A 50-year-old Ocala man was arrested after he allegedly kicked a woman multiple times and wouldn’t let her back into their motel room when she returned from being out with her mother.
James L. Harvey, who lives with the victim at a motel on South Pine Avenue, was charged with simple domestic battery after the incident, which happened around 10 p.m. Thursday. The victim denied the altercation took place, but an independent eyewitness saw the entire incident unfold from a short distance away and called 911.
The witness told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy the victim returned to the motel and Harvey wouldn’t let her in the room. The witness said when Harvey opened the door, he kicked the victim twice in the stomach with his foot, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The witness said the victim then returned to her vehicle in the parking lot and Harvey came to the truck and continued the argument. The victim got out of the vehicle and Harvey pushed her to the ground and returned to the room. The witness said the victim again tried to enter the room, but Harvey opened the door and kicked her in the face twice, the report said.
The deputy observed that the victim had slight contusions and a small amount of dried blood on her lip. There also was a clump of her hair on the floor of the motel room, and an earring that matched the one she was wearing was found under the bed, according to the report.
Harvey was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was being held Saturday on $2,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Aug. 7.