57-Year-Old Woman Charged With Domestic Violence After Early-Morning Stabbing on Schimps Lane

A 57-year-old Mobile woman has been charged with domestic violence and assault after police say she cut another woman with a blade during an argument inside a home in the 4500 block of Schimps Lane early Sunday morning.

Sonja Caffey was booked into Mobile County Metro Jail on charges of second-degree domestic violence and second-degree assault, according to the Mobile Police Department.

The Call

Officers were dispatched to a reported domestic stabbing at approximately 1:02 a.m. Sunday. When they arrived, they found a woman with minor injuries. Police say an investigation determined that Caffey cut the victim during an argument inside the residence, and that the two women were known to one another. The victim was treated at the scene and refused transport to a hospital.

Why the Domestic Violence Charge Matters Legally

The distinction between an assault charge and a domestic violence charge in Alabama is not cosmetic. Under Alabama Code § 13A-6-131, domestic violence in the second degree applies when the underlying offense — here, second-degree assault — is committed against a current or former spouse, a parent, a child, a person with whom the defendant has a child, a present or former household member, or a person in a current or former dating relationship. The charge is a Class B felony, more serious than the underlying assault charge alone.

Because domestic violence charges depend on the relationship between the parties, the fact that police established that Caffey and the victim were known to one another is the legal hinge on which the more serious charge turns. The Mobile Police Department’s report will document the specific relationship category that applies, and that determination will shape the prosecution’s case.

Minor Injuries, Serious Charges

Readers sometimes find it counterintuitive that a victim with minor injuries who declines an ambulance can nonetheless be at the center of a felony case. The reason is that Alabama’s assault statutes look at the instrument used, not only the outcome. Causing physical injury with a “deadly weapon or dangerous instrument” — which a knife or cutting instrument plainly is — elevates the offense regardless of how the wound ultimately healed.

Second-degree assault under Alabama Code § 13A-6-21 is a Class C felony, but when the assault is charged as domestic violence in the second degree under § 13A-6-131, it becomes a Class B felony carrying a sentencing range of two to twenty years in a state correctional facility. The weapons enhancement is what makes the injury severity secondary to the means by which it was inflicted.

The Legal Process Ahead

Caffey is charged, not convicted, and is presumed innocent unless the state proves the allegations in court. Felony cases in Mobile County generally begin in district court, where a defendant can ask for a preliminary hearing to test whether there is probable cause. Prosecutors may then present the case to a grand jury; an indictment moves the case to circuit court for arraignment and, if no plea agreement is reached, trial.

Where to Get Help

Penelope House, Mobile's domestic violence shelter and advocacy organization, answers its crisis line 24 hours a day at 251-342-8994. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is also available around the clock at 1-800-799-7233. In an emergency, call 911.