A 60-year-old Ocala man was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office after a woman accused him of grabbing her neck during an argument and snatching her cellphone to prevent her from contacting law enforcement.
On Thursday, an MCSO deputy responded to a local residence in reference to a verbal altercation. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the female victim who advised that she had gotten into an argument with Scott Charles West, according to the arrest report.
During the argument, the victim advised that she attempted to leave the residence, but West refused to let her walk past him. She told the deputy that West “walked up to her face” and stated, “You really want to (do) this,” according to the MCSO report.
The victim stated that West then grabbed her neck with a firm grip, which restricted her ability to breathe. In the MCSO report, the deputy noted that the victim’s neck had red marks that were consistent with her statement.
When the victim was able to separate from West, she advised that she ran towards the bedroom and picked up her cellphone to call 911. According to the victim, West snatched the cellphone out of her hand before she could contact law enforcement. She then proceeded to exit the residence.
The deputy made contact with West at the incident location. After being read his Miranda rights, West admitted that a verbal altercation had taken place, though he denied the victim’s allegations, according to the MCSO report.
West was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $10,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for committing domestic battery by strangulation and hindering, delaying, or preventing the communication to a law enforcement officer of information relating to the commission or possible commission of an offense.
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 18, according to jail records.