A registered sex offender was charged with domestic battery for the second time in less than four months after he reportedly got into an altercation with the same victim during a car ride from Tampa to his residence in Silver Springs.
Christopher Lawrence Jones, 38, of 16626 SE 6th Lane, is being held without bond in the Marion County Jail on charges of domestic battery (second or subsequent offense), violations of bond conditions, and violation of pretrial release conditions for domestic violence.
Jones has more than 10 prior arrests in Marion County, the most recent in March for allegedly strangling a woman and intentionally backing his truck into her vehicle during an argument. He is listed in the FDLE sex offender registry after being convicted of unlawful sexual activity with a minor in 2012.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy early Sunday that she was a passenger in Jones’ vehicle when they got into an argument and he grabbed her by the arm and threatened to kill her. She said she was afraid of Jones and her cell phone battery was dead, so she grabbed his phone to call for help, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said when she grabbed Jones’ cell phone, he grabbed a necklace she was wearing and pulled her head down, smashing it into the center console of the vehicle. She said she was able to get the phone and get out of the vehicle near the intersection of South Magnolia Avenue and County Road 484, which is where she met with the deputy. The deputy observed a thin red mark, approximately 3 inches long, that was consistent with Jones pulling her head down into the console by her necklace, the report said.
A computer check showed that Jones has active bond conditions stemming from his arrest in March that prohibit him from having contact with the victim. Jones declined to speak with the deputy when contacted at his residence. He was placed under arrest and will appear in Marion County Court on Aug. 11.