PALM COAST - Wilbert Vreen, a 67 year-old resident of Rolling Sands Drive in Palm Coast's R Section, was arrested on Tuesday for stabbing his roommate multiple times, according to a release from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning at a group home.
The FCSO was called at 5:07 am by the victim, who told police that he'd been stabbed several times. He said he wasn't sure what object was used, but police later found out it had been a pair of scissors. The deputy who responded reported seeing puncture wounds in the victim's right arm, right thigh, and right ankle.
According to an employee of the group home, Vreen and the victim had gotten into a dispute over the use of a shared bathroom in the house. The police report described the victim complaining to Vreen that he was taking too long in the bathroom, before the two of them later returned to their shared bedroom. At some point soon afterward, Vreen is said to have taken the scissors and began stabbing the victim. The victim raised his walker to defend himself, and used a sock to clean the blood.
Vreen gave a different account of things: he told police that the two had their argument, and the victim had called him a racial slur. He said the victim swung his walker to instigate the physical altercation, making the stabbing was an act of self-defense.
The victim reportedly waited 30 minutes to inform a staff member of what had happened, for fear of being kicked out of the home. The victim was taken to AdventHealth Palm Coast and subsequently released after being treated for non-life-threatening wounds.
Meanwhile, Vreen was arrested without incident and taken to the county jail. He was booked on a single felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and bond was set at $25,000. As of the writing of this report he is still behind bars.
“Thankfully the victim was not seriously injured in this altercation,” said Sheriff Rick Staly in an attached statement. “It is important for everyone to control their anger so that simple arguments do not turn deadly.”
