A 70-year-old Belleview man was arrested after he admitted to kicking another man in the groin during an altercation in Ocala.
Stephen Lee Warren, of 10780 SE 12th Lane in Belleview, was charged with simple battery after the incident, which happened recently outside a residence on SE 88th Street in Ocala. The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that he and Warren got into an argument because Warren doesn’t live there and the victim has told him not to be there when he isn’t home.
The victim said as he was walking back into the residence, Warren shoved him in the back. He said when he turned back around, Warren kicked him in the upper groin area. The victim said Warren kept trying to get him to fight back but he didn’t, according to the sheriff’s office report.
An adult witness said he observed Warren and the victim arguing. He said the victim was walking away when Warren followed him and kicked him in the ground. The witness said he didn’t see the victim touch or push Warren, the report said.
A juvenile witness said he saw Warren and the victim face-to-face in an argument. He said he saw the victim “belly bump” Warren and start to walk away. The witness said Warren followed the victim and tapped him on the back. He said when the witness turned around, Warren kicked him in the groin area, according to the report.
Warren told the deputy that he and the victim were arguing outside the residence when the victim “chest bumped” him twice, causing him to step back onto the car. Warren said the victim walked away from him and the altercation continued as he followed the victim. He said when the victim turned around, he kicked him in the groin area but was only defending himself, the report said.
Jail records show Warren was arrested and charged with battery in September 2018, but a criminal history check conducted by the deputy revealed no battery convictions. Warren was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Thursday on $1,000 bond.