A Dunnellon man found himself behind bars late Sunday night after a woman claimed he wanted to murder her.
The victim told Marion County sheriff’s deputies that 23-year-old Steven Anthony Shields allegedly had swung a crowbar at her twice before telling her to lie on the ground so he could hit her on the head and kill her. She said she fled from their Dunnellon home and went to a neighbor’s house to call for help.
Deputies then spoke with Shields in the front yard of the residence. He claimed that he did want to murder the victim with a crowbar but denied swinging it at her, a sheriff’s office report says.
After being read his rights, Shields allegedly said he wanted to “kill her because she was a ‘stupid (expletive deleted).’” He also claimed he wanted to use the crowbar because he did not want to “dirty his blades,” the report says.
Shields was then placed under arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with assault with intent to commit a felony. He was being held on $5,000 bond and is due in court on Nov. 26 at 9 a.m. to answer to the charge.