A man blamed his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder syndrome for an altercation leading to his arrest at a consignment shop in Wildwood.
Officers were called Friday morning to Blessed and Grateful Consignment and Auctions on State Road 44 after 36-year-old Charles Robert Rheome of Bushnell attacked another man, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department. Rheome, who stands 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 230 pounds, apparently was angry when a woman asked a male volunteer to help her remove a license plate from a vehicle.
Rheome, who is also described as a volunteer at the business, “purposely cleared his throat, gathering his spittle/flem in his mouth and ‘launched’ it into the man’s face,” the report said. The other man stepped back, putting up both hands to signal he did not want the situation to escalate. However, Rheome punched the man in the face, knocking off his glasses and leaving a small abrasion on the man’s upper right eye. Rheome fled before police arrived. The supervisor at the consignment shop called Rheome back to the scene to be interviewed by police.
Rheome told police he suffers “from PTSD and a traumatic brain injury.” He said he receives treatment from the Veterans Administration.
The Oklahoma native was arrested on a charge of battery and booked at the Sumter County Detention Center. He was released after posting $500 bond.
