Kidnapping, Murder, and Mayhem

"I had to defend myself and my family..." 

by Robert A. Waters 

The following police report describes an incident that could have turned deadly.  It happened in my hometown of Ocala, Florida.  This chilling report is printed verbatim. 

After responding to a 911 call, Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Paul Bloom wrote: 

"On 1/31/2014, I responded to 6075 NW 31 Avenue, Ocala, Florida, in reference to a call from a homeowner stating that they found an unknown man in their 7-year-old daughter's bedroom upon returning from dinner. 

"Upon arrival, I observed the mother, victim Heather Smith, running from the home toward my car with her three small children.  Victim Heather stated that her husband, victim Jesse Smith, was inside holding the subject at gunpoint until I could arrive. 

"I entered the home and observed the victim Jesse standing in the kitchen holding a pistol pointed at the defendant.  The defendant, later identified as Paul Matheny, was lying on the floor of the adjoining bedroom hiding under a blanket.  Victim Jesse was advising me as I approached him that he 'has no idea who this man is.' 

"I ordered the defendant to show me his hands from under the blanket at which time the defendant refused to do so.  At that point, I pulled the blanket off of him and ordered him to place his hands behind his back.  He further refused and rolled onto his stomach, tucking his hands into his chest.  I then grabbed the defendant's right arm and was able to place a handcuff on him, however, as I grabbed his left arm, he pulled away and attempted to roll away from me.  Seeing the struggle, victim Jesse offered to assist me in handcuffing the defendant.  However, after a brief struggle, I was able to place his left hand in cuffs also. 

"It should be noted that I arrived at this call in a marked patrol car, in duty uniform and clearly identified myself as a law enforcement officer to the defendant. 

"The defendant openly stated, 'This is my house.'  I asked him what his address was and the defendant replied 3030 NE 18 Court and that his phone number 352-622-8862.  I advised him that this was not the address where I found him tonight.  He continued to state, 'But this is my house.  I built it.'  The defendant's driver's license indicates an address of 3112 NE Jacksonville Road, Apartment # 5, Ocala, FL 34479.  Further investigation revealed that the defendant is most likely homeless. 

"The defendant had apparently entered the home through a side door that victim Jesse says does not always close properly.  He stated that when he returned home with his family from dinner, the door was closed but not locked.  He did not become alarmed because of the ongoing trouble with the door lock. 

"Victim Jesse stated that as his wife Heather was getting their 7-year-old daughter ready for bed, she entered the child's bedroom with the daughter and 'saw the blanket on the floor begin to move.'  She and the child screamed, at which point victim Jesse responded from another room in the house and held the defendant at gunpoint until my arrival.  The homeowners stated that nothing appeared to be missing and that the defendant had apparently came in the home, turned on the television, drank a soda and took a blanket from the sofa into the child's bedroom and went to sleep on the floor. 

"The defendant did have a slight smell of an alcoholic beverage about him during my contact with him.  The defendant was arrested and transported to the Marion County jail without further incident." 

If that's not scary enough, it turned out that Paul Michael Matheny had three previous convictions for exposing himself to others.  In an interview with the Ocala Star Banner, Smith recounted that Matheny was lying next to his daughter's clothes.  "I had to defend myself and my family," Smith told staff writer Austin L. Miller. 

In Florida, more than half its twenty-one million residents owns at least one gun and one and-a-half million have concealed carry permits (not counting several hundred thousand out-of-state visitors).  At any restaurant in Florida, several patrons are likely to be carrying handguns.  Armed robbers have been shot by customers or business owners.  Burglars and home invaders have a good chance of encountering an armed homeowner, as happened in this case.   

Matheny should consider himself lucky he didn't get shot.