A 28-year-old Ocala man spent Sunday night in the Marion County Jail after admitting to choking and slapping a woman in the face.
Robert A. Trinidad-Betancourt told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy he received some information that made him so upset that he choked the victim with one hand and threw her down. He said he then struck her in the face with an open hand, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said she was sleeping when Trinidad-Betancourt woke her up and started screaming at her. She said he took one hand and started choking her to the point where she was unable to breathe. The victim said Trinidad-Betancourt threw her to the ground, causing her to hit her head, and then struck her in the face with an open hand, the report said.
The deputy observed redness on the victim’s face and throat. A juvenile witness said he heard arguing and when he stepped outside his room, he saw Trinidad-Betancourt strike the victim in the face with an open hand, according to the report.
Trinidad-Betancourt was charged with domestic battery by strangulation. He was released from jail Monday on $2,000 bond and will appear in Marion County Court on Jan. 26.