TikTok on phone gets man arrested

SOUTH VENICE — A man who previously posted videos threatening Black Lives Matter protests and showing him loading weapons is facing probation violation charges.

Among his probation conditions is not having social media on a phone.

Quintin Nicholas Fredric Adkins, 26, 500 block of Shamrock Blvd., Venice, was arrested May 10 on a charge of violating his probation for having TikTok on his cellphone. He remained in the Sarasota County Jail on Tuesday, being held without bond.

According to Sarasota County court records, a friend of Adkins' reported him to the North Port Police in 2020 for posting "disturbing" videos on Snapchat and Instagram. The friend also reported the videos to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

The videos were private, so deputies had to ask an informant to show them the videos.

According to the original probable cause affidavit, the videos showed Adkins loading a handgun and an AK-47 while driving and pointing it at other vehicles.

Other videos show him shooting a gun into a backyard and pointing a gun at a cat.

In still other videos, Adkins talks about wanting to go to a Black Lives Matter event so he could "shoot every one of them."

The person who reported him told deputies Adkins owned seven handguns, two AR-15s and the AK-47, the affidavit says, and videos confirmed that to be an "approximate accurate list."

At the time, it says, there were "several scheduled protests and gatherings within Sarasota County."

Under all the circumstances, according to the affidavit, there was probable cause to show Adkins had violated a state law against making a threat to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism "in any manner that would allow another person to view the threat."

He was charged under that statute, and for discharging a weapon in public, and pleaded no contest in 2022.

Judge Donna Padar adjudicated him guilty and sentenced him to 11 months and 29 days in Sarasota County Jail, followed by 10 years of probation with a special condition of "no social media."

The TikTok app was discovered on his phone during a compliancy search of his residence by Department of Corrections officers, the probable cause affidavit for the May 10 arrest says.

"The offender claims he does not use the app to communicate, he only used it to watch videos and watch the news," it stated.

Adkins' arraignment is Friday.