An Ocklawaha man is in the Marion County Jail on a domestic battery charge after being accused of hitting and pushing a woman over their trailer being in disarray.
At around 6:30 a.m. Monday, a neighbor told a pair of Marion County sheriffs deputies he overheard a very loud domestic disturbance. He said he saw Jason Michael Babcock, 40, strike the victim on the side of her head with an open hand while they were standing outside the mobile home, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The deputies went to the incident location and heard yelling and screaming from inside the mobile home. They heard Babcock yelling at the victim and the victim saying, “Stop hitting me.” A deputy knocked on the door and announced, “sheriff’s office,” and Babcock opened the door and stepped outside. Babcock was immediately detained and placed in the back of the patrol vehicle, the report said.
The victim, who was scared and on the verge of crying, said Babcock started yelling at her due to the inside of the mobile home being in disarray and children’s toys lying on the floor. She said he came at her in an aggressive manner and slapped her with an open hand in the head, pushed her in the chest region with an open hand, and struck her in her arms and legs with a closed fist, according to the report.
The victim said Babcock has struck her on multiple previous occasions and she didn’t want to call law enforcement because she was afraid her children would be taken away. Deputies observed scratch marks on the victim’s neck and black and blue bruising on her left arm and both legs, the report said.
Babcock told the deputies that no physical altercation occurred. He’s being held on $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Feb. 3, 2021.