An Ocala man who reportedly took offense to being called a “pedophile” was charged with domestic battery after an altercation late Saturday night.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy she and David Howell, 60, got into an argument inside their apartment on SW 6th Avenue. She said Howell was becoming increasingly aggressive to the point where she put her foot up and pushed him away from her, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said Howell called her a name, and she replied by calling him a “pedophile.” She said Howell punched her with a closed first with his left hand, then slapped her with his open right hand. The victim said she felt her cheeks beginning to swell and they were becoming sore. The deputy observed red marks and bruising just below her left right eye, and red marks just below her left eye, which were consistent with her account of the incident, the report said.
Howell told the deputy he went to pick up the victim from work and she wasn’t there. He said when he returned home, he found the victim was back at the apartment. He said he was upset and angry because the victim didn’t tell him she got off work early. Howell said he and the victim yelled at each other, but things never got close to being physical. He said after a brief argument, the victim left the apartment, according to the report.
Based on the marks on the victim, the deputy determined Howell was the primary aggressor and placed him under arrest. He was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he remains on $500 bond. He’s due in Marion County Court on June 12.