Man takes dare, confronts family with knife

A 17-year-old Moreland man was arrested on multiple charges Jan. 2 after taking a dare to harass someone in the Towne Center parking lot on South Glynn Street in Fayetteville. The arrest came after he approached a family in an aggressive manner with a knife, police said.

Ricky Johayden Okelley was charged with three counts of simple assault, cruelty to children, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of alcohol by a minor, according to Fayetteville police spokesperson Steve Crawshaw.

Crawshaw said officers were called to the scene by a family who said a man in a hooded camouflage jacket had approached them aggressively with a knife. The family entered their vehicle and called police as they pulled away, Crawshaw said.

He pulled the knife and tried to intimidate the husband, his wife and their two children, walking toward them with the knife out, Crawshaw said.

Police arrived and, based on the description of the man and the vehicle he was in, located Okelley and a friend, said Crawshaw. Officers when confronting the two were told Okelley’s actions were the result of a dare made by his friend. The friend was not charged.

Okelley was arrested after a search of his backpack revealed the knife and a beer, Crawshaw said.