Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Leonard Lee Jones, 36, was arrested last night and charged with hitting another man with a hatchet.

At around 8:41 p.m. on July 10, Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to the 800 block of SW 63rd Street (SWAG area), after reports surfaced that Jones had “sliced” a victim with an axe. Officials noted that the victim had injuries that appeared to be consistent with cuts from a sharp object. The victim, personally acquainted with the suspect, identified him by name and described the hatchet as having a brown wooden handle and a silver blade.

Deputies visited Jones’s residence, where they interviewed another person living there. This individual stated that Jones owns a hatchet with a brown handle and silver blade, which he stores in a closet and brings to work daily; however, it was no longer in the closet.

After being read his Miranda rights, Jones reportedly claimed he had never owned or possessed a hatchet. When questioned about the witness’s statement, Jones allegedly responded, “Did you find a hatchet, though?”

While on a separate call after the incident, deputies gained access to surveillance video from the building where the victim was attacked, and the video reportedly showed a black male matching Jones’s description, wearing the same clothing Jones was wearing at the time of his arrest, holding a hatchet with a brown handle and a silver blade and swinging the hatchet at the victim, hitting him in the back.

Jones has been charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm. Jones has five felony convictions (two violent) and three misdemeanor convictions (none violent); he has served four state prison sentences and was most recently released in 2020. Court records show a pending charge for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but the documents have not yet been uploaded. Judge Denise Ferrero ordered him held without bail 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.