Masked man accused of cutting dancer’s hair at Key West club

Jeffrey Marshall Carroll, 44, of Columbia, Tennessee, was arrested after police say he returned to VIP Gentlemen’s Club at 1221 Duval St. around 10:10 p.m. Tuesday wearing a hockey-style mask, then grabbed a dancer by the hair and cut off a lock with scissors.

Police say Carroll had already been inside the club earlier that evening. He arrived about 6:20 p.m. for a dance session, told one dancer he did not want her services, then had a session with another dancer before leaving about 6:45 p.m. When he came back later, he was shirtless and wearing gray shorts and an orange hat, in addition to the mask, according to police accounts.

The confrontation escalated after a woman on the club’s porch tried to get inside. Police say Carroll blocked her path, and the victim opened the door to let her colleague in before the attack turned physical. Surveillance video reportedly showed Carroll grabbing the victim by the hair, pulling scissors from his back pocket and cutting her hair before fleeing. The victim told police Carroll had earlier said, “I’m gonna take your life.”

Officers later found Carroll a few blocks away near Louisa and Simonton streets. Police said he refused to speak with them. They also reported recovering black scissors and an amphetamine pill, and said Carroll appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs. He was booked into the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Key West jail facility with no bond listed.

Carroll was arrested on felony charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony and possession of a controlled substance. MCSO records listed an April 23 arraignment date.

Beyond the headline-grabbing costume and assault, the case landed squarely in the middle of Duval Street, the mile-long corridor that anchors Key West’s party scene and draws millions of visitors. The street also sits inside the city’s historic-district framework, where nightlife, tourism and late-night policing overlap on blocks lined with clubs, bars and service workers who often leave after the crowds thin out.

The Key West Police Department describes itself as the southernmost police department in the continental United States, while the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement across the Florida Keys, a 112-mile chain of islands. In a corridor as busy and visible as Duval Street, the Carroll arrest is a reminder of how quickly a late-night disturbance can become a felony case when security staff, cameras and police have to respond in real time.