JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville firefighter faces a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from accusations that he started a fight on a school campus that sent another man to the hospital.
Jason Angeles Jimenez, 48, was arrested in Clay County Friday morning after a witness told investigators Jimenez was involved in an argument in the school's lobby that escalated into violence.
Many of the details contained within Jimenez's arrest report are confidential because the fight appears to have been domestic in nature, but deputies felt they had probable cause to take him into custody.
Jimenez, who works as an engineer, paramedic and technician for the Jacksonville Fire & Rescue Department, has been placed on administrative leave in the wake of his arrest, a spokesperson said.
According to the arrest report, Jimenez went to meet another man at an unnamed school before 8 a.m. Friday morning. At some point, an argument broke out and that led to a scuffle outside.
While the report does not detail exactly what is alleged to have taken place, it does state that Jimenez had a red mark on his forehead that was "consistent with head-butting the victim."
The man who told investigators he was attacked had "redness on the upper back area that would be consistent with getting pushed into the glass doors," the report said. He was taken to an area hospital.
Clay County court records show a judge has ordered Jimenez not to have any contact with the other man involved in the case.
Defense attorney Randy Reep, who has no ties to the case, reviewed the report at the I-TEAM's request. He said battery is common, but it's not often you see adults fighting at a school.
"A battery is a very simple charge to prove," said Reep. "It is unwanted touching. It's that simple."
A search of local court records found that Jimenez was arrested in 2005 on a domestic battery charge. Those records show he ended up avoiding conviction and serving probation instead.