An Apopka woman was arrested on a warrant for threatening a restaurant employee with a knife for closing her tab and asking her to leave.
At about 5 p.m. on Aug. 28, officers with the Eustis Police Department were dispatched to Crazy Gator, located at 402 N. Bay Street, regarding a customer becoming hostile and displaying a knife at an employee before leaving the establishment, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Upon arrival, the officers met with a female victim who stated that a female customer, later identified as 48-year-old Jennifer Renee Rider, had been at the establishment since 9 a.m. that day. She drank large amounts of alcohol and became extremely erratic to the point she was asked to leave. Employees asked her to close her tab around 4:45 p.m., but she refused to do so, the affidavit said.
When the victim closed Rider’s tab and stopped serving alcohol, Rider became verbally aggressive and removed a black switchblade pocketknife with a 3-inch blade from her right front pocket. She held it up in front of the victim before placing the weapon on the counter directly in front of where the victim stood. The victim immediately stepped back further behind the bar counter, fearing that Rider could easily harm her with the weapon, the affidavit said.
Rider then stated, “Good luck and be careful. You’re going to need it because I will be back. I know you’re closing the store by yourself.” She threw a cigarette lighter behind the bar, walked behind the bar to retrieve it, and put it back in her purse. While behind the counter, she stated she and her husband were going to come back with some “ammo,” the affidavit said.
Rider went back and retrieved the knife from the countertop, closed it and put it back in her pant pocket. She left the business and walked out to an older red Ford F-series pickup that produced large amounts of white smoke from the exhaust when driven, the affidavit said.
Rider went to the parking lot where the pickup was parked and continued to curse and make obscene comments toward the employees outside near the entrance. They called law enforcement shortly after she left southbound on Bay Street toward U.S. Highway 441, the affidavit said.
A computer check of the pickup revealed an owner with an address out of the greater Apopka area. The appropriate agency was notified to attempt contact with the possible subject, pending results. The description and features given by the victim and witnesses were extremely similar to those of Rider, the affidavit said.
An officer also spoke to a witness who was sitting at the bar during the incident. He stated that he saw Rider remove and open a black switchblade pocketknife from her right front pocket. She pressed the release, which displayed a blade of about three to four inches in length, the affidavit said.
Rider aggressively slammed the weapon on the countertop right in front of the victim. The witness heard her make threats to return later that evening and to bring ammunition with her, as well, the affidavit said.
Extra patrols frequented the Crazy Gator area during the evening until shortly after closing at 1 a.m. to ensure employees left unharmed. Meanwhile, the officers obtained sworn statements and a copy of the surveillance video. The subject’s face was not clearly visible in the video due to the angle, and a photo lineup was generated to confirm the subject’s identity, the affidavit said.
On the afternoon of Aug. 29, an officer administered the photo lineup to the victim. She made a positive identification on Rider’s listing, the affidavit said.
Rider was ultimately arrested Wednesday afternoon by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office with a warrant charging her with aggravated assault with deadly weapon and disorderly intoxication. The Michigan native was transported to Lake County Jail and released after posting $5,500 bond.
