Man Arrested 7 Months After Threatening to Bomb Meridian Behavioral Health

Joseph Sherrill, 44, was arrested on Friday and charged for threatening to discharge a bomb inside of Meridian Behavioral Health Center, approximately seven months after he made the threat. 

On September 19, 2023, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) Deputy Lloyd Smith responded to Meridian after ACSO received a call about Sherrill making the bomb threat. An employee told ACSO that Sherrill had called in threats before, threatening to “bring a bomb and blow everyone up” and “bring an assault rifle and kill everyone.”  

Deputy Smith called Sherrill soon after, and he identified himself over the phone with the same phone number he used to call in the threats. Sherrill denied making any threats and told Smith that he was irritated with Meridian staff for what he felt was a violation of his HIPAA rights. 

Deputy Smith stated in his report that Sherrill refused to meet in person or give him any location information, stating, “All attempts to locate the defendant were unsuccessful.”

Sherrill has been given a bond of $75,000. A capias for his arrest was issued on December 29, 2023, showing a span of 101 days between Sherrill's threat and ACSO's authorization for his arrest, followed by an additional 112 days before the arrest was made.