Honk News (Lake City, FL) – A bicyclist in Florida faces serious allegations of kidnapping a woman at knifepoint following an incident where she reportedly struck him with her vehicle while on her delivery route as a pharmacy technician.
Danny Keith Phelps, 67, is currently facing serious charges including kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, and tampering with a witness, according to online court records.
A report details the accusations arising from the incident that occurred on Thursday. At 1:12 p.m. that day, police were called to a pharmacy in Lake City, about 60 miles west of Jacksonville, on a report of false imprisonment and aggravated assault.
Upon arrival, an officer spoke with the victim, who recounted that around 11:30 a.m., she was departing from the pharmacy in her vehicle to deliver medications in Live Oak when she came across a man on a bicycle at a traffic signal, according to the report.
The report indicates that the victim stated she and the cyclist acknowledged each other to proceed, but as she began to move forward, the man on the bicycle entered the intersection.
The arrest report indicated that she encountered the individual, resulting in his fall.
According to the document, she reported to the police that after exiting her vehicle to assist the man, he forcefully knocked her phone from her grasp and insisted that she was not permitted to call for help.
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“You’re going to give me a ride or I’m going to hurt you,” he reportedly threatened her, according to the report.
Phelps reached into his pocket, and an unidentified object seemed to be directed toward her from within, according to the report.
Feeling frightened, the victim reported to authorities that she placed the man’s bicycle in the back of her vehicle and offered him a lift, according to the arrest report.
Phelps entered the front passenger seat and set an open pocketknife on his lap, according to the report. He instructed her to start driving him to a destination. Upon arriving at the location, he instructed her to halt the vehicle, exited, retrieved his bike, and they went their separate ways. According to the arrest report, she informed the police that she never encountered him again and went back to the pharmacy to reach out to law enforcement.
On the next day, authorities were alerted by a call from the pharmacy, where a man named Danny Phelps claimed he had been struck by one of their vehicles the day before and requested compensation for his bike, according to the report. He provided a callback number that authorities traced to a location, but they were unable to locate him on that day, according to the documents.
On Saturday, Phelps reportedly reached out to the Lake City Police Department, stating that he was struck by a vehicle on Thursday while cycling.
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During a police interview two days later, Phelps reportedly stated that he was crossing a road at a traffic light when he was struck by a pharmacy vehicle.
According to the arrest report, he expressed a desire for a ride home, citing that his bike tire was “messed up.”
According to the document, he reportedly informed the officer that the driver mentioned she was prohibited from having passengers in her work vehicle, yet she still offered him a ride.
Upon being questioned by the officer about whether the driver had extended a ride, Phelps responded, “not really, I said, ‘you need to give me a ride home’ and she said she’s not supposed to give anybody a ride and I said, ‘I don’t give a crap,’” as noted in the report.
“Phelps expressed that he was extremely angry and distressed,” the arrest report indicated he communicated to the officer.
Phelps reportedly mentioned that he asked her to come back to his house later to “discuss payment arrangements,” but she claimed she was already engaged.
When the officer inquired about Phelps’ statement regarding her engagement in relation to resolving the payment for his bike damages, Phelps responded that he aimed to “work out a relationship with her,” according to the document.
Phelps reportedly informed the police that he started reaching out to the pharmacy regarding the situation when she failed to come back.
Phelps is currently in custody at the Columbia County Detention Center, with a bond amount established at $150,000.