Florida Man - Family Gatherings

Now I don't know about your family, but before I removed myself entirely from contact with any of the clan (from my mothers side .... for reasons that I won't go in to, we never ever met any of my Dads family) ....

Donnie Adams Being Treated

..... family gatherings could be fraught with simmering resentment and grudges, often long held and never resolved. So there was always a frisson of danger in the air.

Now imagine that this family gathering was in Florida, with guns a viable extra ..... well its lucky that we don't see more mass shootings. So when in 2022, 52 year old Donnie Adams attended such a family gathering in Riverview Florida, there must have been some slight misgivings. Sure enough, a fight broke out between two male relatives, and Donnie stepped in to break it up. However during the fight, he was bitten on the leg by one of the two warring relatives.

Everyone calmed down, and apart from the bite mark and skin breakage, the matter seemed closed. However a few days later Mr Adams noticed that the bite was not getting better and indeed a swelling had appeared, so he went to the hospital and got a tetanus shot and antibiotics, but a further 3 days later the condition had worsened and he couldn't walk and his leg was sore. 

So back to the HCA Florida Northside Hospital he went, where they found that the grey fluid weeping from the site of the bite, after they cut in to he swelling. They were all shocked at this sign of necrotising fasciitis (aka "flesh eating" disease) .... caused by certain types of bacteria that trigger an intense inflammation that kills the infected flesh and can result in Sepis and organ failure (it has a 1 in 5 death rate).

It took two rounds of surgery to remove the infected tissue with the loss of about 70% of the front of his thigh, and three weeks in hospital, and 6 months of after care to ensure the infection was cleared (plus a large medical bill). Now you might think that Mr Adams would be holding a grudge, but it was not clear if the infection was caused by the bite, or entered the wound afterwards. With the cause not known for sure, Mr Adams had reconciled with the feuding relatives and said that "The parties involved are very sorrowful".

Now you might think that this was the end of the story, but in July 2023 police in Riverview Florida arrested one Donnie Adams now aged 53, after they responded to a fire report at 10771 Banfield Drive, Riverview, FL, 33579, where they found a man stabbed in the upper body and severely burnt. The man was immediately taken to the Tampa General Hospital in critical condition. They then identified 53-year-old Donnie Adams as the only suspect, after he had left the scene just before emergency crews and law enforcement arrived, stating that he was going to commit suicide.  

Donnie Adams Arrested At Gun Point

He was later found in Manatee County, where after a short chase he left his car and waded in to the sea .... Body cam video showed deputies speaking with Adams for several minutes, encouraging him to come out of the water. 

Donnie Adams Ignored The Rope

A sheriff's deputy is heard saying "Donnie, look at me. You ready?" as he threw Adams a rope. "We're here to help you. Get the rope," another deputy said. But despite the rope landing next to him, they eventually had to wade in to the water to get him out. They then identified that Adams had also sustained severe burns, that appeared to be self-inflicted, and he was transported to a local hospital for treatment under custody.  

Donnie Adams Booked By Police

Mr Adams remained in custody at a local hospital, and an arrest warrant was issued for him for attempted first-degree murder and arson. Its not reported if the victim was a relative, or indeed the man who had bitten Mr Adams in the leg the year before.

......... Just another story from the madcap state of Florida.