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St. Petersburg man left woman with hatchet in head, fled to Gainesville, deputies say

The woman was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Michael Dougherty, 40, was arrested on an attempted second-degree murder charge.
 
Michael Dougherty, 40, was arrested on an attempted second-degree murder charge after deputies said he left a woman with a hatchet in her head in St. Petersburg and fled to Gainesville.
Michael Dougherty, 40, was arrested on an attempted second-degree murder charge after deputies said he left a woman with a hatchet in her head in St. Petersburg and fled to Gainesville. [ Alachua County Jail, via the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office ]
Published Nov. 26, 2022|Updated Nov. 26, 2022

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has identified a woman who was hit in the head with a hatchet on Tuesday morning as Lisa Ann Rogers, 56, who lived in the same home as the man who has been arrested in the case.

Michael Dougherty, 40, faces one count of attempted second-degree murder after deputies say he attempted to kill Rogers in St. Petersburg and left her with a hatchet in her head before fleeing to Gainesville.

Deputies said they responded to a report of an attempted murder at 10:36 a.m. Tuesday at 4000 24th St. N, Lot 230, in St. Petersburg. Rogers was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Her condition remained the same Saturday morning.

Deputies identified Dougherty as the suspect, but he fled before they arrived. Detectives were able to locate his car near Gainesville later that day.

On Thursday, around 2:50 a.m., he was pulled over by an Alachua County deputy and arrested. He is being held at the Alachua County Jail while authorities arrange for him to be taken to the Pinellas County Jail, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.