Staff Report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Maurice Lee Jackson, aged 67, found himself in custody last night, facing charges of domestic aggravated battery after allegedly striking a woman with a stick, resulting in injuries that necessitated hospital treatment.
Around 9:45 p.m. on January 31, officers from the Gainesville Police Department responded to an emergency call from a witness who reported witnessing a man assaulting a woman in the vicinity of the 200 block on NE Waldo Road. Upon their arrival, the officers located both Jackson and the victim at the scene, and the witness confirmed their identities as those involved in the incident.
According to the victim, an argument erupted between her and Jackson. As she attempted to leave, Jackson allegedly pushed her to the ground, preventing her escape. The victim recounted that he began punching her and subsequently struck her with a wooden stick until the police intervened. Officers noted that the victim sustained significant injuries, including a severely hurt arm that impaired her movement and actively bleeding lips, prompting her transportation to a hospital for treatment.
Following a Miranda warning, Jackson initially denied any physical altercation, claiming the argument stemmed from his suspicion that the victim was buying drugs. Later, Jackson reportedly altered his account, admitting that he had stopped the victim from leaving and had grabbed her wrist.
When questioned about the victim’s lip injury, Jackson denied hitting her but later conceded that he might have inadvertently head-butted her. He claimed the victim had the stick and that he merely took it from her and discarded it without using it as a weapon. However, surveillance footage contradicted his account, showing Jackson standing over the victim, raising a stick, and “violently” striking her multiple times while she was on the ground.
The officer noted that there were multiple fresh-cut sticks in the area that were about an inch in diameter and about two feet long, and due to the size of the sticks, Jackson could have caused great bodily harm or death to the victim if he had continued hitting her with the stick.
When an officer showed Jackson the surveillance video, he reportedly changed his story again and admitted to hitting the victim with the stick, but he said it was accidental; he reportedly admitted that he lost control during the incident.
A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a glass pipe, and post Miranda, Jackson reportedly said it was used to smoke crack, but he took it from the victim.
Jackson has been charged with domestic aggravated battery causing bodily harm, false imprisonment, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He has five felony convictions (two violent) and 10 misdemeanor convictions (three violent) and has served three state prison sentences, with his most recent release in 2017. Judge Gloria Walker 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.
