Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Chester Lee James, 52, was arrested yesterday morning for stabbing his girlfriend after a stand-off with Gainesville Police Department officers.

Officers responded to an apartment in Southern Pines (the 4000 block of SW 17th Place) at about 10:47 p.m. on Monday, where the victim said she was sitting under a canopy tent outside the front door when her longtime boyfriend, James, came out yelling at her. She said she stood up and immediately felt a sharp pain in her stomach, grabbed at her stomach, and saw blood on her hand. She said she ran away from James toward a group of friends and saw James running back into the apartment.

An officer noted that the victim had a large, deep laceration across her stomach that was consistent with a slashing wound from a knife. She was reportedly in stable condition, but the extent of the injury was being evaluated at the time the report was written.

When officers arrived, James was believed to be inside the apartment, armed with a rifle and a handgun. Officers obtained a warrant, and James was arrested early Tuesday morning after a multi-hour stand-off.

James has been charged with aggravated domestic battery with a deadly weapon. He has 14 felony convictions (one violent) and 20 misdemeanor convictions (five violent); he has served five state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2022. Judge Kristine Van Vorst set bail at $250,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.