A 62-year-old Ocala man was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office after he was accused of threatening a woman with a rifle during an argument.
On Monday, MCSO deputies responded to a local residence in reference to an aggravated assault incident. Upon arrival, one of the deputies made contact with the female victim who advised that she was inside the residence with Jimmy Dean Rowsey when the incident occurred.
According to the victim, Rowsey “took a Xanax bar and had a couple of beers” while she was on the phone with his daughter. The victim advised that she discussed Rowsey’s drinking with his daughter, and Rowsey got upset when he overheard the conversation, according to the MCSO report.
The victim claimed that Rowsey grabbed a rifle from the bedroom, pointed it at her, and told her, “You wanna keep talking (expletive) about me to other people?” The victim told the deputy that she ran out of the back of the residence and went to a neighbor’s home because she was afraid for her safety.
While still holding the rifle, Rowsey allegedly approached the neighbor’s home. The neighbor also grabbed a firearm for protection, and Rowsey returned to his residence and locked the doors, according to the victim.
The MCSO report stated that when multiple deputies arrived at the residence, Rowsey was briefly observed opening the garage door with the firearm still in his possession. As soon as he spotted law enforcement, Rowsey closed the garage door, went inside, and he shut off all the lights inside the home.
The deputies gave Rowsey several commands to exit the residence. The MCSO report stated that Rowsey exited the home at one point, shouted at the deputies, and went back inside. After nearly three hours, Rowsey proceeded to exit the residence and was detained in handcuffs.
While speaking with a deputy, the victim advised that another incident involving Rowsey had occurred the day before. She stated that while Rowsey was under the influence of alcohol on Sunday, he had pulled her from the bed and dragged her from the bedroom, which caused bruises on her side and arms, as well as carpet burn on her knee.
The deputy observed in the MCSO report that the victim had bruising on both of her arms, scrapes on her left side, and two burn marks on her left knee.
Rowsey was read his Miranda rights, and he claimed that he had been involved in a verbal argument with the victim when she went outside to use the phone. He further claimed that the victim “took off running” when he exited the residence, and he mentioned that he was unsure why she ran away.
When asked about the rifle, he claimed that he did not have the firearm because the victim “hid it.” He also denied hitting the victim, though he admitted that he had grabbed the victim to remove her from the residence since he “wanted her out” of his home, according to the MCSO report.
Rowsey was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $11,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and displaying a firearm in the commission of a felony, along with misdemeanor charges for battery and resisting an officer without violence.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.