An Ocala man was jailed early Tuesday morning on an extortion charge after his terrified father said he had been forced to give his son money or fear retaliation.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy was called to a home on SW 64th Avenue in Ocala and when he arrived, the victim said that over the course of about four and a half years, 39-year-old John Joseph Sage had asked him for either money or to drive him places to commit crimes. He said if he refused, Sage would threaten to cause damage to his home or vehicle, a sheriff’s office report states.
When asked to provide examples of what Sage would do if the victim didn’t comply with his requests, the victim said he would punch and kick holes in the wall, break doors off the frame, use a hammer to hit the wall and bedroom door and slash the tires on his vehicle, the report says.
The victim also told the deputy that Sage got physical with him in August 2015 when he caught him stealing his money. Sage was arrested in that incident and charged with battery on a person 65 years of age or older. But that charge was later dropped because even though the prosecutor believed there was “ample probable cause” for Sage’s arrest, the likelihood of conviction was “minimal,” court records show.
The victim told the deputy that he’s afraid Sage will repeat those actions if he doesn’t drive him to known drug houses, provide him with money or take him to stores so he can steal things. The victim also said he can’t pay his own bills because of the money he’s having to give his son to support an alleged drug habit, the report says.
The deputy spoke with Sage and had him walk through the house and explain how damage had occurred. Sage admitted kicking a hole in a wall but said he repaired it. He claimed the door to his room “broke over time.” But he also admitted to breaking the door frame and knocking a hole in a door with a hammer because his father wouldn’t drive him somewhere or give him money, the report says.
Sage was taken into custody and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was being held on $10,000 bond. He is due in court on Sept. 10 at 9 a.m. to answer to the extortion charge.
Sage is no stranger to the Marion County legal system, having been held in the jail six times since March 2015. He also was arrested in June and charged with two counts of larceny/petit theft.