An Ocala man who was accused of cheating by his girlfriend was arrested Thursday for his part in a violent altercation that took place on Aug. 11.
Marion County sheriff’s deputies had responded to a residence in the 5600 block of NE 5th Place and when they arrived, the victim said she had been in an argument with 41-year-old Jose Arnaldo Espinosa about his phone and the possibility of him cheating on her. She said Espinosa, who already had fled from the house, became angry and started yelling at her, a sheriff’s office report states.
The victim claimed Espinosa grabbed the hair bun on top of her head and started dragging her across the house. She said when he finally let go of her hair, she ran and grabbed a juvenile. She said she knew that Espinosa wouldn’t harm her if she had the child in her lap, the report says.
The victim claimed that Espinosa had a metal rod in his hand and demanded that she let go of the child. She said he never made any statements about striking her with the rod. But she eventually put the child down and ran to a neighbor’s house to call for help, the report says, adding that deputies noted marks on the victim’s back consistent with her claims of being drug by her hair.
Espinosa was booked into the Marion County Jail late Thursday afternoon and charged with domestic battery. He was being held on $500 bond and is due in court Sept. 12 at 9:30 a.m.
Espinosa is no stranger to the Marion County legal system, having been held in the jail six times since July 18, 2000. During those arrests he’s faced charges of contempt of court, criminal mischief, domestic battery, fleeing or attempting to elude, resisting without violence, burglary, grand theft and possession of burglary tools. He also was arrested in August 2001 for failing to appear in court on a charge of freshwater fishing without a license.