A Citra man with multiple prior battery convictions was arrested recently after he allegedly pushed a woman down, spit in her face and bit down on her fingers during a domestic altercation.
Nicholas Charles Howard, 41, was charged with domestic battery (second or subsequent offense). He was previously convicted of third-degree felony battery in Okaloosa County in 2001, battery on an officer or firefighter in Okaloosa County in 2009, guilty of battery on an officer or firefighter in Okaloosa County in 2011, and battery (second or subsequent offense) in Marion County in 2016.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of a suicide threat on Oct. 28. The victim told the deputy that she and Howard were sitting on the couch when they got into an argument about her juvenile daughter’s behavior. She said the situation escalated to the point where Howard lifted the coffee table, slammed it to the ground and walked out the front door, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said Howard walked back inside the residence and the argument continued. She said he pushed her into the ground multiple times. The victim said when she was able to get up, Howard stood in front of her face and started screaming at her. She said she was unable to understand what he was saying., the report said.
The victim said Howard spit in her face multiple times. She said she tried to push Howard away by shoving her fingers in his mouth, and he bit down on her fingers, causing visible injuries to the tops of her fingers along with the pad of her ring finger, according to the report.
The deputy observed what appeared to be a recent contusion about the size of a silver dollar on the victim’s right arm below her elbow, which the victim said was from being pushed to the ground in the living room, the report said.
After being read his Miranda warning, Howard said he bit the victim’s fingers when she shoved them in his mouth. He refused to explain anything else that happened in the residence. The victim said this has been an ongoing issue between herself and Howard, and she is in fear of him due to the ongoing verbal and physical abuse, according to the report.
Howard was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Oct. 30 on $5,000 bond. He will appear in Marion County Court on Dec. 1.