Apperson bonds out of jail, has no comment

Apperson has first appearance, bond set at $35,000

LAKE MARY, Fla. – Matthew Apperson was arrested Friday after shooting a gun into an SUV driven by George Zimmerman on Monday.

[RELATED: Attorneys in Zimmerman case speak | Cops: Zimmerman, shooter have history]

Lake Mary police told Local 6 Apperson turned himself in and was being booked Friday evening at the Seminole County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and firing into a moving car.

Apperson had his first appearance on Saturday and was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery and firing a missile into a vehicle. His bond was set at $35,000. He must turn in all weapons to Seminole County Sheriff's office, and have no contact with Zimmerman.

Judge Rudsill said that there is no GPS monitoring required because George Zimmerman does not want anyone to know his whereabouts. "I don't care if you have been shopping at Publix for two hours, and have a full cart of groceries or whatever, if you see Mr Zimmerman walking through the door, you are the one who has to leave," Rudsill said.

Apperson bonded out of the Seminole County Jail in Sanford around 2:35 p.m. He had no comment for the press.

His arraignment will be June 23 with Judge Debra Nelson, the same judge that presided over the Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin  trial. 

Zimmerman wasn't hit by the bullet, but he was hit by glass and shrapnel. He was checked out at a hospital, but is expected to be OK.

Police said it appears that Apperson has a fixation on Zimmerman.

Apperson's mother and his wife both emerged from the Lake Mary Police Department Friday after answering investigators' questions about the shooting.

Apperson said he shot at Zimmerman's SUV out of a fear for his life after Zimmerman waived a gun at him.

Zimmerman denies the claims, and he wants to press charges against Apperson.

Apperson's mother, Janet White, wouldn't tell Local 6 what investigators asked her about.

Her attorney, Lyle Mazin, told Local 6 she is very frightened.

"Her feeling is the feeling of any other mother that would be in the situation," Mazin said. "She's petrified. No one wants their son to be in a situation like this."

About an hour after his mother left the police department, Local 6 watched as Apperson's wife, Liza, left with her attorney.

Her attorney, Whitney Boan, said they worked to show Apperson was a nice man.

"This has given them an opportunity to see that he's a nice man," she said. "He's got a family and a wife who support him. And that's what I feel we've accomplished today."

Apperson's attorney, Mark NeJame, told Local 6 he's still not sure Apperson will make a statement in the investigation, even though Zimmerman made one on Wednesday.

His wife's attorney said she hopes everything will stop right here.

"Obviously, this is a really tense situation for everybody, but the family is cooperating, and we're hoping that justice will be served in terms of -- that he will not be charged. That's our hope," she said.

Apperson's lawyer released a statement Friday evening, reading in part:

"We expected this as Mr. Apperson, under the advice of counsel and exercising his Constitutional right did not provide additional statements to law enforcement. He had already made statements and this is deemed sufficient, as of now. Mr. Zimmerman apparently did make statements and as such, it appears a decision was made to arrest on the basis of Mr. Zimmerman's statements. That is neither unusual nor was it unexpected.

"The case will proceed through the criminal justice system appropriately and ultimately a determination will be made as what truly happened. Mr. Apperson will continue not to comment until such time as it may be deemed appropriate."

Watch Local 6 News and stay with ClickOrlando.com for updates on this developing story.


About the Authors:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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