A 69-year-old Ocala woman was arrested after she admitted to biting her 68-year-old roommate’s hand and punching her in the eye during a fight over which one’s child cares more about them.
Candace Angeline Ludwig, 69, of S.W. 79th Avenue, was charged with battery on a person 69 years of age or older after the incident, which happened around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday while they were driving back to their residence in the Palm Cay retirement community.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy she was driving home from the store and got into an argument with Ludwig over their children and how her daughter visits her and Ludwig’s son does not care about her. She said Ludwig became irate and punched her in the arm, bit her right hand and punched her in the eye while she was still driving down the road, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputy observed the victim’s arm was slightly bruised. Her right hand was bleeding and her right eye was purple and swollen, the report said.
After being read her Miranda warning, Ludwig said she was upset because she was supposed to go to the door with the victim, but the victim left for dinner with her daughter. She said she was upset because she wanted to go to the store first and was unaware the victim was leaving. Ludwig said when they finally went to the store, the victim told her family comes first, according to the report.
Ludwig said she told the victim her son lives far away and does not care about her, and a verbal altercation started while they were on their way back from the store. Ludwig said she doesn’t remember hitting the victim in the arm but recalls the victim saying she was going to call 911 because Ludwig hit her, the report said.
Ludwig said she did bite the victim’s hand and punched her in the eye, but she didn’t remember in which order. She said she was scratched in the eye but could not elaborate on how it happened and her injury appeared to be a defense wound, according to the report.
Ludwig was taken to the Marion County Jail, where she was released early Friday on $1,000 bond. She will appear in Marion County Court on Dec. 8.