A 40-year-old Ocala man was arrested recently after he allegedly beat up his roommate because he thinks he is involved with his ex-wife.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded to a battery report at a residence on SW 145th Street, where the incident started as a 911 hangup call. A dispatch operator was able to contact the victim, who said he was being battered by Michael Alan Shepherd, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy spoke with the victim, who said Shepherd is known to be on drugs, which causes him to be upset with him. The victim said Shepherd started arguing with him because he thinks he is sleeping with his ex-wife. He said Shepherd approached him and struck him with closed fists in his face, the report said.
The victim said he tried to run away after being hit, but Shepherd grabbed him by his shirt to keep him from getting away. He said his shirt was ripped in the process. The victim said nobody else was at the residence during the incident. He provided a sworn written statement, according to the report.
The deputy observed the victim’s right temple was swollen and bruised. The injury appeared fresh. The shirt the victim said he was wearing was on the bed and was torn in the collar area, the report said.
After being read his Miranda warning, Shepherd said there was no physical altercation. He said he was arguing with the victim because the victim doesn’t do any work around the residence, but he insisted the argument was only verbal. Shepherd also said he believes the victim hit himself to obtain the visible injury, according to the report.
The deputy observed both of Shepherd’s knuckles had slight redness on them but could not determine whether if it was from the incident. Shepherd said he is a mechanic and his knuckles appear that way because of his work, the report said.
The deputy checked the dispatch history for the incident location and there was a call on Oct. 21 involving Shepherd and the victim where the victim contacted law enforcement about Shepherd making phone threats and saying he was on his way to “beat up” the victim, according to the report.
A criminal history check shows Shepherd with convictions for battery on an officer/EMT/firefighter in 2016 and simple domestic battery in 2017, the report said.
Shepherd was arrested and charged with battery (second or subsequent offense) and on a warrant for passing a worthless check. He’s being held in the Marion County Jail on $3,000 bond and will appear in Marion County Court on Dec. 1.