Christopher Fletcher {BSO}
By Ryan Yousefi
A man faces charges of aggravated battery of a pregnant and homeless woman after stabbing her after offering refuge inside his Tamarac hotel room.
On May 16, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 7-11 located at 7901 Commercial Boulevard to assist a victim that claimed to have fled a hotel room where she had been stabbed.
According to the arrest report, the altercation began after the victim accepted a man’s invitation, later identified as Christopher Fletcher, 66, of New York, to sleep in his hotel room at the InTown Suites at 8191 West Commercial Boulevard.
The victim told deputies she accepted Fletcher’s invitation due to her current living situation and that she slept that night in the same room as Fletcher without incident.
The victim alleged to law enforcement that tensions between herself, and Fletcher began and quickly escalated the following morning when a verbal argument broke out between the two over her cell phone use.
The report indicates the victim told deputies that when she refused to relinquish the phone, Fletcher retrieved a large straight-edge kitchen knife from the kitchen area of the room, approached her, raised the knife above his head, and swung it towards her chest.
The victim said she raised her right hand into a defensive position to defend herself, causing the knife to strike three fingers.
Following the attack, Fletcher allegedly returned to the kitchen, where he cleaned the knife.
The victim told deputies that while Fletcher was cleaning her blood off the knife, she managed to flee the hotel room and seek refuge at the 7-11 law enforcement eventually responded to. There, store employees helped her call 911 to report the incident and receive medical care.
The arrest report claims Fletcher continued his pursuit of the victim even after the stabbing, following her to the gas station and waiting outside until law enforcement officers arrived and apprehended him.
With Fletcher in custody, medical personnel turned their attention to the victim, who was transported to HCA Woodmont Hospital, where she later received medical attention for her injuries, including stitches that were required for multiple finger lacerations.
During an interview at the hospital, the victim told deputies she was 16 weeks pregnant at the time of the assault and that Fletcher was aware of the fact.
Fletcher was arrested and transported to the Broward County Main Jail.
Got News? Send it to Tamarac Talk. Don’t miss reading Margate Talk, Coral Springs Talk, Coconut Creek Talk, and Parkland Talk.