They were arguing. Then a knife came out, deputies said
A Big Pine Key man was jailed Thursday after deputies said he stabbed a man for getting “mouthy” during a discussion about parenting and also pointed a rifle at him.
Rodney Steven Heath, 57, was arrested on felony charges of aggravated battery and aggravated assault with a weapon.
Heath remained at the county jail on Stock Island on Friday afternoon without bond.
Heath pulled a pocket knife on 36-year-old Paul Rogers on Thursday night, said Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies, who arrived at a home on Cardinal Lane at about 9 p.m.
Rogers and Heath’s daughter have a child together.
Rogers had a puncture wound on his forehead and on top of his head, along with several small cuts on his chest and stomach. He told law officers he didn’t want to press charges.
“He’s lucky he moved his head or I would have stabbed him in the throat,” law officers said Heath told them.
Paramedics treated Rogers on scene. He declined a trip to the hospital.
Earlier, there had been a discussion between Heath’s wife and Rogers over his parenting, according to the arrest report. Heath said Rogers got mouthy with his wife.
Heath then went to the backyard and untied Rogers’ boat from a dock. A fight ensued.
“Cellphone video taken by the victim corroborated his account of the incident,” said sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt.
In the video, Rogers is pushed down a couple of times and Heath can be heard saying, “I will cut you,” the report stated.
At some point inside, Heath brandished an AR-15 rifle, and pushed Rogers with the barrel, law officers said.
Heath had no visible injuries but complained of elbow pain.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 3:25 PM.
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