Gainesville Man Arrested for Assault
Jonathan Patrick Dayton, 39, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with assault.
Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Cedrick Henderson reported the following:
“The victim stated [Dayton] returned to the residence to get their son. Once [Dayton] arrived, they got into a verbal altercation. [Dayton] became upset, and pulled an Army Green Handgun out of his waistband and pointed it at her face. [Dayton] then stated he would kill her and then kill himself. She then exited the room, shortly after, and [Dayton] then exited the residence. Once [Dayton] exited the residence, [the victim] then locked the gate and notified Law Enforcement. The Victim stated that [Dayton]’s action put her in great fear for her safety. The victim provided a sworn written statement.
I interviewed a witness and this is a summary of her statement: The witness stated she only heard the victim and [Dayton] arguing while she was down stairs. She did not see the firearm nor hear the threat made by [Dayton]. She stated she heard the victim say ‘He just put a fucking gun to my face.’ She then told the victim to call Law Enforcement.
Post- Miranda, I interviewed [Dayton] and this is a summary of his statement: [Dayton] denied all claims. [Dayton] stated the altercation was only verbal. He stated that he does carry a firearm on his person. He also stated he had the firearm on his person during the altercation, but did not threaten the victim. He stated that he put his Army Green handgun in his vehicle when he heard the victim calling Law Enforcement.
I located the Army Green handgun inside of [Dayton]’s vehicle. The handgun was loaded with one round in the chamber.
[Dayton] was transported to the Alachua County Jail without further incident.”
Dayton’s bond is set at $50,000.
Court records state Dayton’s charge is “Assault: Aggravated assault by a person detained in a prison or jail.” It's unclear why records state Dayton was detained at a jail facility when the arrest report states the incident happened at a residence.
