A 56-year-old Ocala man was arrested last week after he allegedly beat up a family member who wouldn’t give him a ride to Taco Bell.
Richard Randy Holdridge was charged with simple domestic battery after the incident, which happened around 1 a.m. Thursday. Holdridge, who called law enforcement, told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that the victim became irate and started stabbing him with a pocketknife, according to the sheriff’s office report.
An eyewitness who told the deputy she observed everything said Holdridge had been drinking intoxicating beverage and asked the victim to take him to Taco Bell to get him some food. The witness said when the victim said he didn’t feel like leaving the house, Holdridge became irate and started verbally attacking the victim, the report said.
The witness said the victim has Asperger syndrome and went to his room to get away from Holdridge. She said Holdridge entered the victim’s room and started punching him and saying, “Why can’t you be real man. I will show you how to be a real man,” according to the report.
The witness said she was unable to get Holdridge off the victim and that the victim took out his pocketknife and started stabbing Holdridge until he stopped punching him. The witness said Holdridge made the victim leave the incident scene and had the victim’s phone shut off. She said she waited to call for help because she was afraid of Holdridge herself, the report said.
The victim said Holdridge asked him to get him food, but when he said he was busy online with friends, Holdridge became irate. He said Holdridge came into his room, ripped out his internet cable and told him he was now a tenant. The victim said he runs errands for the Holdridge all the time, according to the report.
The victim said Holdridge threw a punch that he was able to dodge. He said Holdridge pushed him to the ground, got on top of him and started punching him. The victim said the witness tried to get Holdridge off him but was unable to. He said he took the pocketknife out of his pocket and stabbed Holdridge twice in the back and left side, the report said.
The victim said Holdridge got off him and left the room. He said the witness told him to leave the incident location for his safety. The victim had red marks on his back near his shoulder blades from being sat on by Holdridge. All red marks on the victim’s face were gone, according to the report.
The deputy was unable to speak with Holdridge any further because he was receiving medical treatment. Holdridge was determined to be the primary aggressor and taken to the Marion County Jail.