A disagreement over a housemate who would not leave turned into a shotgun confrontation in Crescent City this week, deputies say, ending with the accused man arrested along a rural roadway with a homemade shank hidden in his boot. Stacey Earl Ratcliff, 33, was booked into the Putnam County jail on Tuesday after a struggle that left his housemate with a cut arm and, according to investigators, came just three days into Ratcliff's probation on an earlier weapons charge.
According to the Palatka Daily News, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office got a call at about 9:23 a.m. Tuesday from a property owner who said the victim had pointed a gun at her husband. Deputy Austin Chewning reportedly arrived at the Crescent City property about 10 minutes later to sort out what had happened between Ratcliff and the man he had been living with on and off for roughly eight months.
An Early-Morning Argument Escalates
The trouble reportedly started around 5 a.m. Tuesday, when the victim told deputies he woke up to find Ratcliff in the kitchen, leading to what the report describes as a small disturbance. The victim said he told Ratcliff to leave, and between 7:30 and 8 a.m. he reiterated that Ratcliff needed to go or his belongings would be put outside, per the same account. Ratcliff allegedly refused to leave and argued with the victim over the demand.
The victim told deputies that Ratcliff then threatened to shoot him if his things were removed, before pulling a shotgun from behind his back and pointing it at him, the outlet reports. The victim said he pinned Ratcliff against the living-room couch, and that Ratcliff struck his left arm while lifting the firearm, leaving him with a small laceration. The victim's wife reportedly stepped between the two men to defuse the confrontation before Ratcliff left through the front door.
Deputies Search the Property, Then Find Him Down the Road
Deputies searched the property but did not immediately find Ratcliff, according to the report. Deputy Phillip John located him shortly after 10:30 a.m. near the intersection of Beecher Springs Road and County Road 309 and took him into custody there.
During a search, John reportedly found nothing in Ratcliff's boots at first, but then noticed a slit leading to a hidden pocket inside one of them. Inside was a shank fashioned from a saw blade, with electrical tape wrapped around the bottom to form a handle, the Palatka Daily News reports; Ratcliff allegedly admitted he had a saw blade stashed in his boot.
Fresh Off Probation for a Prior Firearm Charge
Investigators learned that Ratcliff had only begun probation on Oct. 3 in connection with a prior charge of possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon, according to the outlet's reporting. Chewning also learned that Ratcliff was on Florida inmate release status tied to a prior aggravated assault with a deadly weapon case. The victim reportedly told deputies he was aware Ratcliff was a convicted felon and cited Ratcliff's drug addiction and his recent acquisition of a firearm as sources of concern.
Ratcliff was booked into the Putnam County jail at 2:58 p.m. Tuesday. Per the Palatka Daily News, he was charged with one count of aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony and two counts of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
What Florida Law Says About Felons and Firearms
Florida law generally prohibits anyone convicted of a felony from owning or having a firearm in their care, custody, possession, or control, unless their civil rights and firearm authority have been restored, according to the Florida Legislature. A violation of that statute is classified as a second-degree felony under state law.
