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Candidate has domestic-violence conviction in past
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By JUSTIN LANG
jlang@lakecityreporter.com
The Lake City Reporter has learned that a candidate in the race for Mayor of Lake City has a prior arrest and conviction for domestic violence.
James Lambert "Skipper" Hair II, 33, was arrested on Nov. 2, 1994, for battery domestic violence, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) records. The FDLE reports show that six days later, on Nov. 8, 1994, at a trial where he represented himself, Hair pled guilty to the misdemeanor charge before being convicted and sentenced to one year probation.
His guilty plea also was confirmed Thursday by the Columbia County Clerk of Courts Office, according to its records.
Of the charge and his guilty plea, Hair said, "I would have rather had dealt with it and had it been over with than to have fought it.
"I believe that if I am wrong, I have no problem paying the penalty for it," he said. "Whether or not that report is accurate, I should not have been in that situation I was in and I should pay the penalty for the situation I was in, and I do not mind paying the penalty for it. I am the kind of person [that] I am willing to admit I was wrong and suffer the consequences."
According to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office arrest report from the Nov. 2, 1994, incident, a deputy arrived at a house on Hudson Circle to find Hair and his then girlfriend talking in the backyard, seemingly upset.
According to the report, the girlfriend told the deputy Hair came over to talk, but she did not want to. Hair then went to the locked back door and forced it open, the report says, tearing the lock off the handle and splintering the door frame.
When he entered the house, according to the report, the girlfriend was on the phone talking before Hair ripped it off the wall.
The report says the girlfriend then ran to her neighbor's house for help, while her mother began to yell at Hair. According to the report, Hair picked up the mother and threw her onto the couch, injuring her left thigh and ankle. The report also says the mother landed on a 3-year-old girl, whose relationship to the girlfriend and mother was not identified.
Hair confirmed he was at his girlfriend's house on Nov. 2, 1994, but said "there was no one touched" during the incident. He said he did not "throw the mom."
"Actually the young lady was with me when I saw (the judge)," he said. "She was there to support me when I went in because she didn't think I should be charged. Everybody has arguments."
Hair said there are "inaccuracies" in the arrest report and "no physical damage was done."
The report says Hair was arrested to prevent further violence, but the girlfriend's mother decided not to press charges. At that time, the report says Hair was charged with the threat of domestic violence.
Hair said he has made mistakes in his life like most people, but "in my heart I am running for this office because I truly love this community from the bottom of my heart and I did want to see good things for this community."
"Am I a perfect person? I am not. But do I wish I would have done some things differently? 'Yes I do'," he said.
FDLE records also show Hair was arrested on July 20, 1991, for driving under the influence and resisting an officer without violence. According to the reports, the case was "nolle prossed," meaning the State Attorney's Office decided not to prosecute those charges. Hair did not comment on those charges.
Full records for Hair's arrests were not available because the county destroys all misdemeanor case files after five years.
Hair said he did not agree with the Lake City Reporter printing this story and "if I had to print these kind of stories that you do, I would pack my bags and leave that job, because it is wrong.
"Everybody does things wrong," he said. "There's not a person that looks in the mirror that's perfect."
The Lake City Reporter has learned that a candidate in the race for Mayor of Lake City has a prior arrest and conviction for domestic violence.
James Lambert "Skipper" Hair II, 33, was arrested on Nov. 2, 1994, for battery domestic violence, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) records. The FDLE reports show that six days later, on Nov. 8, 1994, at a trial where he represented himself, Hair pled guilty to the misdemeanor charge before being convicted and sentenced to one year probation.
His guilty plea also was confirmed Thursday by the Columbia County Clerk of Courts Office, according to its records.
Of the charge and his guilty plea, Hair said, "I would have rather had dealt with it and had it been over with than to have fought it.
"I believe that if I am wrong, I have no problem paying the penalty for it," he said. "Whether or not that report is accurate, I should not have been in that situation I was in and I should pay the penalty for the situation I was in, and I do not mind paying the penalty for it. I am the kind of person [that] I am willing to admit I was wrong and suffer the consequences."
According to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office arrest report from the Nov. 2, 1994, incident, a deputy arrived at a house on Hudson Circle to find Hair and his then girlfriend talking in the backyard, seemingly upset.
According to the report, the girlfriend told the deputy Hair came over to talk, but she did not want to. Hair then went to the locked back door and forced it open, the report says, tearing the lock off the handle and splintering the door frame.
When he entered the house, according to the report, the girlfriend was on the phone talking before Hair ripped it off the wall.
The report says the girlfriend then ran to her neighbor's house for help, while her mother began to yell at Hair. According to the report, Hair picked up the mother and threw her onto the couch, injuring her left thigh and ankle. The report also says the mother landed on a 3-year-old girl, whose relationship to the girlfriend and mother was not identified.
Hair confirmed he was at his girlfriend's house on Nov. 2, 1994, but said "there was no one touched" during the incident. He said he did not "throw the mom."
"Actually the young lady was with me when I saw (the judge)," he said. "She was there to support me when I went in because she didn't think I should be charged. Everybody has arguments."
Hair said there are "inaccuracies" in the arrest report and "no physical damage was done."
The report says Hair was arrested to prevent further violence, but the girlfriend's mother decided not to press charges. At that time, the report says Hair was charged with the threat of domestic violence.
Hair said he has made mistakes in his life like most people, but "in my heart I am running for this office because I truly love this community from the bottom of my heart and I did want to see good things for this community."
"Am I a perfect person? I am not. But do I wish I would have done some things differently? 'Yes I do'," he said.
FDLE records also show Hair was arrested on July 20, 1991, for driving under the influence and resisting an officer without violence. According to the reports, the case was "nolle prossed," meaning the State Attorney's Office decided not to prosecute those charges. Hair did not comment on those charges.
Full records for Hair's arrests were not available because the county destroys all misdemeanor case files after five years.
Hair said he did not agree with the Lake City Reporter printing this story and "if I had to print these kind of stories that you do, I would pack my bags and leave that job, because it is wrong.
"Everybody does things wrong," he said. "There's not a person that looks in the mirror that's perfect."
. wrote on Jan 30, 2008 11:01 AM: