SPRING HILL, Fla. (WFLA) — The son of a man who is at the center of a notorious Tampa Bay stand your ground case was arrested in Hernando County last week after deputies say he threatened to kill them.
The incident happened Thursday night. Deputies with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office were called to a home on Blythe Avenue in Spring Hill for a report of an “irrational subject.”
When deputies got to the home, they say they found 43-year-old Trevor Dooley Jr. standing in the doorway holding a knife. Dooley started walking toward deputies, pointing the knife and saying, “I’m going to kill one of you tonight,” according to a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
Deputies say Dooley then stopped moving toward them but continued thrusting the knife in the air while making threatening statements.
The suspect eventually went back inside the home but, according to deputies, came back out with the knife taped to his hand. The sheriff’s office spokesperson says deputies tried to use a taser and beanbag rounds to get Dooley under control, but the suspect was able to go back inside the home once again.
After several tries, deputies say a sergeant was able to get in touch with Dooley via phone and convinced him to come out of the house without any weapons. He was quickly taken into custody.
Dooley was arrested and charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting or obstructing an officer without violence, and was taken to the Hernando County Detention Center.
Records show 43-year-old Dooley Jr. lives at the same address as Trevor Dooley Sr., the man who shot and killed David James in September 2010 after an argument about skateboarding on a Valrico basketball court. James’ daughter Danielle, who was 8 years old at the time, witnessed the killing.
Dooley, who claimed a stand your ground defense, was convicted of manslaughter with a weapon and manslaughter and was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2012. The convictions were reversed and Dooley was given a new trial in 2019 when Florida’s second district court of appeals ruled that improper instructions may have confused the jury.
When 8 On Your Side knocked on the door of their Spring Hill home, a man who appeared to be Dooley Sr. answered and told us he was the one who called 911 on Dooley Jr.
“He had a nervous breakdown,” said Dooley Sr.
“How do you feel about the way the sheriff’s office handled it?” asked 8 On Your Side Investigator Mahsa Saeidi.
“I think they did the best they could,” said Dooley Sr.
Dooley Senior’s trial is scheduled for November but it may not happen. Dooley Sr. tells 8 On Your Side he’s considering taking a plea deal.
“The state has made some offer and I’m debating if I should take it or not,” he said.
