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Man recants story about stabbing
By CARRIE JOHNSON INVERNESS -- A Homosassa man who said he was stabbed by two hitchhikers he picked up on State Road 44 has been arrested and accused of making a false report. Cecil James Arnold, 39, was flown to Tampa General Hospital to be treated for a slash to his neck, a stab wound to the stomach and cuts on his face Oct. 24. Arnold told Citrus County sheriff's deputies that his assailants were two white men, each about 6 feet tall. He said one attacker had brown dreadlocks and wore a camouflage jacket; the other had a blue knit cap. Two detectives began investigating. "At the time, this appeared to be a very serious crime," said Ronda Hemminger Evan, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office. But each time the detectives interviewed Arnold, his story changed, Evan said. Arnold was asked to take a computerized voice-stress analysis test, a tool used by law officers to judge truthfulness. The day before the test, Arnold told deputies he had stabbed himself and then made up the entire story, Evan said. "He was given an opportunity at the beginning of every interview to tell the truth," she said. "Every time, he insisted on lying." The State Attorney's Office decided to prosecute. Arnold was arrested and taken to the Citrus County jail Tuesday afternoon; he later was released after posting $500 bail. Evan said the Sheriff's Office will seek restitution from Arnold to compensate for the hours of labor lost chasing false leads. Arnold has a history of mysterious stab wounds: In August 1997, he was slashed multiple times in the stomach, chest and arms. When deputies were dispatched to the scene, Arnold refused to answer their questions and would not describe his attackers, records showed. Deputies ended up holding him under the state's Baker Act for psychological evaluation.
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