Compiled by the Newsroom

NEWBERRY, Fla. – Authorities have apprehended 22-year-old Jayce Benjamin Timmons, charging him with attempted homicide following an alleged assault on a woman early this morning.

At approximately 2:16 a.m. on December 20, a deputy from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office arrived at Vanguard Apartments in Newberry in response to a distress call. Upon arrival, the officer reportedly heard a faint cry for help. Moments later, a woman emerged from one of the apartments, shouting for assistance. The deputy observed that she was covered in blood, limping, and eventually collapsed to the ground. She had significant bruising and scratches and informed the officer that she had been drifting in and out of consciousness.

Inside the apartment, the deputy encountered Timmons standing in the hallway. He reportedly had blood on his pants and shoes, though he appeared to have no visible injuries himself.

The victim recounted her ordeal, stating that Timmons had struck her the previous evening at a restaurant. She left without him, but he subsequently followed her home, using a key he had taken without her permission to enter her apartment. She further alleged that Timmons broke her car key, preventing her from using her vehicle to escape.

According to the victim, a heated argument ensued, during which Timmons allegedly began hitting and kicking her. She claimed that he expressed indifference to whether she lived or died and, at one point, threatened to kill her.

The victim said Timmons stopped hitting her when the deputy rang the doorbell and said, “Oh, look, they came to save you; now I’m going to go to prison.” The victim said she was sure that Timmons intended to kill her, and she believed he would have succeeded if the deputy had not arrived. She said she scratched Timmons so he could be identified by the skin under her nails if he killed her.

Post Miranda, Timmons reportedly said the victim was acting crazy when he arrived at the apartment. He said he didn’t know where the blood on his pants and shoes came from, and he didn’t know how the victim and apartment came to be covered in blood.

Timmons has been charged with attempted homicide (committing a felony that could lead to death), hindering a victim’s communication with law enforcement, false imprisonment, and misdemeanor property damage (for breaking the car key). His full criminal history is unavailable, but he is on pre-trial release for a hit and run crash in Hillsborough County and is facing an Alachua County charge of driving without a valid license. A sworn complaint for domestic battery was filed against him in September 2025, but the charge was later dropped. Judge Julie Johnson 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.