An Ocala man who recently had a domestic battery charge dropped is accused of roughing up a woman and breaking her cell phone after he found videos on it of her with other men.
Estell Albert Garwood, 37, was charged with domestic battery (second or subsequent offense) and obstructing justice after the incident, which happened Monday. He spent time in the Marion County Jail from Oct. 9 to Nov. 1 before the victim ultimately dropped the domestic battery charge. He has two other prior arrests – in 2002 and 2008 – for domestic battery.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that Garwood went through her phone while she was sleeping. She said she woke up to Garwood yelling at her. The victim said Garwood grabbed her and threw her to the ground, then grabbed her phone and throwing it to the ground and shattering it, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said she couldn’t use the phone to call 911, so she had to use the land line at the residence to call for help. The deputy observed the cell phone shattered in several pieces on the sidewalk and noticed the left side of the victim’s shirt in the shoulder area was wadded up as if it was grabbed, the report said.
The victim said Garwood fled foot when she called 911. Several deputies joined the search and they found him hiding in a Porta Potty several blocks from the residence, according to the report.
Garwood told the deputy he was looking through the victim’s cell phone and saw videos of the victim with other men and became upset. He said he pushed the victim down because she jumped on him first. He admitted to breaking her cell phone.
Garwood was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released the next day on $1,000 bond. He’s scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Dec. 17.