A 60-year-old Dunnellon man spent Monday night in the Marion County Jail after he admitted to beating up a man he found in bed with his fiancée when he came home from work early.
David Lee Nelson, of 22798 SW Breakwater Blvd., was charged simple battery after the incident. He was released Tuesday morning on his own recognizance and will appear in Marion County Court on Nov. 16.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy that at about 10:30 p.m., he was with his girlfriend at her residence, the same as Nelson’s, which she said she shares with a “family friend.” The victim said they were getting ready to have sexual intercourse when he heard the front door slam shut, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said that’s when a man he had never seen before – later identified as Nelson – came into the room and started screaming. He said Nelson punched him in the face a couple times with a closed fist. The victim said he was able to grab his clothes and run out the back door while Nelson chased him. He got into his car and left the scene, the report said.
The deputy observed three dark purple contusions on the right side of the victim’s face, next to his eye. He claimed all the marks were recent and from this altercation, according to the report.
The deputy spoke with the female witness, who said she and the victim were in the bedroom when Nelson came home from work early. She said Nelson entered the house in a rage and started to punch the victim while he was laying in the bed. The witness said the victim ran out the back door and towards his vehicle. She said Nelson continued to chase and yell at the victim until he was gone, the report said.
The witness said she and Nelson were together for a year but had recently broken up, according to the report.
The deputy responded to the incident location and spoke with Nelson, who willingly came out of the residence. When told why the deputy was there, he spontaneously said, “I found my fiancée, in bed, with a guy, in my house, and I cracked him upside the head,” the report said.
After being read his Mirada warning, Nelson elaborated. He said he came home from work sick and observed an unfamiliar car in the driveway. As he approached the front door, he observed his fiancée running through the living room nude, according to the report.
Nelson said when he went to the bedroom, he found the victim naked in bed, so is first reaction was to hit him in the head. He said he the victim ran out the back door, went to the front door, and continued to “run his mouth,” so he walked towards him and punched him again, the report said.
Nelson was taken to jail without incident.