‘We’re all going to die:’ Man claims to have explosives at Rodman Dam, none found, deputies say
A man claiming to have explosives was arrested early Wednesday morning after a nearly six-hour standoff with deputies at the Rodman Dam.
Robert Charles Jeffers, 36, of Ocala, is being charged with false reporting a bomb or explosive weapon of mass destruction, committing a hoax involving a weapon of mass destruction, threatening to discharge a destructive device and resisting an officer without violence, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page.
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A 911 call came in around 9 p.m. saying a man had a bomb at the Rodman Dam. When deputies arrived, Jeffers was at the top of the dam and as deputies tried to approach, Jeffers said he would, “let go of what was in his hand and we’re all going to die.”
The Rodman Dam separates Lake Ocklawaha from the Oklawaha River.
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PCSO said deputies “saw something in Jeffers’ hand was attached to wires coming from his backpack.”
Deputies evacuated fishing piers and closed access to Rodman Road. The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad arrived to assist PCSO.
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PCSO said Jeffers would not really speak with deputies or say why he was there, but he did say he had 30 lbs of C4 in his backpack and said the bomb was made with 2g of plutonium, the arrest report said.
Jeffers said he was “going to cooperate” and “wanted to deactivate” the bomb, but he could not do so, according to the arrest report.
At one point during the standoff, Jeffers appeared to doze off and was woken up by a SJSO Bomb Squad robot. After that, he started to follow commands and put his backpack on the ground and began walking away from his backpack.
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After that, PCSO said Jeffers stopped following commands and “a decision was made to fire less lethal rounds at Jeffers to incapacitate him.”
Jeffers was struck “in the upper left portion of his back,” the arrest report said, by 40mm less lethal munition and taken into custody around 2:50 a.m.
SJSO investigated the backpack “and determined there were no explosives,” PCSO said. Explosive detection K9s investigated the area surrounding the dam “and nothing was found.”
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PCSO said due to being struck by the less lethal round, Jeffers was taken to HCA Florida Putnam Hospital for medical clearance and then transported to the Putnam County Jail. When Jeffers arrived at the jail, PCSO said mental health protocols were initiated to evaluate and begin services.
Jeffers was out on bond from a November 2022 Marion County case, where he had threatened and allegedly attempted to blow up a family member’s residence with propane and for striking the family member.
Jeffers is being held without bond.
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