Gainesville man charged in December 8 stabbing on Waldo Road

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Rodney Leon Warren, 39, was arrested last night and charged with aggravated battery after allegedly stabbing a friend on December 8.

Gainesville Police Department officers responded to a report of a stabbing in the 700 block of NE Waldo Road at 10:30 a.m. on December 8. The officers’ investigation found that Warren had reached out to the victim about hanging out on the day of the incident, and Warren picked up the victim and brought him to his house. Warren’s behavior abruptly changed at his house, and he became confrontational and violent.

Warren and the victim reportedly got into an argument on Warren’s porch, then Warren allegedly went into the house and came back with a kitchen knife with a black handle. The two began fighting, moving across the yard until the victim tripped and fell on his back. Warren allegedly stood over the victim and stabbed him multiple times on his arm and shoulders. The victim was trauma-alerted to the hospital.

The victim reportedly told officers that after he was stabbed, Warren took the knife back into the house, then came out and sat on his porch. A knife matching the description given by the victim was found in the kitchen sink of the house.

Post Miranda, Warren reportedly said that the victim became aggressive toward him and his family, so he went inside to get away from him. He said the victim reached through a hole in the front door to unlock the door, reached across the threshold, and grabbed him by the hair. Warren said the victim dragged him across the yard and that he grabbed “something” from the ground to defend himself. Warren reportedly described multiple tools, including a garden trowel, a screwdriver, and a gardening knife with a blue handle, in an attempt to describe the weapon he said he picked up from the ground. He reportedly denied using a kitchen knife, denied taking the weapon back inside, and suggested that the victim had taken the knife from him and discarded it somewhere outside. No weapons matching any of the tools described by Warren were found.

A witness told officers that the victim did reach into the doorway and drag Warren out of the house, but the witness said the victim is welcome in the house. Officers received reports that Warren was publicly bragging about stabbing the victim.

Warren has six felony convictions and 15 misdemeanor convictions and has served three state prison terms; he is a designated Career Offender. Judge Thomas Jaworski set bail at $250,000.

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.