A 59-year-old Ocala woman is accused of biting a deputy, leaving deep puncture marks in his arm, while she was being arrested for allegedly waving a knife and threatening to stab a man in the heart.
Eva Marie Hight was charged Sunday with aggravated battery on a law-enforcement officer, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and resisting without violence. She’s also being held for violating pre-trial release conditions for a previous domestic violence incident.
Hight told Marion County sheriff’s deputies that the victim hit her in the face with a belt earlier in the day. Deputies observed no swelling, bruises, redness, or any other injuries to Hight’s face at that time, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said he never hit Hight with a belt or any other object, and the dispute was only an argument. He said he had video from two nights earlier of Hight threatening to kill him with a knife, the report said.
While watching the video, deputies observed Hight walking towards the victim in an aggressive manner with a knife in her hand. She was pointing the knife towards the victim’s face and chest area and threatening to stab him in the heart. Hight told he victim if he ever took her car again without her permission, she would kill him. The video was time stamped 4:54 a.m. Friday, according to the report.
When deputies tried to place Hight under arrest, she tensed up and pulled her arms away in an attempt to avoid being handcuffed. Deputies gained control of her, put her in handcuffs and placed her inside the patrol car. Â Hight started hitting her head on the window protection rails of the right-rear passenger door, the report said.
A deputy opened the rear passenger door to stop Hight from hitting her head and tried to push her back so her back was up against the seat. At that point, Hight bit the deputy on his left forearm and refused to release the bite. The deputy delivered several closed-fist blows to Hight’s face until he was able to get free from her bite. After the deputy got free from her bite, Hight became irate and started to spit, yell and scream while sitting in the patrol car, according to the report.
The deputy’s injury was actively bleeding and the puncture mark appeared to be deep. The injury required the deputy to seek medical attention at the hospital. Due to the severity of the bite, it is likely the deputy will suffer from permanent scarring, the report said.
Hight was taken to the Marion County Jail, where the jail nurse examined her and said she needed to go to the hospital to be evaluated for the lump on her head and swelling around her eye. Hight was taken to West Marion Community Hospital, according to the report.
While at the hospital, Hight calmed down and said she wanted to speak to deputies. When asked about the video of her threatening to kill the victim with a knife, she said it was photoshopped. Asked why she bit the deputy, she said it was the only way to get his attention, the report said.
Hight is being held on $21,000 bond and will appear in Marion County Court on May 26.