffrey Warren Atkinson, 65, of Starke on October 27 for the Sept. 12 offense of assault on a person aged 65 or older.
According to court papers, the defendant’s father told Starke police that while the two were dining at Starke’s IHOP, he asked Atkinson to turn the volume down on his phone because it was rude and disruptive. According to the victim, Atkinson responded by pulling out his pocketknife and declaring, “I’ll cut you to pieces.” The victim added that his son did not make a motion toward him. The defendant told police that “he did something stupid,” admitting to pulling out the knife but denying making a threat.
A woman who told police she witnessed the exchange said, “She saw (the victim) politely walk over to Jeffery and ask him to turn his phone down when Jeffery stated, ‘I’ll show you what I’ll do,’ and proceeded to pull his knife out and unfold the blade stating, “I’m gonna cut your (expletive deleted) fingers off.”
