18-year-old arrested after ‘antagonizing’ voters with machete at Neptune Beach polling place

Neptune Beach police arrested 18-year-old Caleb James Williams on aggravated assault charges after he allegedly threatened two women with a machete at the Beaches Branch Library, an early voting site. The incident involved a group protesting with a Trump flag.

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According to NBPD, at 4:05 p.m., officers were dispatched to the library – designated as a polling place for early voting – after receiving reports of an object with a machete.

Upon arrival, passersby directed police to Williams, who had gathered around a truck in the parking lot with a group of men. According to reports, the group came to protest by displaying a Trump flag and holding a Trump sign stabbed with a machete, which escalated into a verbal confrontation.

The 71-year-old victim testified that Williams approached her with a machete raised above his head in an intimidating manner, which caused her to fear for her safety. Another victim, a 54-year-old woman standing next to the first victim, also expressed concern that Williams was injured. She had a photo of Williams approaching them with his machete raised.

The truck Williams was standing next to contained a 23-inch machete (18-inch blade) in plain view. Both the machete and the photograph were collected and placed in a room belonging to the Neptune Beach Police Department.

Williams was arrested and taken to the Duval County Jail where he was charged with aggravated assault on a 65-year-old person and improper display of a dangerous weapon.

Authorities stressed that these people came to cause disruption, stating: “Voting is a sacred right that goes beyond freedom of speech, especially when a machete is raised in a threatening manner.”

Police assured the public that the library remains a safe place to vote and expressed frustration with the incident, as officials would not specify which party the group was trying to intimidate voters for.

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