NEPTUNE BEACH, Florida — An 18-year-old Florida male who supports presidential candidate Donald Trump has been charged with a felony after police say he used a machete to threaten voters Tuesday at a polling location.
Police Chief Michael Key Jr. said in a news conference that Caleb James Williams was one of eight males, seven who were juveniles, who went to the parking lot of the polling location on to “protest and antagonize the opposing political side.”
Key says the group of teens approached sign-wavers and it “escalated into a verbal disturbance.” He says Williams brandished a machete in a “aggressive, threatening posture over his head” at two women, ages 54 and 71.
Williams is charged with felony aggravated assault on a person 65 or older and misdemeanor exhibition of a dangerous weapon, Neptune Beach police records show.
“I am extremely proud of my agency for swiftly and effectively handling this incident in order to continue keeping this voting site a safe one for voters,” Key said. “The group was there for no other reason but for ill intentions to cause a disturbance.
“This is not an incident of solely a First Amendment protective right, but rather they were there simply to cause a ruckus.”
Williams, a restaurant busboy, is being held in the Duval County Jail on $55,000 bond, jail records show. If the registered Republican is released, the judge ordered him to stay 1,000 feet (300 meters) from any polling place except to cast his own ballot and to wear an ankle monitor.
“Violence and intimidation have no place in our democratic process,” the Duval County Democratic Party said in a statement. “The Duval County Democratic Party stands with those who seek to express their views peacefully and without fear of reprisal. We urge all citizens to continue engaging in civic activities respectfully and lawfully.”
A statement from the county’s Republican Party says, “The Republican Party of Duval County thanks law enforcement for swiftly apprehending the individual involved. In an environment of high political tension, where President Trump has survived two assassination attempts and Republican supporters are derided as Nazis and called ‘garbage’ by Joe Biden, we urge calm as we approach the end of this election season.”
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)