A 47-year-old Florida man faces a felony charge after a 70-year-old shopper was cut with a box cutter inside a Punta Gorda Publix on Oct. 10, according to police and a sworn arrest affidavit. The incident has brought renewed attention to the man’s earlier case in a specialized mental health court program and criticism from the mother of the teenager involved in that case.
Punta Gorda police identified the defendant as Ramsey Thomas Lyons. He is charged with aggravated battery on a person 65 or older. The affidavit says the attack occurred shortly before 4 p.m. at the Publix on Tamiami Trail. The shopper told authorities he felt a forceful blow from behind, turned and saw Lyons holding a box cutter blade. After touching his head and seeing blood on his hands, the victim went toward the store’s front, according to the affidavit.
Officers arrested Lyons near the front of the store, police said. A box cutter was recovered from the aisle where the attack allegedly took place. First responders took the shopper to Fawcett Memorial Hospital. Police described his injuries as a cut four to six inches long, extending from his left cheek toward his neck, and a smaller cut to his upper chest.
According to the affidavit, Lyons waived his Miranda rights and told investigators he intended to kill someone in the store. Police said he told them he chose the shopper because he thought the man looked as though he belonged to the 1960s. The affidavit also says Lyons described planning the attack for two days and dropping the weapon so officers would not use a Taser or shoot him. These statements are allegations recorded by investigators; the charge has not been adjudicated.
The case follows a March 13, 2025, assault at a Wawa in Port Charlotte. Court records cited in the source say Lyons punched a 16-year-old in the face as the teenager held a door open. After that arrest, the 20th Judicial Circuit placed Lyons in a mental health court diversion program.
The teenager’s mother, Shawna Gentry, told Fox News Digital that she opposed the diversion approach and wanted jail time, alcohol classes and probation. She said she warned officials that Lyons posed a threat. Gentry also said she believed he was intoxicated during the earlier assault and questioned whether mental health issues explained his conduct. Those are her views, and the supplied material does not independently establish them.
Charlotte County court minutes show Lyons’ probation was terminated on July 6, 2025, with no objection recorded from the State Attorney’s Office. The minutes included the handwritten words “Graduation! Congratulations!” and a drawn smiley face. Gentry said she was concerned about how the earlier case was handled and claimed the family was not kept informed about monitoring or safety arrangements. The State Attorney’s Office for the 20th Judicial Circuit did not respond to a request for comment by the source’s publication deadline.
The source also cited national mental health court figures and research, including a count of 679 adult mental health courts at the end of 2024 and a 2021 review associating participation with lower odds of repeat offending. It separately noted research indicating that criminal history may be a stronger predictor of recidivism than a mental health diagnosis. Those general findings do not establish why Lyons allegedly attacked either victim or assess the specific court program in his case.
Lyons remained in the Charlotte County Jail without bond, according to the source. His arraignment was scheduled for Nov. 16 at the Charlotte County Justice Center. Court records indicated that he declined a public defender; the source said it was unclear whether he had retained private counsel.
