An Ocala man was charged with domestic battery after he allegedly pulled his girlfriend’s hair and poured a drink on her during a spat in a public park.
Kenneth Lydell Jackson, 24, was arrested after the incident, which happened Sunday morning at Tom’s Park, 2301 N. Magnolia Ave., and was reported by an anonymous caller.
An Ocala Police officer arrived at the park and located the white Ford Crown Victoria that was mentioned to the dispatchers. As the officer pulled up behind the vehicle, it began to pull away. The driver failed to respond to officer’s air horn and siren before finally pulling over in the 2200 block of North Magnolia Avenue, according to the police report.
The officer asked the victim, who was driving, to step away from the car to be interviewed outside the presence Jackson, who was a passenger in the vehicle. She said nothing physical took place, and that they were only arguing because Jackson had her cell phone. The officer observed the victim’s hair appeared to be missing from the right side of her head, as it was shorter than the left side. He also observed the right leg of the victim’s sweatpants was wet from the knee to the thigh, the report said.
The officer then talked to Jackson, who said there was no argument and they were “horse playing.” He said the victim splashed water on him and he then splashed water on her. The officer did not notice any of Jackson’s clothing appearing darker due to the water, according to the report.
Another officer contacted the witness, who confirmed that officers had stopped the couple she observed arguing. The witness said she observed Jackson entering the parking lot in a Dodge Challenger while the victim entered the lot in the Ford. She said she saw Jackson get in the passenger seat of the victim’s car and throw the contents of a Wendy’s cup on the victim, the report said.
The witness said the victim got out of the vehicle, got a towel out of the trunk, and wiped off her clothing. The witness said the victim then leaned into the vehicle and was wiping down the interior when Jackson grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back into the vehicle, leaving only a leg dangling outside the driver’s door. She said she saw Jackson repeatedly strike the victim between the chest and face, according to the report.
The witness said the victim got out of the vehicle and told Jackson to get out. He refused. As the victim headed towards Jackson’s Dodge Challenger, Jackson got out of the Ford and chased her. The victim remarked how embarrassing this was, and Jackson told her to “get your ass back over here.” Jackson then began to drive off in the Ford and then stopped, with the victim entering the driver’s side rear of the vehicle. The witness said the vehicle remained stopped until the officer arrived, and Jackson and the victim had changed positions inside the vehicle before the traffic stop was initiated, the report said.
The victim said she and Jackson have been dating for about four years, and they have lived together in the past. She changed her story three times during the investigation, originally saying nothing physical had taken place, then saying she was hit by Jackson, and then saying Jackson put his hands on her shoulders and shook her. She didn’t have any visible injuries, according to the report.
Jackson was taken without incident to the Marion County Jail, where he remained Tuesday. He’s scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on July 30.