A 57-year-old Clearwater, Florida, woman is accused of hitting her boyfriend in the head with a laptop during an argument over alleged cheating, knocking him unconscious, according to Law&Crime. Christianne Stephens faces charges of aggravated battery, false imprisonment, and tampering with a witness, court records say.
The incident happened on a Saturday at a waterfront high-rise apartment in the 1900 block of Cleveland Street, according to an arrest affidavit. The boyfriend started recording on his phone and tried to leave the apartment to defuse the situation. Police say Stephens blocked his path and struck him in the head with the laptop.
The affidavit says the man lost consciousness and suffered a large laceration to his head. When he regained consciousness, he reportedly saw Stephens trying to delete the videos he had recorded. Police said they were still working to determine whether he suffered permanent scarring or lasting injuries, and the couple lived together, according to the document.
Stephens says she was only trying to push the laptop toward him, police say.
Stephens later admitted to police that she hit her boyfriend with the laptop but said she did not mean to do so, according to the affidavit. She reportedly told investigators she was pushing the computer toward him to get him to leave. However, police say she also told him he could not go until he deleted the video evidence.
The affidavit says Stephens knew the man had been recording the argument and physically blocked his path, leaving him worried that he could not get out of the apartment. Video also figures in a recent Arizona case, in which a woman faces charges after a bodycam arrest in Tempe.
Police list the aggravated battery charge as causing great bodily harm, permanent disability, or disfigurement, and they added false imprisonment and tampering with a witness or victim as the other two counts.
Stephens was arrested on Saturday and made a first appearance before a Pinellas County judge, who ordered her held on a $20,000 bond. The bond was set at $10,000 for the aggravated battery charge and $5,000 each for false imprisonment and tampering with a witness. If she posts bond, she must have no contact with the man.
Under Florida law, aggravated battery that causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, or disfigurement is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. False imprisonment and tampering with a witness are third-degree felonies, each carrying a maximum of five years. Stephens has not been convicted of any charge, and the allegations have yet to be tested in court.
Stephens is expected to face the three felony counts in Pinellas County court, where a judge could set further hearings as prosecutors review the evidence.
Published: Oct 6, 2026 10:30 am