Perkins Sentenced to 10 Years for Attack on Atlantic Beach Officer

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that Jaden Perkins has pleaded guilty to Attempted Second-
Degree Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer and Resisting an Officer with Violence. Per the plea agreement, the Honorable London Kite sentenced Perkins to 10 years in Florida State Prison followed by 10 years of probation during a July 7, 2022, hearing. The victim, Atlantic Beach Police Department Officer Tim Stafford, is in agreement with the disposition.

On the morning of July 16, 2020, the Atlantic Beach Police Department was called to a local restaurant about a suspicious person acting erratically outside of the establishment. When Stafford arrived, Perkins attacked him, punched him, threw him to the ground, and stomped on his head rendering Stafford unconscious. Perkins continued the assault until a second Atlantic Beach officer arrived and intervened. Perkins ignored the second officer’s commands to stop and charged that officer, attempting to take his firearm. The second officer fired once at Perkins, striking and incapacitating him. Stafford was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. The post-arrest investigation discovered Perkins had taken hallucinogenic drugs prior to the attack.

The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Christina Stifler.