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Dispute over son's pocketknife lands father in jail

The father of a Centennial Middle School student refused to let his 13-year-old son be arrested.

ZEPHYRHILLS - A Zephyrhills man who refused to allow his son to be arrested for having a pocketknife at school got in even more trouble himself.

Claude Hampton Williams threatened and swore at a school resource officer at Centennial Middle School on Monday morning, according to the resource officer's report.

Williams then picked up the Leatherman-style tool that had been taken from his 13-year-old son and refused to give it back. The resource officer, Mel Eakley, used pepper spray to subdue Williams.

Williams, 46, of 38338 Theel Ave., Zephyrhills, was arrested, charged with possession of a weapon on school property, tampering with evidence and resisting arrest with violence. He was still being held in the county jail late Tuesday.

The incident started Monday when a fellow student noticed the 13-year-old with what appeared to be a pocketknife and notified school officials. Centennial Middle Principal Tom Rulison said the resource officer took the Leatherman tool from the teen and called his parents. The Leatherman is a type of pocket tool that typically includes a small knife blade, as well as a screwdriver and other tools.

"When the dad was told that his son would have to go to the juvenile assessment center, he became quite out of control," Rulison said. "The SRO tried to get him to calm down, but he kept saying his son wasn't going to jail."

According to the report written by Eakley, after the officer showed the knife to Williams, "the defendant grabbed the tool and stepped back from my desk (and) began using foul language and telling me that his son was not going to jail."

After being sprayed with pepper spray, Williams told the officer "I'll come over there and hit you" and "removed a razor blade knife from a rear pocket and placed it on the desk," according to the report. Eakley called for back-up deputies to help disarm Williams. Eventually he was taken to the floor and handcuffed. The deputies then took back the pocketknife and a knife Williams kept in a sheath. The knife blade was about 3 inches long, the report said.

Rulison said the teen, whose name the Times is withholding because of his age, was suspended and likely would be recommended for expulsion, which is routine when students are found to have weapons at school.