A Citra man found himself behind bars recently after taking refuge in a shed following a nasty weapon-involved altercation with a man over the care of a dog.
Marion County sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence on N.E. 168th Street and when they arrived, the victim already had fled to a nearby gas station. Deputies were told that 26-year-old Jonathen Daniel Berkshire was in a shed behind his residence, so they gave him loud verbal commands to exit the structure, which he did, a sheriff’s office report states, adding that he was detained in a patrol vehicle.
A deputy responded to gas station and spoke with the victim and his girlfriend. The victim claimed that Berkshire yelled and laughed at him while saying he “had something for him.” He claimed Berkshire went to his vehicle, brandished a handgun, cocked it, pointed it at him and said he was going to kill him. The victim also told deputies that Berkshire’s girlfriend took the weapon away from him, though she said she never observed a handgun, the report says.
After being read his rights, Berkshire admitted that he grabbed the handgun from his vehicle but claimed it was just so he could put it in the shed. He denied pointing the gun at anyone and gave deputies permission to enter the shed and retrieve the weapon, which they did.
Berkshire was placed under arrest and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was released on $5,000 bond and his next court date hasn’t yet been set, jail records show.