A 33-year-old Dunnellon man with two prior battery convictions was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office after he was accused of striking several employees at a local Domino’s Pizza store.
On Saturday, July 1, an MCSO deputy responded to Domino’s Pizza located at 11582 N Williams Street in Dunnellon in reference to a battery incident. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with a man in the parking lot, later identified as Jason Lee Soverns, who matched the description that had been provided of the suspect, according to the arrest report.
During a pat-down search of Soverns, the deputy located the following items: a hypodermic needle containing a brown residue, a green leafy substance wrapped inside a dollar bill, one-half of a marijuana cigarette, and a “roach.” The MCSO report stated that the residue and substance field-tested positive for marijuana.
After being read his Miranda rights, Soverns admitted that he went to Domino’s Pizza and told the employees to “get out of the store.” He told the deputy that one of the employees “turned their back to him and walked away.” The deputy noted in the report that Soverns appeared to be under the influence of “some sort of narcotic” and was “not making sense” with his statements.
The deputy spoke with witnesses who advised that Soverns had entered the store, and he was yelling and causing a disturbance. The witnesses advised that Soverns told the employees to “get out,” and he then entered an employee-only area behind the counter, according to the MCSO report.
While behind the counter, the witnesses told the deputy that Soverns punched an employee on the right side of the face. Two other employees advised that they attempted to intervene and were also struck by Soverns during the altercation.
In the MCSO report, the deputy noted that the first employee/victim had redness and swelling on the left side of their face, and the second employee/victim had a small scratch near their right elbow. The third employee did not want to press any charges against Soverns.
The deputy observed the store’s video surveillance footage from the time of the incident, and the deputy noted that Soverns was observed entering the store and walking behind the counter area. On the footage, Soverns was observed punching the first employee, and he also struck the other two employees when they attempted to intervene, according to the MCSO report.
A criminal history search of Soverns revealed that he was previously convicted of battery in Marion County in July of 2022. The deputy noted that the convictions were for two separate battery cases that had occurred a month apart in 2020.
Soverns was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held on $60,000 bond. He is facing felony charges for battery – second or subsequent offense (two counts), along with misdemeanor charges for possession of marijuana (20 grams or less) and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, August 1, according to jail records.