Holmes Beach police arrested Tampa resident John Heald, 39, June 10 on a third-degree felony charge for depriving the use of 911.
An officer responded around 4:30 a.m. to an abandoned 911 call and found a woman standing on the balcony of a property in the 300 block of 65th Street.
The officer asked if she had called 911 and she said she had. She told the officer she was in an argument with her husband, Heald, when he became upset and started yelling at her before leaving the house.
The woman said Heald returned after about an hour and their argument resumed, at which point he approached her aggressively, and she threatened to call 911.
When she began dialing the number, Heald allegedly took her phone and threw it to the ground, breaking it.
She told police she left the house and sought help from a neighbor but did not want to press charges.
The officer arrested Heald on probable cause for depriving the use of 911 and transported him to the Manatee County jail, where he was released the same day after posting $1,500 bond.
A third-degree felony charge is punishable, if convicted, by up to five years in prison, five years of probation and a fine of up to $5,000.
However, assistant state attorney Casey Cahall filed a notice of case action June 15 on behalf of the state, declining to pursue the charge against Heald.
The notice states, “This action is taken without prejudice to the right of the state of Florida to resume prosecution on this matter at a future date.”
Following the notice, the court canceled a July 21 arraignment for the case, which was listed as “closed” as of June 16 on the Manatee County Clerk of Court website, records.manateeclerk.com.