Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – 22-year-old Jabar Darnel Colley was apprehended yesterday in connection to two incidents of domestic battery. On July 20, he allegedly struck the victim and injured her hand by slamming a door on it. A separate altercation on July 25 allegedly involved him choking the victim and brandishing a hammer menacingly.
In the first altercation on July 20, the victim recounted to a Gainesville Police Department officer that an argument with Colley escalated after she asked him to vacate her home, but he declined. During the confrontation, he is said to have initially clenched his fist but ultimately slapped her leg. As tensions rose and she attempted to leave, Colley allegedly closed the apartment door on her hand before exiting the premises.
The officer observed that the victim bore a hand-shaped mark on her leg in addition to a bleeding and swollen cut on her hand.
On July 25, the situation further deteriorated when Colley allegedly gripped the victim’s throat, obstructing her ability to breathe, and forcefully pushed her to the ground. She described a struggle that ensued, during which she managed to escape from his grasp. As she fled her apartment, Colley reportedly pursued her with a hammer, instilling fear for her safety.
The officer noted that the victim had red marks around her neck, and a hammer was reportedly found on the floor inside the residence.
Post Miranda, Colley reportedly said that he and the victim fight a lot, and the fights have gotten physical. He said the victim kicked him in the knee, and the officer noted that his knee was bleeding. Colley denied choking the victim or threatening her with a hammer during this incident, but he said he might have grabbed her by the throat in previous fights.
Colley, whose address is listed as Tampa, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, domestic battery by strangulation, and domestic battery. His full criminal history is unavailable. Judge David Kreider set bail on the domestic battery charge at $25,000 and ordered him held without bail on the aggravated assault charge, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.
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.