A 25-year-old Ocala man is still in the Marion County Jail after he allegedly strangled a woman and threatened to slit her throat early Monday.
The victim told a Marion County sheriff’s deputy she was laying on her bed at around 3:30 a.m. when Jason Dakota Barber told her to pack his bags. She said when she refused, Barber dragged her off the bed and pushed her against the wall, where he choked her, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said she didn’t black out or lose consciousness during the altercation. She said Barber then threw her across the room and threatened to slit her and a juvenile’s throat. The juvenile’s identity and relationship to the victim was redacted from the report.
The victim said she didn’t know if Barber was in possession of his knife, which he usually carries with him. She said Barber went to bed after she packed his bag and washed her dog, according to the report.
After being read his Miranda warning, Barber told the deputy the altercation happened in a separate room where his friends were staying and was only verbal. He said he passed out on the bed in the room he and the victim were staying in, the report said.
Barber could not clarify any further on what happened, except to continually say the fight was verbal only. The deputy was unable to contact Barber’s friends who were staying in the room where the first argument occurred, according to the report.
Barber, who was charged with simple domestic battery, was being held Thursday night on $1,000 bond and will appear in Marion County Court on March 3.