Woman stabbed, forced into car before hospital trip; Cape Coral man arrested

A Cape Coral man with an extensive criminal history is behind bars after he was accused of stabbing a woman and forcing her into his car. The Lee County Sheriff's Office arrested Alexander Ballester on charges of aggravated battery and kidnapping. On June 8, Lee County deputies responded to Lee Memorial Hospital after a woman arrived with a life-threatening stab wound to her abdomen. According to the arrest report, both the victim and Ballester initially reported that an unknown male suspect had attacked her while at Hunter Park within Pine Manor. The Violent Crimes detectives immediately launched an investigation. As detectives continued to follow the evidence, significant inconsistencies emerged in the original account. In a follow-up interview, the victim revealed that the stabbing actually happened during an altercation with Alexander Ballester and that he was the one who reportedly stabbed her. "You want to interview a victim and make them feel comfortable. They just went through something very serious and very traumatic. So, to extract the facts can be difficult. But I'm very proud of how we do it and what we do," said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno. In the arrest report, deputies say Ballester was seen on surveillance reportedly aggressively grabbing the victim at a Cape Coral smoke shop before the attack. After the stabbing, deputies say Ballester is accused of threatening the victim to keep her from telling law enforcement what happened. Deputies say he then reportedly forced her into his vehicle and drove around with her for a period of time before eventually taking her to the hospital. Detectives corroborated key details through witness statements and surveillance footage. Detectives then had probable cause and arrested Ballester. "I'm very thankful that our victim is in stable condition, recovering, and that our Lee County Sheriff's Office is not going to tolerate that. We're not going to tolerate a violent crime in this county," said Marceno. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.