An Ocala man with an extensive arrest history was arrested after his child’s mother said he punched her during an argument over the baby’s well-being.
Norman A. Emanuel, 27, was charged with felony battery (second or subsequent offense) after the incident, which happened Wednesday afternoon. Emanuel has 15 previous arrests since 2010 and spent two months in jail last summer for aggravated domestic battery of a pregnant female, battery by strangulation, strong-arm robbery and a handful of other charges, according to Marion County jail records.
The victim told an Ocala Police officer that Emanuel was inside her residence and wouldn’t leave, and that he had threatened to take the baby. When the officer entered the home, Emanuel was laying on the living room couch with the baby on his chest, according to the OPD report.
Emanuel told the officer he was only at the residence because he feared for the well-being of the baby. He claimed that the victim wasn’t feeding the child and that he believed she may have put super glue on the baby’s face. Emanuel said the baby’s lip was stuck upwards towards its nose, and that he had to use his finger to bring it back down to normal, the report said.
Emanuel told the officer he was on probation and would be happy to leave if he could get his belongings inside. The officer was able to get the victim to give Emanuel his shoes, but then Emanuel became more irate, the report said.
The victim told the officer her residence was a mess because of Emanuel. She said they had an argument the previous day, and Emanuel placed his arms around her and pulled her towards him. The victim said she pushed him off her because his grip on her body was becoming unpleasant. She said Emanuel then punched her in the eye, according to the report.
The victim said her eye started to bleed and that she called a friend named “Tim,” who came in to see the blood running down her face. No contact information for “Tim” could be obtained because neither party has a cell phone. The officer observed an injury on the victim’s right eyebrow, and bruising was apparent on her right eyelid. The victim said Emanuel struck her with a closed fist, but she couldn’t identify which hand he used, the report said.
While Emanuel was being placed under arrest, he and the victim started arguing in the front doorway. He asked the victim why she would make allegations about him hitting her, knowing about his probationary status and that he would be arrested. The victim then started making statements about the consequences of Emanuel threatening to call DCF or taking her baby away from her, according to the report.
The victim then made statements about not wanting to go to jail and being uncertain if telling the officer that she wasn’t hit by Emanuel would get her arrested. Asked directly whether she lied about the allegations of Emanuel hitting her, she said no, the report said.
The victim completed domestic violence paperwork and Emanuel was taken to jail. He’s being held on $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Jan. 14.