Florida man accused of stabbing, punching men during heated religious debate at gas station
Hunter Detherow was charged with two counts of aggravated battery. (Photo: Flagler County Jail)
PALM COAST, Fla. - A conversation between strangers at a gas station in Flagler County turned violent when a man allegedly stabbed and punched the others as the discussion turned to religion, ultimately leading to his arrest.
Hunter Detherow, a 22-year-old from Palm Coast, was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after the incident that unfolded at Circle K on Palm Coast Harbor Parkway late Sunday night, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
At around 10:30 p.m. two men said they rode their bikes to the gas station where they encounter Detherow sitting at a picnic bench outside. A conversation started, and after a few minutes the topic changed to religion. That's when Detherow grew upset, igniting a heated debate, according to deputies.
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According to an arrest affidavit, when one of the victims, who said he practices Buddhism, cut off Detherow as he tried to speak of his religious views, Detherow became "infuriated."
Detherow allegedly punched one of the men several times, and stabbed the other. The former victim suffered a large contusion on his lower back and a bruise on his side, while the latter sustained multiple lacerations to his neck and back, and also a deep puncture wound on his left side.
Hunter Detherow is accused of stabbing a man during a heated religious debate on March 17, 2024. (Photo: Flagler County Sheriff's Office)
They were both eventually transported to local hospitals for medical treatment. Their conditions at this time are unknown.
The 22-year-old fled the scene as the two men went back home and called 911. After the victims described Detherow's appearance to deputies, they ultimately found him at his house on Forsythe Lane early Monday afternoon and took him into custody.
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Hunter Detherow was arrested on March 18, 2024. (Photo: Flagler County Sheriff's Office)
Detherow remains in custody at the Flagler County Jail on $300,000 bond.
"Another outstanding job by our deputies, Major Case detectives and our Real Time Crime Center to quickly solve this case," Sheriff Rick Staly said in a news release. "You don’t solve disagreements by attacking someone. When people talk religion or politics, often someone gets offended, but getting your feelings hurt doesn’t give you the right to physically harm someone else. I’m glad this hot head was quickly apprehended, and he is now at the Green Roof Inn."