A Reddick man was arrested after he allegedly pushed an elderly family member off a porch during an argument.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that she and Gary James Wright were arguing recently over him allowing people she doesn’t like into her home. She said they were arguing on the front porch when Wright started putting his finger in her face, so she swatted it away, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said Wright pushed her back, causing her to fall off the front porch onto an area where a small tree, multiple buckets and other miscellaneous items were located. She said when she fell, she hit her left arm, which caused some scratches. The victim said Wright held her down by her arms until she told him she was hurt, the report said.
The victim said Wright tried to help her out and they went inside the house, where he pushed her down by the shoulders. The victim said she was on her back when Wright grabbed throat with hand. She said her blood flow and airway weren’t restricted, according to the report.
The victim said she told Wright to let her go, which he did, ending the incident. The deputy checked out the backside of the victim’s left triceps area and could clearly see multiple scratches and dirt. The victim also had dirt on the back of her shirt, the report said.
After being read his Miranda warning, Wright said the victim came home drunk and was angry at him because he didn’t leave and go to his sister’s residence. He said he and the victim were on the front porch when she started waving her hands, striking him in the process, according to the report.
Asked whether he believes the victim did this intentionally, Wright did not clarify and seemed to avoid the question. Wright said the victim started waving her hands a second time and hit him again. He said she tried to push him, but he grabbed her hands and “snatched” her towards him, the report said.
Wright said he spun the victim aside and noticed she was going to all off the porch. He said he tried to hold on to her, but they fell off the porch together. Wright said the victim then started swinging at him, according to the report.
Wright said he tried to help the victim up, but she refused his help and he stopped trying. He said he and the victim went inside the house together before the victim shoved him on his shoulders. Wright said he picked the victim up by the waist and told her, “If I go out the door, we both go out the door,” He said that concluded the incident, the report said.
Wright was charged with domestic battery on a victim 65 years or older. He was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was being held on $500 bond. Wright will appear in Marion County Court on July 28.