EDITOR’S NOTE: When The County Record went to press at 11 a.m. Tuesday, the official report on the following case had not yet been released and events were still unfolding. This is an updated version of what appears in our Wednesday print edition.
BY KELLI PEACOCK DUNN
News Editor
A Blountstown man who allegedly threatened to kill his ex-wife and her parents, then referred to a “list” he was starting, is behind bars at the Calhoun County Jail.
Steve Mears, Jr., 38, has been charged with domestic battery and assault.
According to a report from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Dep. John Scheetz responded to a call just after 4:30 p.m. Monday regarding a physical disturbance between Mears and his ex-wife that allegedly occurred at her home. Dep. Scheetz found the woman distraught and upset with dirt on her pants. A man at the scene said he worked at Calhoun Correctional and was on his way home when he spotted the woman running down the road side. He stopped to assist and noticed Mears pulling out of the woman’s driveway.
The woman told Dep. Scheetz, “He is going to kill my family! My mom is at home by herself!” The woman’s father arrived on the scene and she reiterated, “He is going to kill someone,” adding that he threatened to “eliminate everyone on my list.”
Sheriff Glenn Kimbrel responded to the woman’s mother’s home for a welfare check, but she was not at the residence. She later pulled up at her daughter’s home and told authorities Mears was at his home with the couple’s child. The woman and her parents told authorities Mears wanted to be located so he could “commit suicide by cop.”
The woman told authorities the incident began at 2:30 a.m. when Mears phoned and told her he was outside her home and wanted to speak with her. She let him in the house and he reportedly stated he wanted to get back together. The woman told him she didn’t want to be with him anymore and asked him to leave. He reluctantly left and allegedly told her she had put him in a “very dark place” and “ruined everyone’s life.”
Approximately 20 minutes later, the woman said Mears called to say he was going to kill himself, then told her how to divide his property and the amount of life insurance he had. She reminded him he had children who loved him and he didn’t need to do that to himself, then hung up. The woman said her children were with Mears at the time and she was certain he wouldn’t harm himself while they were present.
While at work that day, the woman learned Mears phoned a man she had dated only three times, allegedly telling the man he and his ex-wife had reunited and he should not call her again. The woman said Mears called her job approximately four times that day, then noticed as she left work that she had missed several calls from him on her cell phone.
When she arrived at home after work, the woman said Mears was waiting. She phoned her father to alert him Mears was there, but told him not to worry.
The woman said Mears approached her in the driveway and they began to argue over her phone. She alleged Mears grabbed her hand and tried to take the phone. His anger reportedly escalated to the point he said he was going to “end it” for them both. The woman alleged he grabbed her by her shirt, which choked her, then dragged her down. She said Mears kept saying he had “a list” and was “going to start it.”
As Mears dragged her, the woman said she was in fear for her life and fought hard to get away from him, eventually breaking free and reaching the road where she ran into the passing motorist who stopped to help. The woman said when Mears saw people driving by, he again remarked he was going to start his “list” and she could call whoever she needed, then threw her phone in her car and fled the scene. The woman said Mears had never hit her in the past and the behavior was out of character, causing her to be concerned he would hurt someone.
Mears was located at his home on Hayes Subdivision Road by Sheriff Kimbrel and Lt. Emory Godwin. After speaking with Mears, they suggested he be mentally evaluated. Mears advised he would voluntarily go to Emerald Coast Behavioral for treatment. Dep. Bobby Sims gave him a ride to the facility.
Although it was expected that Mears would be picked up from the facility by law enforcement upon release, it didn’t happen that way. Tuesday morning, Mears walked out of that facility after being checked out. Due to the fact he was not under arrest, he was free to leave.
Meanwhile, the State Attorney’s Office was reviewing Dep. Scheetz’s report and a warrant was issued for Mears’ arrest on domestic battery and assault charges.
Mears was located at his home around 11 a.m. Roads leading into Hayes Subdivision were blocked by law enforcement officers as Sheriff Kimbrel worked to talk Mears into turning himself in and ending the matter peacefully. After an estimated half hour, Mears surrendered.
First appearance is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Mears is a former police officer and previously served as an investigator with the State Attorney’s Office.
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