Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Zakhia Samaria Jenkins, 20, was arrested yesterday and charged with aggravated child abuse after allegedly pushing a 17-year-old girl down a flight of stairs, reportedly causing her to lose consciousness.

A Gainesville Police Department officer responded to Forest & Village Apartments yesterday at about 3:00 p.m., where the victim, a 17-year-old girl, said she and Jenkins had been arguing over a song the victim wrote; Jenkins reportedly thought the victim was saying negative things about her in the song.

Jenkins allegedly hit the victim on the side of her face, and the victim reportedly defended herself by hitting Jenkins. Jenkins allegedly picked up the victim and threw her down a flight of concrete stairs; the victim reportedly hit her head and lost consciousness. A third person took the victim to another location to call for help and get medical attention.

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The officer reported that the victim had minor lacerations on her forehead and knee, and her toes had been taped together by EMS because she believed she had a broken toe. The officer also reported that she was able to view a video that showed Jenkins throwing the victim down the concrete stairs.

Jenkins was arrested in February 2023 and charged with unlawful possession of a concealed firearm, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia; she was released on her own recognizance and was arrested again in May 2023 and charged with unlawful possession of a concealed firearm. She entered a plea of nolo contendere to the charges in both cases in June and was sentenced to 36 months of probation, with adjudication of guilt withheld on all the charges. The plea agreement stated that the maximum sentence for the charges would be 12 years in prison.

Jenkins has a juvenile criminal history between 2016 and 2021, along with the two felonies and two misdemeanors in the plea agreement. She is being held without bond for violation of probation, and bail for the aggravated child abuse charge is set at $10,000.

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.