A 61-year-old Villager who claimed he only has six months to live has been arrested after allegedly threatening to murder a sheriff’s deputy and his family, warning a friend to “watch the news” to see the aftermath.
The disturbing incident unfolded on May 9 when a concerned friend contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to request a Baker Act evaluation for John Walter Witherspoon, who lives in the Fairlawn Villas in the Village of Springdale. The friend reported that Witherspoon had sent a series of “highly alarming” text messages.
According to the arrest report, Witherspoon texted the friend: “Going to kill a deputy and his family then turn myself in for the murders watch the news you’ll see everyone will finally see.”
When deputies contacted Witherspoon by phone, he became highly aggressive and stated he wanted nothing to do with law enforcement. Witherspoon told deputies he had been told he only has six months to live and was seeking revenge because he believed the victim—identified as a deputy in Gilchrist County—had scammed him out of a large amount of money over the years…