Zachary Thomas Latham (Lee County Sheriff's Office)
FORT MYERS, Fla. - A teen facing charges in connection with the death of a New Jersey man was arrested again in Florida after a driver told authorities he was assaulted by him.
Troopers arrested Zachary Thomas Latham, 18, Saturday evening after a driver requesting assistance in Fort Myers waved down a trooper and said someone in a Nissan Infinity confronted him and brandished a gun, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a statement. Latham, they said, also had attempted to intentionally ram the victim’s car.
Troopers found the teen in the Nissan, and discovered a BB gun that resembles an AK 47, they said. He was booked into county jail on two counts of aggravated assault and released Monday on $40,000 bond.
At his court appearance that day, Latham was ordered to have no contact with the victim, be fitted with a GPS monitor and surrender all his weapons, the News-Press reported.
While the highway patrol says Latham’s driver’s license showed a Cape Coral address, the Sheriff’s Office arrest information listed him as living in Naples.
The recent arrest adds to the charges Latham is already facing in New Jersey. In May, he was charged with several charges, including manslaughter, for the death of William Durham, Sr., one of his neighbors while he lived with his grandparents in Vineland, a city located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Philadelphia.
The New York Times reports there was ongoing tensions between Durham's family and Latham over the teen's driving.
After a confrontation between Latham, Durham and their wives on May 4, Durham’s two sons, aged 17 and 21, went to Latham’s house, prompting another confrontation on Latham's driveway, according to a statement from the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. That's when authorities say Latham stabbed Durham, a corrections officer, multiple times with a knife.
In addition to Latham, Durham’s wife, Catherine Durham, and her sons also were charged with assault and trespass in connection with the incident.
Prosecutors did not say who started the fight. Latham’s attorney, Nathan Perry, says his client acted in self-defense, NJ.com reported. But attorneys representing the Durham family claim Latham and his wife lured the family into the fight for social media fame.
Attorneys Diane M. Ruberton and Robert R. Simons said in a letter to Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae that Latham’s wife, Sarah, recorded the brawl so they could "become ‘TikTok’ famous."
Another confrontation between Latham and Catherine Durham had garnered 3 million TikTok views, the Times said.
Latham’s trial date in Florida has been scheduled for Feb. 22.