A 62-year-old Ocala man charged with strangling a woman in a jealous rage and taking her phone so she couldn’t call 911 kicked two deputies while he was being arrested recently.
Donald R. Dickerson was charged with domestic battery by strangulation, tampering with a witness, and two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer after the incident.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy responded to a report of a female crying and not knowing where she was. The deputy found the front door of the residence open and could hear the victim talking to Dickerson. She sounded like she was crying and said she couldn’t believe he choked her, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim was reluctant to tell the deputy what happened. The deputy told her he heard her say Dickerson choked her. She said Dickerson became jealous of the men who were helping her move items into her residence. The victim said Dickerson took her phone and left the location after they argued, the report said.
The victim said once Dickerson returned a short time later, they continued to argue about the men who were helping her. She said they were in the kitchen when Dickerson grabbed her throat with both of his hands and pushed her into the kitchen bar stool, then pushed her over the couch in the living room, according to the report.
The victim said Dickerson continued to choke her for a short time after he pushed her over the couch but then let go. She said she was unable to breathe but never lost consciousness. The victim said she wanted to call 911 but Dickerson would not give her back her cell phone. The victim said she had to ask Dickerson “a million times” for her phone before he returned it. She said she called 911 immediately, the report said.
The deputy observed a fresh red and purple bruise on the victim’s left elbow. The victim said she hit her arm when Dickerson pushed her into the kitchen bar stool and over the couch, according to the report.
Dickerson told the deputy he was only trying to keep the victim from driving intoxicated. He said he didn’t know what was wrong with her. Dickerson said he took the victim’s cell phone and left the residence, looked at her messages and became upset with what he saw, the report said.
Dickerson said he returned to the residence to talk to the victim about the messages. He said no physical altercation took place and said if the victim had marks on her, it was due to her getting her “back lasered,” according to the report.
Dickerson was arrested and placed in the back of the patrol vehicle. While the victim was being treated by medics, Dickerson asked for help from the medics on the scene. He started to breathe heavily and tried to make himself throw up. Dickerson did not have to be taken to the hospital, the report said.
The deputy removed Dickerson from the patrol vehicle to adjust his handcuffs. Dickerson sat on the ground and refused to get up. Another deputy tried to assist in placing Dickerson back into the patrol vehicle, but he started kicking and yelling. While he was kicking Dickerson hit one deputy in the right leg and the other deputy in the face, under his right eye.
Dickerson was placed back into the patrol vehicle and taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released on $20,000 bond. He will appear in Marion County Court on May 18.