JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A teenager is now banned from being within one thousand feet of a polling location—unless he’s casting his own ballot—after brandishing a machete, according to police.
Caleb Williams, 18, has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault on a person 65 years of age or older and improper exhibition of a firearm or dangerous weapon. He appeared before a Duval County judge, on Wednesday. He’s being held on a $55,000 bond.
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Neptune Beach police responded to the Jacksonville Public Library Beaches Branch in reference to person with a machete around 4 p.m. on Tuesday. This location is a polling site for early voting.
A 71-year-old woman told police Williams approached her with a machete raised above his head in “an intimidating manner.” She said she was in fear of being injured by the suspect. Another victim, 54, said she was also “afraid of being injured.”
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Action News Jax’s Meghan Moriarty spoke with the 71-year-old victim. She asked that her identity was not shared because of the nature of the incident. She said Williams and a group of boys came out with Trump flags and stood near the polling site.
“Eventually they made their way over to us,” she said. “We turned to them and the one boy was actually waving the flag right in my face and we weren’t moving. The next thing we know they are holding a machete, cutting up a Harris-Walz sign. They also had a shovel.”
She said she asked the teens to go away and called police.
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“We called the police because we’re not tolerating this kind of behavior-- regardless of the party you’re in,” she said. “We were just demonstrating our values for the Harris campaign, and you know, we were bothered by them and threatened by them.”
When officers arrived on the scene, Williams was standing next to a truck with a machete in the bed of it, in plain view, according to Neptune Beach police. Williams was then placed under arrest.
We went to Williams’ home to get his side of the story, but have not heard back from anyone.
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