ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A St. Augustine pastor was in the hospital recovering Wednesday after what police describe as an apparent random stabbing. A suspect has been taken into custody.
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It started as a normal morning for Theo Glory, owner of Coffee House Realty Cafe on the corner of San Marco and Rhode Avenues in St. Augustine.
“We were having coffee with my friends who are over here every morning with my regulars and we were talking about all different kinds of stuff,” said Glory.
But the tone of the morning took a dramatic turn as Glory followed one of his customers out to the front porch of his business.
“The pastor was laying on the floor and there were a couple of people around. People on the phone immediately. We had initially thought that maybe he had a heart attack or something,” said Glory.
But it wasn’t a heart attack, rather, a stabbing.
“I tell you, within three, four, five minutes this street was packed with ambulances and police officers,” said Glory.
The man lying on the ground was Father Matt Marino, the Lead Pastor of Trinity Parrish, which is one of the oldest churches in St. Augustine.
“Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the skilled paramedics and law enforcement officers who cared for Fr. Matt, and for the doctors and nurses who are currently caring for him,” said officials with Trinity Parish in an emailed statement. “Please keep Fr. Matt, his family, and the entire Trinity St. Augustine community in your prayers.”
Witnesses told Action News Jax Father Marino was sitting in front of the Juniper Market in his formal pastor attire, when the suspect rode past him on a bike, turned around and stabbed him with a knife.
“Everybody was shocked and of course, the first thing you wonder is, well why would somebody do something like that, you know?” said Glory.
St. Augustine Police immediately put out a post on social media with images of the suspect, who they brought into custody within a matter of two hours.
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According to police, the suspect is 22-year-old Arieana Gibbs.
She’s being held in the St. Johns County Jail without bond.
Court records show the suspect was arrested back in August of this year and charged with simple battery.
She was convicted on that charge in early September and sentenced to 28 days in jail, but was released the same day for time served.
Jail logs show Gibbs was also arrested for battery last year, but we couldn’t find court records related to that case.
St. Augustine Police Department Public Information Officer Dee Brown told Action News Jax it’s still an open question as to what motivated the attack.
“The whole community is hurt right now. A senseless act and we just want to continue to keep the clergy and the members of the church in your prayers,” said Brown.
He added Father Marino was in stable condition as of noon, recovering in a local hospital.
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