Police: Lexington man cut girlfriend with kitchen knife, ran

A Lexington man pushed his girlfriend onto a bed, climbed on top of her and sliced her stomach with a paring knife over the weekend, then he ran off, police said.

Jonathan Stager, 23, was arrested about 8 p.m. Saturday at his apartment on Townley Drive, according to court records. The woman told police she was arguing with Stager when he inflicted the 3-inch cut about 6:30 p.m. The injury caused minimal bleeding, police said.

Stager fled the apartment when his girlfriend called police, she said. An officer saw Stager when he tried to return to his home a short time later — sparking a chase that started with the man hopping a wooden fence and ended in his arrest on Forbes Road, according to police.

He was charged with first-degree assault and evading police.Stager has been charged previously with both violations within the last year, according to court records.

In April, Stager was arrested on assault charges after he allegedly injured a domestic partner in the same apartment, according to his April arrest citation. Stager posted a $3,000 bond shortly after his arrest.

Records didn’t indicate whether the victim was the same person. Both citations stated that alcohol was a suspected factor.

In August 2015, Stager was ordered to pay $664 after being found guilty of fleeing police on foot in a case from July.

Stager was held Monday morning in lieu of a $10,000 bond. His arraignment was scheduled for Monday afternoon.

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Police: Lexington man cut girlfriend with kitchen knife, ran."