Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 23-year-old man was arrested Thursday after police said he struck his ex-girlfriend with a metal pole inside a tent behind GRACE Marketplace.
According to a Gainesville Police Department report, the woman told an officer she was in a tent behind GRACE Marketplace, located at 3055 NE 28th Drive, with another person at about 6:10 p.m. on July 15 when her ex-boyfriend, Montray Ja’tawan Debose, arrived. The victim said Debose ordered the other person to leave, then allegedly threatened to “beat” her and warned that she would be “f***ed up by morning.” She reported feeling something strike her lower body through the tent and then saw Debose holding a metal pole about three feet long. Debose was no longer at the scene when police arrived, but officers arrested him Thursday morning near NE Waldo Road and NE 39th Avenue.
The responding officer wrote that although the pole did not cause serious injury in this incident, it had the potential to inflict significant harm if used with greater force or if it struck another part of the body.
Debose has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Court records show Debose has no criminal convictions. However, a pre-trial diversion agreement in a previous case was revoked in February 2026 after he failed to meet its conditions. After he missed an April hearing in that case, a warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was also booked on that warrant Thursday. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $45,000 on the new charge and $1,000 for failure to appear at a 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.
