The James Hodges lawsuit — filed by a legally blind Navy veteran after Columbia County, Florida deputies arrested him when they mistook his folding navigational cane for a pistol — was settled out of court around January 2025. Hodges sued the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Lake City, and Columbia County. The financial terms were not publicly disclosed.1InvestigateTV. Blind Justice: People With Disabilities Mistaken for Non-Compliant Suspects
The Arrest That Led to the Suit
On the morning of October 31, 2022, Hodges, then 61, was walking home from the Columbia County courthouse after learning his jury duty had been canceled. At the intersection of Marion Avenue and East Duval Street, Deputy Jayme Gohde stopped him because she believed an object in his back pocket was a silver pistol.2NBC News. Legally Blind Florida Man Arrested After Cane Confused for Gun It was a red and white folding cane. About 30 seconds into the stop, captured on body camera, Hodges pulled the cane out to show her.3CBS4. Report Says Columbia County Sergeant Gave Illegal Order to Arrest Legally Blind Man
The deputies kept him there anyway. When Hodges refused to give his name and date of birth, arguing they had no reasonable suspicion, the exchange escalated. Sergeant Randy Harrison arrived, and when Hodges asked for names and badge numbers, Harrison ordered: “Put him in jail for resisting.”2NBC News. Legally Blind Florida Man Arrested After Cane Confused for Gun Hodges was handcuffed, searched, and charged with resisting an officer without violence. He spent 26 hours in jail.4Atlanta News First. Blind Justice: Disabled People Mistaken for Non-Compliant Suspects
The Sheriff’s Office Found the Arrest Unlawful
Before any suit was filed, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office opened an administrative investigation on November 3, 2022.5Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Statement Regarding Arrest of James Hodges By November 7, its internal affairs report concluded that Hodges had been arrested with “insufficient probable cause” and that Harrison had given an “unlawful order to make an arrest after probable cause did not exist.”3CBS4. Report Says Columbia County Sergeant Gave Illegal Order to Arrest Legally Blind Man
Harrison was demoted immediately, suspended without pay for seven days, and barred from applying for advancement or raises for two years.6WCJB. Columbia County Sheriff Apologizes to Blind Veteran After Arrest, Suspends Deputies Gohde was suspended without pay for two days.7CBS News. James Hodges Blind Arrested After Columbia County Officers Mistake Cane for Gun Both were ordered to complete remedial civil rights training.2NBC News. Legally Blind Florida Man Arrested After Cane Confused for Gun Sheriff Mark Hunter publicly apologized to Hodges and said the deputies had acted out of “frustration and failure to rely on their training,” not ill intent, but called the conduct “unacceptable.”
The Lawsuit
Hodges, represented by attorney John Phillips, sued the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Lake City, and Columbia County. Phillips framed the case as an abuse of power, telling reporters, “You see a self-proclaimed tyrant throwing a man in jail over ego tripping and power abusing.” He also called publicly for a federal investigation into the sheriff’s office and argued the officers were “poorly trained.”8News4Jax. Legally Blind Lake City Man Sues for Wrongful Arrest by Columbia County Deputy and Sergeant
The Settlement
The case was resolved out of court, with the settlement coming around January 2025.1InvestigateTV. Blind Justice: People With Disabilities Mistaken for Non-Compliant Suspects The financial terms have not been publicly disclosed. Because the case settled, there was no court ruling on liability; the sheriff’s office’s own internal finding that the arrest lacked probable cause remains the clearest official conclusion about what happened.
What Happened to Sheriff Hunter
The settlement coincided with Mark Hunter’s departure from office. Hunter lost his bid for reelection in the August 2024 Florida Republican primary to Wallace Kitchings, a retired former chief deputy of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, by 53% to 47%.9WCJB. Columbia County Residents Vote for Sheriff in Florida Primary Election He left office in January 2025. Available reporting does not identify the Hodges arrest as a specific campaign issue, though it was one of the most prominent controversies of Hunter’s tenure.