A Weirsdale man is accused of battering a lady friend and leaving her on the side of a road in Ocklawaha.
Joshua Gene Eason, 32, of 11919 SE Hwy. 42, was charged with simple domestic battery after the incident which happened around 10 p.m. Sunday on SE Highway 464C.
The victim’s sister told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy she had just picked up her sister from the side of the road near the Dam Diner. She said the victim called her and said Eason had attacked her, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim told the deputy that she and Eason were arguing in his vehicle when she told him she wanted to be let out. She said he stopped and let her out. The victim said as she got out and started walking away, Eason picked her up and threw her back into the vehicle, the report said.
The victim said she was able to get out of the vehicle again, but Eason grabbed her by her hair, punched her in the left knee and threw her in the vehicle again. She said she got out a third time and was able to run into the woods to call her sister, according to the report.
While speaking with the victim, the deputy observed a fresh laceration to her left knee. The victim’s hair was tied in a ponytail with the back of her hair in disarray, consistent with being pulled. The victim showed photos she took of the injuries after the incident that showed blood flowing from the cut, the report said.
Another deputy contacted Eason at his residence. Eason said he and the victim had a verbal argument and she yelled for him to let her out of the vehicle. He said he unlocked the door and let the victim out. Eason said he let the victim on the side of the road to get a ride. He said at no time did the incident turn physical, according to the report.
Eason was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Tuesday on $1,000 bond. He’ll appear in Marion County Court on Nov. 17.