An Ocala man who was released on bond Saturday night was back in the Marion County Jail hours later after he and another man allegedly broke into a home and assaulted a man he claims owes him money.
Don Anthony Dagostino, 31, of 8880 SW 33rd Terrace, is being held without bond after being charged with burglary with assault or battery, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, and possession of drug equipment. His accomplice – Christopher Andrew Jones, 28, of 9598 SW 114th St. – was charged with burglary with assault or battery and possession of Oxycodone.
Dagostino, who was arrested Oct. 2 on charges of grand theft, fleeing and eluding, and driving with a suspended license, was released on $6,000 bond at 11:15 p.m. Saturday, according to jail records. Before midnight, Marion County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a burglary at a residence on NE 146th Terrace.
The homeowner told the deputies that Dagostino was just released and came to the residence with Jones and Jones’ girlfriend. He said Dagostino was banging on the outside walls of the home demanding to be let inside, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The homeowner said Dagostino and Jones entered the home through a window and confronted the victim about money he owes Dagostino. A deputy observed a large dent in the metal siding with a defined boot print below the window. The deputy later saw Dagostino was wearing boots approximately the same size as the print on the siding, the report said.
The homeowner said Dagostino began striking the victim in the face, chest, and back with closed fists. Dagostino and Jones then took a few items that belong to Dagostino that were left behind when he was arrested, according to the report.
The victim said Dagostino began punching, kneeing and elbowing him repeatedly and, at one point, took a small plastic battery powered camp lantern and struck him in the head with such force that it broke the lantern. A deputy observed the broken lantern, as well as several lumps on the victim’s forehead, swelling around his left eye, and swelling around his rib cage and back, the report said.
Dagostino called the homeowner while he was talking to the deputy, and the deputy overheard Dagostino say he wants his money from the victim and if he doesn’t get it within 24 hours, he would make it so the victim has to “drink through a straw.” The homeowner told Dagostino, “I have your money. Come back and get it,” according to the report.
Dagostino and Jones returned in Jones’ girlfriend’s car. The deputy ordered them to get on the ground and Jones tried to walk away and was reaching into his pockets. After being ordered several times to put his hands up and get on the ground, Jones continued fooling with his pockets, the report said.
The deputy later discovered that Jones managed to get a small plastic bag out of his pocket and drop it into some tall grass. The bag contained a blue round pill and several pieces of the same kind of pill in a tissue. The pills were labeled ALG 265, which was identified on drugs.com as Oxycodone, according to the report.
Jones’ girlfriend gave deputies permission to search her vehicle, and the search revealed a plastic bag of a green leafy substance and a small scale in a backpack, which was in the back seat where Dagostino had been sitting. Jones’ girlfriend confirmed the bag belonged to Dagostino. The green leafy substance and some small particles left under the scale tested positive for THC, which is the active ingredient in marijuana, the report said.
Dagostino and Jones were taken to the Marion County Jail, where Dagostino is being held without bond and Jones is being held on $27,000 bond. Dagostino is due in Marion County Court on Nov. 5, while a court date hasn’t been set for Jones.