Hastings man accused of pointing gun at 11-year-old boy

Stacey Ratcliff, 25, charged with assault with deadly weapon

Stacey Ratcliff, 25

HASTINGS, Fla. – A Hastings man is behind bars after an 11-year old boy told St. Johns County deputies he thought he would be abducted or killed when a man drove up and pointed a gun at him early Monday evening on Allison Avenue. 

Deputies identified the suspect as Stacey Ratcliff, 25, of Hastings. 

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According to the arrest report, Ratcliff was driving slowly in a white SUV on Allison Avenue when he  pointed a gun out the driver’s side window and toward an 11-year old boy. 

The boy told investigators he feared he was going to be abducted or killed, so he ran and jumped into a nearby ditch to protect himself. The boy later ran home and told his father what happened.

Detectives said Ratcliff later crashed his SUV near the intersection of Flagler Estates Blvd. and Guzman Avenue. While deputies were investigating the crash, they found a handgun, a fully loaded magazine and unspent bullets in the SUV according to investigators.

Deputies later spoke with Ratcliff at Flagler Hospital where he was being treated for injuries he suffered in the crash. He denied the allegations made by the 11-year old boy, but the child was able to pick Ratcliff out of a photo lineup and, according to the report, three other witnesses were able to support the boy’s statements.

Ratcliff was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and cruelty to children. He's being held on $4,000 bond in the St Johns County Jail.


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