An Ocala man was arrested after he allegedly battered a woman during a fight over relationship issues and the stress of buying a house.
A witness told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy Wednesday night he heard a female screaming in the neighborhood. He said when he drove around, he saw a man and woman in the front yard, and when he stopped to check on them, he saw the man walking away from woman and the woman had marks on her face like she had been in a fight, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy spoke with a man who was standing near the roadway. Ryan Clifton Gandy, 38, said he and the victim had been in a fight. He said she started throwing things at him and he threw her to the ground. Gandy said the fight started over the extreme pressure of buying a house and other relationship issues, the report said.
The victim said Gandy came home already intoxicated and in a verbally aggressive mood. She said they got into an argument over having a sandbox at the new house. The victim said Gandy went outside and was out there for hours on the phone, according to the report.
The victim said she went outside to check on Gandy and the argument resumed. She said she was sitting on the porch steps when Gandy became irate, grabbed her and pulled her into the yard, punching her in the face with a closed fist three or four times. The victim said she started throwing items at Gandy to get him to walk away and stop punching her, the report said.
After being read his Miranda warning, Gandy said the victim threw items at his face first and he defended himself by throwing her to the ground. He said the victim wouldn’t stop attacking him, so he kept throwing her to the ground in self-defense. Gandy said he didn’t know what the victim threw at him or remember punching her at all, according to the report.
The deputy observed a small laceration on the back of Gandy’s neck that he said was from the victim throwing items at him. The victim had a large hematoma on the right side of her face, blood on her teeth and in her mouth, a small laceration on her upper lip, and lacerations and scratch marks on her knees, the report said.
Due to the injuries being consistent with the victim’s statements, Gandy was arrested and charged with simple domestic battery. He was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Friday on $500 bond. Gandy will appear in Marion County Court on Oct. 28.