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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Ocala man charged with strangling woman who told him to move out

Lee Earnest Hardy

An Ocala man was arrested Thursday for allegedly strangling a woman who told him he had to move out of her house.

The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy she told Lee Earnest Hardy, 53, he had a few days to get out of the house. She said he walked into her room and said he wasn’t going to leave, became angry and choked her with his left hand, according to the sheriff’s office report.

The victim said she had trouble breathing and it started to hurt. She said she kept telling Hardy to let go before he finally released his grip. The victim had trouble talking and swallowing. She went to the emergency room a few hours later to be checked out because she has three metal vertebrae in her spine, the report said.

After being read his Miranda rights, Hardy denied choking the victim and said it was just a verbal altercation. He was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Friday on $1,500 bond. He is due to appear in Marion County Court on Nov. 17.