Staff report

HAWTHORNE, Fla. – Jimmy Lee Floyd, Jr., 35, of Hawthorne, was arrested late Saturday night after allegedly threatening to kill a woman with a knife because she would not let him into a home to fight someone else.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a home in Hawthorne at about 11:20 p.m. and found a number of people in an “active argument” in the front yard. The deputy separated Floyd from the rest of the group, and 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; he said he didn’t come back with a knife but wanted to fight the tattoo artist. He reportedly admitted that he said he wanted to kill the tattoo artist, but 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 with a knife. She said Floyd tried to enter the home, but she wouldn’t let him. She said Floyd started cursing her and yelling at her.

When deputies arrived, Floyd reportedly threw the knife, and a witness picked it up and put it on a table outside the front door. The witness reportedly told the deputy that Floyd had walked up with a knife and threatened the people at the home.

The report also notes that a relative of Floyd’s called law enforcement during the investigation and said Floyd had “gone crazy” and had left her home with a knife.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a small baggie of a substance that tested positive for 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 violent) and four misdemeanor convictions (one violent). He has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2022. Judge Kristine Van Vorst set bail at $25,000.

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.