A St. Augustine woman accused of randomly stabbing a priest was denied bail Tuesday after a shaken McDonald’s employee described an earlier attack.

Arieana Gibbs, 22, was arrested last week for allegedly stabbing Fr. Matthew Marino of Trinity Parish Church. Prosecutors argued she should remain behind bars, citing multiple victims and the random nature of the assaults.

McDonald’s Worker Recounts Terrifying Encounter

During the hearing, prosecutors called Emmy Burgos, a McDonald’s employee who said Gibbs attacked her shortly before the priest was stabbed.

Burgos testified that she was cleaning the drink station around 7 a.m. when Gibbs grabbed her arm.

“She took my left arm really strong,” Burgos told the court. “She said something to me—I don’t remember what it was—and then she took out a knife and tried to stab me in my arm.”

Terrified, Burgos ran to the kitchen and alerted her coworkers.

“I got shocked, and I started crying and shaking a lot,” she said. “I called my boyfriend to pick me up, and that was it.”

Burgos identified Gibbs in court but said she was too afraid to look at her.

“Yeah,” she said when asked if she was still scared. “I can’t even look at her right now.”

Court Denies Bail, Citing Public Threat

With her hands and feet shackled, Gibbs remained silent throughout the hearing, listening attentively.

Her defense attorney, James Hubbard, declined to cross-examine Burgos.

“At this time, my client doesn’t wish to participate in this hearing, and I don’t have any witnesses,” Hubbard said.

Prosecutor Sarah Thomas argued that Gibbs posed a serious public threat and should not be released.

“It’s a very alarming set of facts,” Thomas said. “The defendant attacked two individuals.”

Hubbard pushed for bail, noting that Gibbs had local ties, no prior felony convictions, and a record of appearing in court.

However, Judge R. Lee Smith denied the request.

“The facts of this case are particularly alarming,” he said. “These attacks were random, and there were multiple victims.”

Priest Expected to Fully Recover

Fr. Marino suffered a punctured lung in the attack but was released from the hospital Tuesday and is expected to recover fully.

Despite the violent incident, church officials have offered forgiveness to Gibbs.

“A question we get asked often is, ‘Do you forgive this woman who did this horrible thing to Father Matt?’” said Trinity Parish Assistant Rector Curt Benham. “Because we have been forgiven completely by God, the answer is ‘yes,’ we do forgive this woman.”