Florida man stalked terrified Publix customers while armed with knife, sheriff's office says

A Florida man is facing several charges after he was accused of terrifying customers inside a Publix while armed with a knife, according to deputies.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said John Paul Roberts, 50, of Umatilla, Florida, which is northwest of Orlando, was arrested Wednesday in the Florida Keys after the incident that prompted fear from those inside the store.

The sheriff's office said that they were called to a Publix in Marathon around 7 p.m. after several people said Roberts would make eye contact with customers and them follow them around the store or out to their vehicles for no apparent reason.

Roberts, according to the sheriff's office, was armed with a knife that was sheathed.

One customer said they ran from the store, and Roberts continued to follow them. Another customer said Roberts was also seen kicking and swatting chickens outside the store.

According to deputies, Roberts failed to identify himself when they arrived. They checked security camera footage, which corroborated the victims' statements, and Roberts was arrested and taken to jail.

He was charged with stalking, disturbing the peace and obstruction for failure to identify himself to law enforcement.

No injuries were reported.