Police say Christianne Stephens, 57, was arrested Saturday after an argument over alleged cheating with her live-in boyfriend. Investigators allege she struck him in the head with a laptop, leaving him unconscious with a large cut, and then tried to keep him from leaving and delete video from his phone.
The allegations are based on arrest affidavits provided by the Clearwater Police Department, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay. The affidavits describe the dispute as an argument over accusations of cheating.
Investigators say the boyfriend was recording the incident on his phone as he tried to leave. After he regained consciousness, he saw Stephens trying to delete the videos, police say. They allege she knew he had recorded the incident and told him he could not leave until he deleted the footage.
Recording and Exit Allegations
The boyfriend told police Stephens blocked his path as he tried to leave and that he feared he would not be able to get out. The police account says Stephens later admitted hitting him with the laptop but told officers she did not mean to strike him.
Stephens told investigators she had pushed the laptop toward her boyfriend to get him to leave, the station reported. The arrest-affidavit account does not specify the full extent of any additional head injury or whether there would be permanent scarring.
Charges Stephens Now Faces
Clearwater police say Stephens faces charges of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, permanent disability or disfigurement, along with false imprisonment and tampering with a witness or victim. Under Florida law, aggravated battery covers intentionally or knowingly causing great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement, or using a deadly weapon, and the offense is classified as a second-degree felony.
Florida Data and Local Legal Resources
A Florida House of Representatives bill analysis citing FDLE data says law enforcement agencies received 106,615 domestic-violence reports and made 63,345 arrests statewide in 2020. Those figures count reports received and arrests made; they are a 2020 statewide snapshot, not current Florida or Pinellas County totals, and provide context rather than evidence about this case.
For general local information, the Sixth Judicial Circuit says a person filing a petition for a domestic-violence injunction does not need an attorney and pays no filing fee. Hope Villages of America says its advocates provide legal help at the Clearwater Courthouse and Judicial Complex, including assistance with protection-injunction petitions and support at return hearings. This is general local service information and does not indicate that anyone in this case used those services.
