An Ocala man is in the Marion County Jail after he allegedly punched and strangled his girlfriend and stole guns that belonged to her late father.
Nicholas James Trench, 30, of 10644 SW 75th Terrace, was charged with domestic battery by strangulation, battery causing bodily harm, three counts of grand theft of a firearm, and grand theft of property valued between $300 and $5,000.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that Trench picked her up at work on Sunday and brought her to her home on SW 160th Place. She said they were supposed to go back out, so he took a shower and she fell asleep, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said she was awakened by a noise and saw Trench rummaging through her garage. She asked what he was doing and saw that he had a tan lockbox that contained her deceased father’s gun. The victim said Trench became angry at her for asking what he was doing with it and they began to argue, the report said.
The victim said Trench punched her in the face in the living room. She said she ran for the door and Trench hit her in the back of the head, causing her to fall against the front door. The victim said Trench then got on top of her and started choking her with his arm from behind, “like a headlock,” according to the report.
The victim said she begged Trench to stop and that she was starting to lose consciousness when he finally let her go. She said he dumped out her purse and then took her wallet and the lockbox out to his car. She said he put the lockbox in the trunk of his Cadillac and left the scene, the report said.
The victim said she went back inside the house and checked the garage to find both of her deceased father’s shotguns were also missing. The deputy observed swelling and small abrasions on each of the victim’s eyes, according to the report.
The stolen items included a black unknown make .45 caliber semi-automatic firearm valued at $600, two black unknown make and gauge shotguns with wooden stock valued at $600, a tan pistol lockbox valued at $100, a navy blue Coach women’s wallet valued at $200 and containing $640 in cash, and three bank cards. The total value of the items including the firearms was $2,146, the report said.
Trench was arrested at his residence on Monday. He told the deputy he did not hit the victim or choke her, and that he did not take her wallet or the two shotguns. He said he did take the lockbox that contained the semi-automatic pistol because he was afraid she might use the weapon on him, according to the report.
Trench is being held on $32,000 bond and will appear in Marion County Court on Jan. 21.