Hawthorne Man Jailed After Threatening Woman with Knife

HAWTHORNE ‒ On Saturday, May 11, at approximately 11:20 p.m., a potentially life-threatening situation unfolded in Hawthorne, as a man was arrested for reportedly threatening a woman's life with a knife. The incident, which occurred in the front yard of a residence, led to the arrest of Jimmy Lee Floyd, Jr.

According to reports from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call regarding a domestic dispute. Upon arrival, deputies found Floyd and the woman engaged in a heated argument. The deputy was able to separate the parties and detained Floyd.

Floyd reportedly said he had been at a tattoo party earlier in the day, and the tattoo artist and another man jumped him in the front yard and stole $40 from him. He said he left but came back later to confront the tattoo artist. Floyd further said he didn’t come back with a knife but wanted to fight the tattoo artist. He reportedly admitted that he said “he would kill the tattoo artist, but said he said it out of emotion.”

The victim said that Floyd and the tattoo artist had gotten into a fight earlier in the day, and Floyd left but came back five or six hours later armed with a knife. She said Floyd tried to enter the home, but she said she would not allow it. She said Floyd got in the victim’s face and started cursing and threatening her.

As law enforcement walked up, Floyd threw the knife, which was picked up by the witness and placed on a table outside the front door. The victim wanted to pursue charges due to being threatened with the knife and being fearful that the defendant would carry out the act. The victim started to write a sworn complained but stated that she would fill the sworn complaint out a later time.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a small baggie of a substance that tested positive for Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV).

Floyd has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of synthetic narcotics with intent to sell.

Floyd has seven felony convictions, four of which were violent, and four misdemeanor convictions, one of which was violent. He has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2022.

Bail was set at $25,000 by Judge Kristine Van Vorst.

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