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Violent
Bradenton man charged with domestic battery after July 24 arrest
Manatee County prosecutors filed one first-degree misdemeanor count under Fla. Stat. §784.03(1)(a); arraignment is set for Sept. 2.
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Production note: Assembled by the Registry Recognizer Editorial Desk from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office jail booking roster, the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court's public court record for case 2026MM001961AX, and the text of Fla. Stat. §784.03. Limits of this reporting: the sheriff's per-booking detail page is blocked to automated retrieval, so only the roster's summary listing could be captured, and the roster row for booking 2026006244 has since rolled off the only page that site serves — the booking details here come from the record captured on July 25, 2026. No case-document source is configured for this jurisdiction, so no charging documents were retrieved and none were searched for; the probable cause affidavit listed on the docket is marked "image in process" and was not viewable. The stored charge's statute and degree were reconciled from the court record, which the jail roster does not publish. Details of the alleged offense, and any information identifying or describing an alleged victim, were deliberately neither sought nor published. No independent news reporting about this arrest was located. The photograph is a category illustration and does not depict any person named in this article.
Christopher John Hammaker, 60, of Bradenton was booked into the Manatee County Jail on July 24, 2026, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office jail booking roster, which listed the booking charge as "BATTERY-TOUCH OR STRIKE" under booking number 2026006244.
The State filed the case three days later. Manatee County court records show case 2026MM001961AX was filed on July 27, 2026, charging one count of domestic battery under Florida Statutes section 784.03(1)(a), a first-degree misdemeanor. The court record attributes the arrest to the Bradenton Police Department under agency case number 2026B005283 and gives the offense date as July 24, 2026 — the same date as the booking.
Section 784.03(1)(a) defines battery as actually and intentionally touching or striking another person against that person's will, or intentionally causing bodily harm. A first-degree misdemeanor is punishable, upon conviction, under sections 775.082 and 775.083 by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
A first appearance was held on July 25, 2026. The docket records a probable cause affidavit, a first appearance order and a defendant advisory sheet, all filed July 27. A misdemeanor arraignment is scheduled for September 2, 2026 before Judge Jacqueline Blanton Steele at the Manatee County Judicial Center; Judge Heather Doyle is assigned to the case.
The case remains open. The court record lists no bond and no assessments, and no disposition has been entered. A criminal charge is an allegation, and Hammaker is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in a court of law.
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