PRESS RELEASE CHARLOTTE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
April 14, 2025 – Port Charlotte, FL
A post that has been circulating on social media today showing a man on his dock with a firearm has drawn considerable interest from the community.
On Sunday, April 13, Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Road Patrol deputies responded to a home in Port Charlotte following reports of a man on his dock brandishing a firearm and threatening people on a boat. The argument stemmed from the placement of crab traps near the man’s boat lift. After reviewing the facts of the incident, deputies determined that no crime had been committed.
Today, detectives with the Criminal Investigations Unit followed up on this case, conducting an investigation of their own. Detectives obtained video footage of the incident, which shows the altercation. After a thorough investigation of the evidence available at this time, the detectives have also determined that no crime has been committed.
The video obtained shows the man and the unseen individuals on the boat in a verbal altercation. As the argument escalated, the man did retrieve a firearm from his home. However, he did not raise the weapon at any time, keeping it down by his leg. This is not a crime, as he was on his own property and is never seen pointing the weapon at anyone else, despite the boaters attempting to antagonize him further.
“We live in a time where information, and misinformation, spreads faster than ever before through social media. I ask our community to be mindful that what you see on social media is not always the whole story. It is sad that this incident got to the point where a firearm was displayed, and I pray that we all can find our way back to focusing on what is truly important and stop all the fighting. Charlotte County is better than this, and it’s time we start showing that again.”
Sheriff Bill Prummell
The case does remain open at this time, but we wanted to provide this information to our community to quell any rumors and show that we are aware of the incident and are investigating. If anyone has additional information regarding this case, please call our non-emergency number (941) 639-2101.