Man charged with assault in box cutter attack
A Cape Coral man had his neck sliced with a box cutter in an apparent attack by his boyfriend.
James Edward Cannon, 29, was arrested and charged Monday with aggravated battery person uses a deadly weapon in connection to an incident with Jeffrey Linn Patterson, 53, of 1147 S.W. 47th Terrace.
At about 6:04 p.m., a Fort Myers police officer crashed into the driver’s side of a Toyota Corolla at Cleveland Avenue and Victoria Avenue. The Toyota had run the red light, according to a police report. Failing to stop for the crash, the vehicle continued south along Cleveland to Lee Memorial Hospital.
The officer pursued the fleeing Toyota, catching up with it in the emergency room parking lot. The driver, Patterson, exited the vehicle bleeding profusely from his neck area. He was taken into the ER.
An initial investigation determined that Patterson and his boyfriend, Cannon, were driving on First Street in Fort Myers when a verbal argument ensued. While stopped at First and Park Street, Cannon reportedly removed a box cutter and sliced Patterson across the throat. Cannon fled the site on foot.
Patterson immediately drove himself to the hospital, hitting the police vehicle in the process.
Patterson reportedly provided preliminary information prior to undergoing surgery.
According to police, officers located witnesses who advised that Cannon had jumped into the Caloosahatchee River and was on one of the Edison Bridge’s support beams. Following an extensive search, Cannon was found hiding in the water on the east side of the Calusa Harbor Retirement Center.
He was taken into custody and transported to the Lee County Jail for booking.
Cannon was being held Tuesday without bond; he has a warrant out of Broward County.
The men lived together until a roommate threw out Cannon for being a “disruptive presence,” the report states. The roommate told police that he heard Cannon threaten to kill Patterson several times while living in the home, and that Cannon called soon after the attack to ask if Patterson was OK.
Patterson reportedly believes that Cannon was trying to kill him when he cut his neck.
Cannon has a court appearance on April 7 for the aggravated battery charge.
The Fort Myers police officer sustained minor injuries in the crash.