Teen With Homicide Charge in Vineland Arrested for Assault in FL.

A teen facing manslaughter charges in the death of a Vineland man in 2020 was arrested for aggravated assault in Florida Saturday while free awaiting trial in the Vineland case.

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The Florida Highway Patrol say Zachary Thomas Latham, 18, was arrested after the a motorist waved down a trooper in Fort Myers saying he was a victim of an assault. The motorist claimed another driver confronted him and brandished a firearm at him on the highway.

According to the Fort Myers News-Press, when troopers pulled over Latham's Nissan Infinity last Saturday, they found a black, airsoft BB gun that resembles to an AK-47. Latham was also charged with a second count of aggravated assault for attempting to intentionally ram the victim’s vehicle.

Back on May, 2020, we reported about Latham's troubles while staying with his grandparents in Vineland. Latham got in to an argument with a neighboring family, which led to an altercation with William T. Durham, Sr., 51, of Thornhill Road.

An argument on May 4, 2020 apparently began in front of the Durham home involving Latham, his wife, and Durham and his wife, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. Latham then left the scene and drove to his grandparents' home nearby.

The investigation revealed that Durham Sr. and his two sons, a juvenile, age 17 and William T. Durham Jr., age 21, then went to Latham’s residence where Latham had armed himself with a knife and taser.

During a second altercation in Latham’s driveway and carrying over into the garage of the home, Durham Sr. was stabbed several times and died.

Durham had worked as a senior correctional police officer at South Woods State Prison. “He died defending his family,” Michael Gallagher, N.J. Policemen’s Benevolent Association Local 105 vice president said of Durham. “He’s a hero for doing that.”

NJ.com reported at the time that a family friend of the Durhams said trouble began when the victim’s wife, Catherine T. Durham, told Latham to slow down when he allegedly sped down their street several weeks before.. Latham cursed her out, then began harassing the family online.

According to the Durham family attorneys, Latham was obsessed with social media fame and had previously filmed and posted a number of exchanges with the family to TikTok. NJ.com reported that one of the TikTok videos had reached around 3 million views.

The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office has appealed the trial court decision to release Latham. State Public Defender Nathan Perry represents Latham, whose case will center on whether he legally defended himself against an attacker.

Latham, 18, was released from the Lee County, Fl. Jail Monday on $40,000 bond and will be arraigned Feb. 22.

At his first appearance Monday he was ordered to have no contact with the victim, surrender all weapons and firearms and be fitted with a GPS monitor.

Source: Fort Myers News-Press/NJ.com