Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 41-year-old woman, identified as Vanette Renee Anderson, has been arrested after police said new video evidence showed she stabbed a woman at Campus Walk Apartments, located at 914 SW 8th Avenue, and then falsely implicated Sierra Reynolds in the attack.
Reynolds had been arrested June 30 on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after a woman was stabbed and needed 11 stitches for her injuries.
According to the Gainesville Police Department, Reynolds initially told an officer she could not remember much about the incident, other than that she had been headed to a friend’s home before seeing blood everywhere. Investigators said she later gave a different account, telling police she had consumed an entire bottle of vodka that night and kept the empty bottle with her for protection.
Reynolds reportedly said she broke the vodka bottle while the victim and Anderson were arguing, then swung the broken bottle several times in an effort to draw attention and break up the dispute. She told police someone took the broken bottle neck from her hand, but she could not identify who it was.
When asked whether she struck the victim with the broken glass, Reynolds allegedly said she did not remember hitting anyone and may have “blacked out.” She maintained that she had not meant to injure anyone and was only trying to stop the confrontation.
Reynolds remained in the Alachua County Jail until the charges against her were dropped yesterday.
The case shifted on July 17, when the victim contacted the GPD officer handling the investigation and said she had obtained video showing Anderson stabbing her with the broken neck of a glass liquor bottle. The officer reported that the footage showed Anderson holding a shard of glass and swinging downward at the victim, striking her in the upper torso. The victim then pushed Anderson to the ground, causing her to drop the broken bottle neck, before the two continued fighting for several more seconds.
The officer noted that on the night of the incident, Anderson gave him a false statement when she said her friend Sierra Reynolds had stabbed the victim.
Post Miranda, Anderson reportedly said she did not remember stabbing anyone with a bottle, but she later changed her story and said she intended to go to the State Attorney’s office to speak with someone about having Reynolds released; she said she had been a bad friend by allowing Reynolds to be arrested for a crime she did not commit.
Anderson has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and providing a false statement during a felony investigation. Her full criminal history is unavailable, but as of October 2023, she had four felony convictions (four violent) and six misdemeanor convictions (two violent); she has served one state prison sentence and was released in 2005. Five battery cases against her have been dropped since 2007. Judge Phillip Pena ordered her held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold her 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.
