New arrest made in Collier County Waffle House shooting on New Year’s Day

Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
waffle house
Dion Barnes mugshot. CREDIT: LCSO

Another arrest has been made connected to a shooting at a Waffle House that seriously injured a man on New Year’s Day, in Collier County.

According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Dion Barnes, 32, was arrested Wednesday on CCSO warrants after getting found by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Warrants Bureau, with the assistance of Lee County deputies.

Barnes will return to Collier County but is waiting in the Lee County jail for the time being.

“Thanks to the persistence and diligence of our hardworking detectives, the final arrest has been made and this investigation is now closed,” Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said.

The Waffle House investigation indicates the victim and two other men attacked Barnes. Then Barnes shot the victim in the stomach. The victim’s injuries were not life-threatening.

Derrick Earl Peart, 22, was arrested on Jan. 11. It was discovered Peart got rid of the gun used in the shooting and was consequently charged with tampering with evidence. The gun used in the shooting has never been recovered.

Peart drove the gunshot victim to the hospital after disposing of the gun. However, Peart crashed into a guardrail before getting to the hospital.

Medical insurance cards and debit card paperwork belonging to other people were discovered via a search warrant for Peart’s vehicle.

Detectives noted the shooting was an isolated incident originating from an altercation that goes back a few years between Barnes and the gunshot victim.

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