Two Florida men face charges of aggravated battery after a dispute over a love interest culminated in a fight involving a machete and a hatchet in a Publix parking lot on August 4. The incident occurred in Panama City.
According to a police report, James Gay, 35, approached Everette Krichbaum, 52, who was sitting in his car. Gay allegedly initiated a verbal altercation and then returned to his vehicle to retrieve a machete. He then struck Krichbaum in the face with the weapon, which was still in its sheath. Krichbaum reportedly countered by swinging a hatchet.
Stephanie Marshall, who identified herself as Gay's girlfriend and is listed as a witness, told Fox News Digital that the feud stemmed from Krichbaum dating Marshall, who is Gay's ex-girlfriend.
When law enforcement arrived, they found Gay with a deep cut on his pinky finger and a puncture wound in his lower abdomen. Krichbaum sustained multiple lacerations to his hands and face and told investigators he lost consciousness after being hit in the head with the machete. Both men were transported to a hospital for treatment.
Gay was arrested on August 4 and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Police reports indicate Gay told officers he was "attacked... over his ex-girlfriend."
Records show this is not Gay's first violent encounter. In 2011, he was convicted of aggravated battery in connection with the death of a 16-year-old boy near Panama City, where he used a chain-wrapped hand to fracture the teen's skull. He was released from prison in June 2024 after serving a 15-year sentence that began in 2012.
Krichbaum was arrested on August 5, after his release from the hospital, by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. He was charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm or disability.
As of August 7, both Gay and Krichbaum were being held in the Bay County Jail. It is unclear if Krichbaum has legal representation, while Gay is listed as representing himself.