Rifle seized from man on ‘Dr. Phil’ show

Authorities investigated after he said on show that he beat girlfriend

The Ocala Police Department seized a semi-automatic rifle from the Ocala man who admitted on national TV to beating his girlfriend, according to documents recently acquired by the Star-Banner.

Richard John Sherrets — who has several past domestic violence-related arrests but no convictions — admitted on the Nov. 2 episode of the “Dr. Phil” show to beating his girlfriend, Jourdon Bryant, with his hands and feet, trying to drown her and stabbing her. After the episode aired, the State Attorney’s Office, along with local law enforcement, opened an investigation into the relationship.

At last week’s Ocala City Council meeting, police Chief Greg Graham announced the department had been granted a Risk Protection Order against Sherrets, prohibiting him from possessing or controlling a firearm or ammunition for a year. The chief did not mention the seizure of any weapons.

Court documents requested from the police department by the Star-Banner, though, show that a Bushmaster AR-15 and ammunition were seized from Sherrets’ residence, and that the police department received an anonymous phone call one day after the Dr. Phil episode aired suggesting Sherrets was willing to use it.

The gun and ammunition were turned over without incident, according to a police report.

The police report states that on Nov. 3, the police department received a call stating Sherrets was fearful of prosecution and had bought a gun. Police officials deemed the caller reliable because they described the AR-15 in Sherrets’ possession exactly. But the department does not have records of when Sherrets purchased the firearm, department spokeswoman Meghan Shay said.

At a Risk Protection Order hearing on Nov. 15, Sherrets testified he had applied for the firearm before the Dr. Phil show aired and that it was merely a coincidence, Shay said.

Risk Protection Orders can be sought by law enforcement when they believe a person is a danger to themselves or others. The orders can be used to seize weapons and ammunition already in the subject’s possession or prohibit them from purchasing or possession any for a year. The prohibition period can be extended.

The orders are one of several new components of Florida law established by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which was named after a Valentine’s Day shooting at a high school in Parkland that left 17 people dead. Gov. Rick Scott signed the act into law in early March.

In the eight months since the law went into effect, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office has petitioned for 18 Risk Protection Orders and all but one were granted, according to spokeswoman Lauren Lettelier.

Shay said the petition against Sherrets was not the police department’s first, but she did not immediately have the total number of Risk Protection Orders filed.

The act also established a three-day waiting period for firearm sales, with specific exemptions for law enforcement officials and hunters who have the proper training and identification.

Sherrets was arrested in relation to a domestic violence incident involving Bryant in 2016, according to Marion County court records. He said he threw a broom at Bryant and it hit her in the nose.

Her mother, who was visiting the couple, noticed that Bryant was wearing a heavy sweater and sunglasses and had the blinds closed and lights off in the apartment. When she finally convinced Bryant to remove the sunglasses, she saw that both of Bryant’s eyes were black and swollen and that her nose seemed to be broken.

When law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, Sherrets barricaded the two of them in the apartment and refused to talk to the officers or allow Bryant to talk to them alone. Officers had to call the landlord, who then called a locksmith to get into the apartment, according to an arrest affidavit.

The charges in that case were dropped when Bryant told prosecutors she did not want to pursue prosecution, according to court documents.

Sherrets has arrests for similar violence dating back to 2011 and convictions for battery dating back to 2005. In 2011, he was charged with battery domestic violence and in 2015 he was charged with aggravated battery domestic violence. In both cases the charges were dropped, according to court records.

In the 2011 case, the victim did not want to pursue charges. In the 2015 case there was a lack of proof of battery, according to court documents.

Assistant State Attorney Toby Hunt, who has previously said his office is looking into the case and even watched the Dr. Phil episode, did not immediately reply to a request for an update on the investigation.