JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The man arrested the day before his girlfriend was reported missing appeared before a judge Monday morning in a case unrelated to her disappearance
The court appearance comes on the same day News4Jax learned new details about the arrest of Jerry Randall Salis III by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after the disappearance of his girlfriend, 47-year-old Katherine Galero, who is known by her family as Melissa Bodden. The Nassau County Sherrif’s Office said she was reported missing Dec. 25 after she was last seen Dec. 23 in Northwest Jacksonville. Bodden’s family members said she was last known to be with her Salis before she disappeared.
Salis, was booked into Duval County Jail on Dec. 24 on multiple charges -- including car theft, grand theft and drug possession -- unrelated to her disappearance.
According to the Dec. 24 arrest report, Salis stole a car and then a truck from A1 Septic, where News4Jax was told he worked two years ago. While at A1 Septic, JSO looked at surveillance video. The video shows a man walking towards a barn. First, he tries to open the door to a truck and then he makes his way into the barn, where he hops on a utility vehicle and drives away. An employee told officers the man on the video was Salis, the arrest report said.
Police said they were on their way to his home on Sycamore Street when he ran into the woods, ditching a pink handgun that he had gotten when he stole the car. He was eventually captured by bounty hunters on a warrant in connection with a stabbing in October. Police said a bail bondsman apprehended Salis more than three miles away in the woods near Sycamore Street.
The court appearance Monday was for the stabbing case. He was out on bond on that case at the time of the two motor vehicle thefts.
The stabbing victim, who spoke to News4Jax on Monday, said he’s relieved Salis is back in jail. He said Salis was his roommate when Salis woke him up yelled at him and stabbed his hand.
“He just slashed me real fast, and just swung his hand out and the switchblade opened up and he sliced the palm of my hand and that’s where the blade when into. It took 11 stitches to fix it all up,” Frank Hill said. “I don’t know why he did that. I never took anything from him. I never said anything about him. It was kind of strange the way it happened.”
He claimed Salis held him hostage for 30 minutes before he could call police and go to an emergency room.
“I hope he gets a nice long sentence for that," Hill said.
Authorities have not said whether Salis is a person of interest in Bodden’s disappearance. His recent arrests are also not connected to her disappearance.
After both the stabbing and the grand theft arrests, records show, Salis told investigators that he was high on meth.
As of Monday night, Bodden was still missing. If you have any information that could aid in the location of her or have a means of contacting her, please call Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Detective Maldonado at 904-548-4073. You can also leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers online at www.fccrimestoppers.com.