A knife-wielding Citra man was arrested Wednesday after the family he lives with barricaded themselves in a bedroom to get away from him.
One of the victims told Marion County sheriff’s deputies that 22-year-old Jose Ismael Florencio had been causing a verbal disturbance. She said Florencio was holding a knife so she went into her bedroom with her husband and juvenile daughter, a sheriff’s office report states.
The juvenile told deputies that she was doing her second-grade schoolwork online when Florencio walked over and grabbed her with both hands and pressed his thumbs into her jawline. Deputies observed a small red mark on the girl’s left jawline, which appeared to be from a thumb, the report says.
The husband told deputies that he was barricaded in the bedroom because Florencio was holding a knife and wanted him to come out and fight. He said he didn’t want to come out of the bedroom because he was afraid Florencio would “cause immediate harm to his family,” the report says.
Deputies recovered the 7-inch steak knife and took Florencio into custody. After being read his rights, he refused to speak with them. A criminal background check then showed that Florencio was convicted in September 2019 in Polk County for battery on an officer, firefighter or EMT, the report says.
Florencio was transported to the Marion County Jail and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and battery (second or subsequent offense). He was being held on $7,000 bond and is due in court Feb. 9 at 9 a.m. to answer to the charges, jail records show.