Two Florida Men Charged After Weapons Clash in Publix Parking Lot Over Romantic Dispute

Authorities in Panama City have filed aggravated battery charges against two men following a violent August 4 encounter in a Publix supermarket parking lot. Everette Krichbaum, 52, and James Gay, 35, became embroiled in a physical altercation that police determined stemmed from a dispute over a romantic relationship. Detectives identified Gay as the primary aggressor in the incident.

According to an arrest affidavit, Krichbaum was inside his vehicle when Gay initiated a verbal confrontation. Gay then retrieved a machete from his car and struck Krichbaum in the face with the sheathed blade. During the ensuing struggle, Krichbaum wielded a hatchet against Gay.

When police responded, they discovered Gay suffering a deep laceration on his pinky finger that exposed bone, along with a puncture wound to his lower abdomen. Krichbaum sustained multiple cuts to his hands and face and reported losing consciousness after being hit in the head with the machete. Both men required ambulance transport to a hospital.

Gay was arrested on August 4 and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Court records reveal Gay’s prior criminal history includes a 2011 conviction for aggravated battery in connection with a 16-year-old boy’s death near Panama City, for which he served a 15-year sentence beginning in 2012 before his release in June 2024. Krichbaum was arrested August 5 by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service following his hospital discharge, facing charges of aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.

As of August 7, both men remained detained at the Bay County Jail. Gay is representing himself in the matter, while Krichbaum’s legal representation status remained unclear.